1 Samuel
Chapter 10
1 Then Samuel took a bottle of oil, poured it on his head, kissed him, and said, “Isn’t it because God has chosen you to lead his people?”
2 When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb on Benjamin’s border at Zelzah; they will tell you that the donkeys you were looking for have been found, and look, your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and is now worried about you, wondering, ‘What should I do for my son?’
3 Then you will move on from there and reach Tabor’s plain, where three men going to worship God at Bethel will meet you. One will have three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and the third a container of wine.
4 They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread; you should take them from their hands.
5 After that, you will go to God’s hill, where the Philistine soldiers are: and when you get there, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the worship place with a psaltery, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp in front of them; and they will speak God’s messages.
6 God’s Spirit will come on you, and you will prophesy with them, and you will be changed into a different person.
7 When these signs happen to you, do what you think is best because God is with you.
8 Go ahead of me to Gilgal, and wait there. I will come to you to offer burnt sacrifices and peace offerings. Stay for seven days until I arrive and tell you what to do.
9 When he left Samuel and turned away, God changed his heart, and all the signs happened that day.
10 When they got to the hill, a group of prophets met him; God’s Spirit came on him, and he spoke God’s messages with them.
11 When everyone who knew him before saw that he was prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What has happened to Kish’s son? Is Saul also one of the prophets?”
12 Someone from there replied, “But who is their father?” So it became a saying, “Is Saul also a prophet?”
13 After he finished prophesying, he arrived at the high place.
14 Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?” He replied, “To look for the donkeys. When we couldn’t find them anywhere, we went to Samuel.”
15 Saul’s uncle asked, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.”
16 Saul told his uncle, “He clearly said that the donkeys were found. But he didn’t tell him about the kingdom business that Samuel mentioned.”
17 And Samuel gathered the people to God at Mizpeh.
18 God told the people of Israel, “I took Israel out of Egypt, and saved you from the Egyptians and from every kingdom that pressured you.”
19 Today, you have turned away from God, who rescued you from all your troubles and hardships; and you have told Him, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us.’ So now, come stand before God by your tribes and in groups of a thousand.
20 When Samuel had all Israel’s tribes come forward, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.
21 When he made the tribe of Benjamin approach by their families, Matri’s family was chosen, and Saul, Kish’s son, was selected: but when they looked for him, he was not found.
22 So they asked God again if the man would come there. And God said, “Look, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”
23 They hurried to get him from there, and when he stood with the people, he was taller than anyone else from his shoulders up.
24 And Samuel said to everyone, “Look at the man whom God has chosen, there is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people yelled, “God save the king.”
25 Samuel explained to the people how the kingdom should work, wrote it in a book, and put it before God. Then Samuel sent everyone home.
26 Saul went back to Gibeah, and a group of men whose hearts God had moved went with him.
27 But Belial’s followers said, “How can this man save us?” They looked down on him and gave him no gifts. But he stayed quiet.