1 Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and
kissed him, and said, Isn’t it that Yahweh has anointed you to be prince over
his inheritance? 2 When you are departed from me today, then you shall
find two men by Rachel’s tomb, in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they
will tell you, The donkeys which you went to seek are found; and, behold,
your father has left off caring for the donkeys, and is anxious for you,
saying, What shall I do for my son? 3 Then shall you go on forward from
there, and you shall come to the oak of Tabor; and there shall meet you there
three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another
carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine:
4 and they will Greet you, and give you two loaves of bread, which you
shall receive of their hand. 5 After that you shall come to the hill of
God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall happen, when you
are come there to the city, that you shall meet a band of prophets coming
down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tambourine, and a pipe, and a
harp, before them; and they will be prophesying: 6 and the Spirit of
Yahweh will come mightily on you, and you shall prophesy with them, and shall
be turned into another man. 7 Let it be, when these signs are come to you,
that you do as occasion shall serve you; for God is with you. 8 You shall
go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down to you, to offer
burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings: seven days
shall you wait, until I come to you, and show you what you shall do. 9 It
was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him
another heart: and all those signs happened that day. 10 When they came
there to the hill, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God
came mightily on him, and he prophesied among them. 11 It happened, when
all who knew him before saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets,
then the people said one to another, What is this that is come to the son of
Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? 12 One of the same place answered,
Who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the
prophets? 13 When he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high
place. 14 Saul’s uncle said to him and to his servant, Where went
you? He said, To seek the donkeys; and when we saw that they were not
found, we came to Samuel. 15 Saul’s uncle said, Tell me, Please, what
Samuel said to you. 16 Saul said to his uncle, He told us plainly that the
donkeys were found. But concerning the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel
spoke, he didn’t tell him. 17 Samuel called the people together to Yahweh
to Mizpah; 18 and he said to the children of Israel, Thus says Yahweh, the
God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of
the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that
oppressed you: 19 but you have this day rejected your God, who
himself saves you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and
you have said to him, No, but set a king over us. Now therefore
present yourselves before Yahweh by your tribes, and by your thousands.
20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of
Benjamin was taken. 21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their
families; and the family of the Matrites was taken; and Saul the son of Kish
was taken: but when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 Therefore
they asked of Yahweh further, Is there yet a man to come here? Yahweh
answered, Behold, he has hid himself among the baggage. 23 They ran and
fetched him there; and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any
of the people from his shoulders and upward. 24 Samuel said to all the
people, “You see him whom Yahweh has chosen, that there is none like him
among all the people?”
All the people shouted, and said, Long live the king. 25 Then
Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and
laid it up before Yahweh. Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his
house. 26 Saul also went to his house to Gibeah; and there went with him
the host, whose hearts God had touched. 27 But certain worthless fellows
said, How shall this man save us? They despised him, and brought him no
present. But he held his peace.
World English Bible - Public Domain |
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