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10 Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be Governor over His inheritance?

“After you have departed from me this day, you shall find two men by Rachel’s sepulcher, on the border of Benjamin, at Zelzah; and they will say to you, “The donkeys which you went to seek have been found. And lo, your father has left the care of the donkeys and worries about you, saying, ‘What shall I do for my son?’

“Then you shall go forth from there and shall come to the plain of Tabor. And you shall meet three men there going up to God, to Bethel, one carrying three goats and another carrying three loaves of bread and another carrying a bottle of wine.

“And they will ask you if all is well and will give you the two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands.

“After that, you shall come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is. And when you have come there to the city, you shall meet a company of Prophets coming down from the high place with a lute and a tambourine and a flute and a harp before them; and they shall prophesy.

“Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you. And you shall prophesy with them and shall be turned into another man.

“Therefore, when these signs shall come to you, do as the occasion shall require. For God is with you.

“And you shall go down before me to Gilgal. And I, also, will come down to you, to offer Burnt Offerings, and to sacrifice Sacrifices of peace. Wait for me for seven days, until I come to you and tell you what you shall do.”

And when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all those signs came to pass that same day.

10 And when they came there to the hill, behold, the company of Prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him; and he prophesied among them.

11 Therefore, all the people who knew him before, when they saw that he prophesied among the Prophets, said each to other, “What has come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the Prophets?”

12 And one from the same place answered, and said, “But who is their father?” Therefore, it was a proverb, “Is Saul also among the Prophets?”

13 And when he had finished Prophesying, he came to the high place.

14 And Saul’s uncle said to him, and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To look for the donkeys. And when we saw that they were nowhere, we came to Samuel.”

15 And Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you.”

16 Then Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But concerning the kingdom of which Samuel had spoken, he told him nothing.

17 And Samuel assembled the people to the LORD in Mizpah,

18 And he said to the children of Israel, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I have brought Israel out of Egypt and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hands of all kingdoms that troubled you.

19 ‘But you have this day cast away your God, Who alone delivers you out of all your adversities and tribulations. And you said to Him, “No! But appoint a king over us!” Now, therefore, stand before the LORD, according to your tribes and according to your thousands.’”

20 And when Samuel had gathered together all the tribes of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.

21 Afterward, he assembled the tribe of Benjamin, according to their families; and the family of Matri was taken. So Saul, the son of Kish, was taken. And when they sought him, he could not be found.

22 Therefore, they asked the LORD again if that man should still come there. And the LORD answered, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the implements.”

23 And they ran and brought him there. And when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from the shoulders upward.

24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you not see him whom the LORD has chosen, so that there is no one like him among all the people?” And all the people shouted and said, “God save the king!”

25 Then Samuel told the people the duty of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each man to his house.

26 Saul, also, went home to Gibeah. And a band of men followed him whose hearts God had touched.

27 But some wicked men said, “How shall he save us?” So they despised him and brought him no presents. But he held his tongue.

10 Then Samuel took a flask(A) of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed(B) you ruler over his inheritance?[a](C) When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb,(D) at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys(E) you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried(F) about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’

“Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel(G) will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread,(H) which you will accept from them.

“After that you will go to Gibeah(I) of God, where there is a Philistine outpost.(J) As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets(K) coming down from the high place(L) with lyres, timbrels,(M) pipes(N) and harps(O) being played before them, and they will be prophesying.(P) The Spirit(Q) of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed(R) into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever(S) your hand(T) finds to do, for God is with(U) you.

“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal.(V) I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven(W) days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”

Saul Made King

As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed(X) Saul’s heart, and all these signs(Y) were fulfilled(Z) that day. 10 When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit(AA) of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying.(AB) 11 When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this(AC) that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”(AD)

12 A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”(AE) 13 After Saul stopped prophesying,(AF) he went to the high place.

14 Now Saul’s uncle(AG) asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?”

“Looking for the donkeys,(AH)” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”

15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”

16 Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys(AI) had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.

17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah(AJ) 18 and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed(AK) you.’ 19 But you have now rejected(AL) your God, who saves(AM) you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king(AN) over us.’(AO) So now present(AP) yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”

20 When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken.(AQ) Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22 So they inquired(AR) further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”

And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”

23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller(AS) than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?(AT) There is no one like(AU) him among all the people.”

Then the people shouted, “Long live(AV) the king!”

25 Samuel explained(AW) to the people the rights and duties(AX) of kingship.(AY) He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.

26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah,(AZ) accompanied by valiant men(BA) whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some scoundrels(BB) said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts.(BC) But Saul kept silent.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 10:1 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate over his people Israel? You will reign over the Lord’s people and save them from the power of their enemies round about. And this will be a sign to you that the Lord has anointed you ruler over his inheritance: