Samuel Anoints Saul

10 Then (A)Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, (B)and kissed him and said: “Is it not because (C)the Lord has anointed you commander over (D)His [a]inheritance? When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by (E)Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin (F)at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about (G)you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’ Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There three men going up (H)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. And they will [b]greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands. After that you shall come to the hill of God (I)where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down (J)from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; (K)and they will be prophesying. Then (L)the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and (M)you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be, when these (N)signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for (O)God is with you. You shall go down before me (P)to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. (Q)Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do.”

So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God [c]gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. 10 (R)When they came there to the hill, there was (S)a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? (T)Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 Then a man from there answered and said, “But (U)who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.

14 Then Saul’s (V)uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?”

So he said, “To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.”

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

16 So Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been (W)found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel had said.

Saul Proclaimed King

17 Then Samuel called the people together (X)to the Lord (Y)at Mizpah, 18 and said to the children of Israel, (Z)“Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.’ 19 (AA)But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your [d]clans.”

20 And when Samuel had (AB)caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 Therefore they (AC)inquired of the Lord further, “Has the man come here yet?”

And the Lord answered, “There he is, hidden among the equipment.”

23 So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, (AD)he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him (AE)whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?”

So all the people shouted and said, (AF)“Long[e] live the king!”

25 Then Samuel explained to the people (AG)the behavior of royalty, and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. 26 And Saul also went home (AH)to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. 27 (AI)But some (AJ)rebels said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him, (AK)and brought him no presents. But he [f]held his peace.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 10:1 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX people Israel; and you shall rule the people of the Lord; LXX, Vg. add And you shall deliver His people from the hands of their enemies all around them. And this shall be a sign to you, that God has anointed you to be a prince.
  2. 1 Samuel 10:4 ask you about your welfare
  3. 1 Samuel 10:9 changed his heart
  4. 1 Samuel 10:19 Lit. thousands
  5. 1 Samuel 10:24 Lit. May the king live
  6. 1 Samuel 10:27 kept silent

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: