1 Samuel 10:1-27
10 And Samuel took his flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said to him “It is because Jehovah has anointed you warden over his people Israel, and you shall sway Jehovah’s people, and you shall save them out of the hands of their enemies on all sides.
2 And this is the sign you are to have that Jehovah has anointed you as warden of his estate: as you go from me today you will find two men by Rachel’s grave at the boundary-line of Benjamin, at Selsah, and they will say to you ‘The donkeys that you went to look for are found, and now your father has dropped the matter of the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying “What shall I do for my son?”’
3 * And you will go on beyond there and come to the Tabor Oak, and three men going up to God’s place at Bethel will fall in with you there, one carrying three kids and one carrying three cakes of bread and one carrying a skin of wine;
4 and they will ask you how you are doing, and give you two cakes of bread, and you shall receive it from them.
5 * After that you will come to Gibeath-ha-Elohim, where the Philistines’ prefect is; and as you come to the city there you will encounter a company of prophets coming down from the height, with harp and tambourine and flute and lyre before them, and under the power;
6 and the spirit of Jehovah will seize upon you, and you will fall under the power with them and be turned into another man.
7 And when these tokens present themselves to you, do as occasion offers; for God is with you.
8 And go down before me to the Gilgal; I will be coming down to you to offer burnt-offerings and sacrifice welfare-sacrifices; seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and let you know what you are to do.”
9 And when he turned his back to go from Samuel, God transformed his heart, and all these tokens presented themselves to him that same day.
10 * And they came there to Gibeah, and found a company of prophets coming on and meeting them; and a divine spirit seized upon him, and he fell under the power and was among them.
11 And everybody who had known him previously saw how he was with the prophets and under the power; and the people said to each other “What is this that has happened to Kish’s son? is Saul too among the prophets?”
12 and a man from there answered “And who is their father?” Hence it became a proverb “Is Saul too among the prophets?”
13 * And he came out of the power and came to the height;
14 and Saul’s uncle said to him and his man “Where did you go?” and he said “Looking for the donkeys; and we saw there was nothing to be found of them, and came to Samuel.”
15 And Saul’s uncle said “O, tell me what Samuel said to you.”
16 * And Saul said to his uncle “He told us all right that the donkeys had been found,” but did not tell him that about the kingship that Samuel had said.
17 And Samuel called the people out to Jehovah’s place at Mispah,
18 and said to the sons of Israel “Says Jehovah, the God of Israel, ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and delivered you out of the hands of the Egyptians and of all the kingdoms that oppressed you;
19 and you today have rejected your God who was your savior out of all your hardships and distresses, and have said “No, but appoint a king over us.” Now, then, take your stand before Jehovah by tribes and by thousands.’”
20 And Samuel brought forward all the tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Benjamin was fixed upon;
21 * and he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin by clans, and the clan of the Matrites was fixed upon; and he brought forward the clan of the Matrites by men, and Saul the son of Kish was fixed upon; and they looked for him, but he was not to be found.
22 * And they put the question to Jehovah again “Has the man come here?” and Jehovah said “He is in among the baggage hiding.”
23 And they ran and fetched him from there, and he stood up among the people and was tallest of the people by a head and shoulders;
24 and Samuel said to all the people “Do you see the man Jehovah has chosen, how there is no one like him among all the people?” and all the people cheered and said “Long live the king!”
25 And Samuel stated to the people the law of the kingship, and wrote it down as a document and deposited it before Jehovah; and Samuel sent all the people home.
26 And Saul too went home to Gibeah, and with him went the brave men whose hearts God had touched.
27 But the reprobates said “What will this man do toward saving us?” and despised him and brought him no present.
Footnotes
^ 10:3 Var. the Bahur Oak
^ 10:5 Or the Philistines’ post Var. prefects or posts
^ 10:10 Var. came from there
^ 10:13 Var. to Gibeah Conj. to his home
^ 10:16 Var. omits that Samuel had said
^ 10:21 Var. omits and he brought forward the clan of the Matrites by men
^ 10:22 Or come yet
