1 Samuel

¹Samuel took a small flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head. He kissed him and said, 'The LORD has anointed you to be the ruler over his people Israel.'

²'When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will tell you: The donkeys you were looking for have been found. Now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and is anxious about you, asking, What has happened to my son?'

³'From there you will go on to the great tree of Tabor. Three men on their way up to worship God at Bethel will meet you there — one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and a third carrying a wineskin.'

⁴'They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you should accept.'

⁵'After that, you will reach Gibeah of God, where the Philistines have a garrison. As you approach the town, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, led by musicians playing harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres — and they will be prophesying.'

⁶'The Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person.'

⁷'Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.'

⁸'Then go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will come down to meet you there to present burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Wait seven days until I arrive and tell you what to do.'

⁹When Saul turned to leave Samuel, God gave him a completely changed heart, and all these signs came true that same day.

¹⁰When Saul and the servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets came to meet him. The Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he prophesied right along with them.

¹¹When people who had known Saul before saw him prophesying with the prophets, they said to one another, 'What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also one of the prophets?'

¹²Someone from the area asked, 'And who is their teacher?' This became a popular saying: 'Is Saul also among the prophets?'

¹³When Saul finished prophesying, he went to the high place.

¹⁴Saul's uncle asked him and his servant, 'Where have you been?' Saul replied, 'We went to look for the donkeys, and when we couldn't find them, we went to see Samuel.'

¹⁵Saul's uncle said, 'Tell me what Samuel said to you.'

¹⁶Saul answered, 'He told us clearly that the donkeys had been found.' He said nothing about what Samuel had said concerning the kingship.

¹⁷Samuel summoned the people to appear before the LORD at Mizpah.

¹⁸He said to the Israelites, 'This is what the LORD God of Israel says: I brought Israel out of Egypt and rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.'

¹⁹'But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and distress. You demanded a king instead. Very well — now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and families.'

²⁰Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.

²¹He then brought the Benjaminite clans forward, and the clan of Matri was chosen. Within that clan, Saul son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found.

²²They asked the LORD, 'Has he come here yet?' The LORD answered, 'Yes, he is hiding among the supplies.'

²³They ran and brought him out, and when he stood among the people, he was a head taller than anyone else.

²⁴Samuel said to all the people, 'Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people!' And the people cheered, shouting, 'Long live the king!'

²⁵Samuel then explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them in a scroll and placed it before the LORD. Then he dismissed everyone to return home.

²⁶Saul also returned home to Gibeah, accompanied by a group of men whose hearts God had moved.

²⁷But some troublemakers said, 'How can this man save us?' They despised him and brought him no gifts. Saul, however, said nothing about it.