1 Then AEx 30:23-33; 1 Sam 16:13; 2 Kin 9:3, 6Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on his head, BPs 2:12kissed him and said, “Has not C1 Sam 16:13; 26:9; 2 Sam 1:14the Loʀᴅ anointed you a ruler over DDeut 32:9; Ps 78:71His inheritance? 2  “When you go from me today, then you will find two men close to AGen 35:16-20; 48:7Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘B1 Sam 9:3-5The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. Now behold, your father has 1Lit abandoned the matter ofceased to be concerned about the donkeys and is anxious for you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’ 3  “Then you will go on further from there, and you will come as far as the 1Or terebinthAGen 35:8oak of Tabor, and there three men going up BGen 28:19; 35:1, 3, 7to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine; 4 and they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hand. 5  “Afterward you will come to 1Or Gibeath-haelohimA1 Sam 13:2, 3the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is; and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will meet B1 Sam 19:20; 2 Kin 2:3, 5, 15a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre before them, and C2 Kin 3:15; 1 Chr 25:1-6; 1 Cor 14:1they will be prophesying. 6  “Then ANum 11:25, 29; Judg 14:6the Spirit of the Loʀᴅ will come upon you mightily, and B1 Sam 10:10; 19:23, 24you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man. 7  “It shall be when these signs come to you, AEccl 9:10do for yourself what 1Lit your hand findsthe occasion requires, for BJosh 1:5; Judg 6:12; Heb 13:5God is with you. 8  “And A1 Sam 11:14; 13:8you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and B1 Sam 11:15sacrifice peace offerings. C1 Sam 13:8You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do.”

9 Then it happened when he turned his back to leave Samuel, God A1 Sam 10:6changed 1Lit for him another hearthis heart; and all those signs came about on that day. 10 A1 Sam 10:5, 6; 19:20When they came to 1Or Gibeaththe hill there, behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him mightily, so that he prophesied among them. 11 It came about, when all who knew him previously saw that he prophesied now with the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? A1 Sam 19:24; Amos 7:14, 15; Matt 13:54-57; John 7:15Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 A man there said, “Now, who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “A1 Sam 19:23, 24Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.

14 Now A1 Sam 14:50Saul’s uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “B1 Sam 9:3-6To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they could not be found, we went to Samuel.” 15 Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.” 16 So Saul said to his uncle, “A1 Sam 9:20He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had mentioned.

17 Thereafter Samuel called the AJudg 20:1; 1 Sam 7:5people together to the Loʀᴅ at Mizpah; 18 and he said to the sons of Israel, “AJudg 6:8, 9Thus says the Loʀᴅ, the God of Israel, ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the 1Lit handpower of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19  “But you A1 Sam 8:6, 7; 12:12have today rejected your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses; yet you have 1So with several mss and versions; M.T. said to Himsaid, ‘No, but set a king over us!’ Now therefore, BJosh 7:14-18; 24:1; Prov 16:33present yourselves before the Loʀᴅ by your tribes and by your clans.”

20 Thus Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the Matrite family was taken. And Saul the son of Kish was taken; but when they looked for him, he could not be found. 22 Therefore A1 Sam 23:2, 4they inquired further of the Loʀᴅ, “Has the man come here yet?” So the Loʀᴅ said, “Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage.” 23 So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, A1 Sam 9:2he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him ADeut 17:15; 2 Sam 21:6whom the Loʀᴅ has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people.” So all the people shouted and said, “1Lit May the king liveB1 Kin 1:25, 34, 39Long live the king!”

25 Then Samuel told the people ADeut 17:14-20; 1 Sam 8:11-18the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book and BDeut 31:26placed it before the Loʀᴅ. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house. 26 Saul also went A1 Sam 11:4; 15:34to his house at Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him. 27 But certain 1Lit sons of Belial, cf 2 Cor 6:15ADeut 13:13; 1 Sam 25:17worthless men said, “How can this one deliver us?” And they despised him and B1 Kin 10:25; 2 Chr 17:5did not bring him any present. But he kept silent.