Top of Page
Page Style
Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head. And he kissed him, and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be ruler over His inheritance? 2 When you leave me todayℝ, you will find two men at Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. The men will say to you, ‘The donkeys that you went to look for have been found, and now your father has stopped been concerned about the donkeys and is worrying about you. He is asking, “What should I do about my son?” ’
3 “Then you will go on further from there until you come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hands.
5 “After that you will go on to Gibeath-haelohim, where the Philistine garrison is. When you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres being played before them, and they will be prophesying. 6 Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. 7 Then let it be, that once these signs are fulfilled to you, do whatever seems right to you, for God is with you.
8 “After that, go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will come down to you to present burnt offerings and to sacrifice fellowship offerings. But you must wait seven days before I come to you and show you what to do.”
9 As Saul turned around to leave Samuel, God changed Saul and all those signs were fulfilled on that day. 10 When they came to Gibeah, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied along with them. 11 When all who had known him previously saw that he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said to one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
12 Then a man from that place asked, “And who is their father?” So it became a popular saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When Saul finished prophesying, he went to the high place.
14 Saul’s uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?”
Saul replied, “To look for the donkeys. But when we saw they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.”
15 And Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.”
16 Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingship of which Samuel had spoken.
17 Samuel summoned the Israelites to the Lord at Mizpah, 18 and said to them, “This what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians, and from all the kingdom that oppressed you’. 19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you Himself from all your calamities and your afflictions. You have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us’! Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.”
20 Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21 Then he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was chosen, and Saul son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he could not be found. 22 So they inquired of the Lord further, “Has the man come here yet?”
And the Lord answered, “Yes, he is hiding among the supplies.”
23 So they ran and brought him out from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.”
And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25 Then Samuel explained to the people the regulations of the kingship. He wrote them down in a scroll, and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each to his own home.
26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and with him went brave men whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some worthless men said, “How can this man save us?” They despised him and did not bring him any gifts. But Saul remained silent.