10:1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the LORD anointed you leader over his inheritance?
10:2 When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”‘
10:3 “Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine.
10:4 They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.
10:5 “After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying.
10:6 The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person.
10:7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
10:8 “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”
10:9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.
10:10 When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came upon him in power, and he joined in their prophesying.
10:11 When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
10:12 A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
10:13 After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.
10:14 Now Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?” “Looking for the donkeys,” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”
10:15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”
10:16 Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
10:17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the LORD at Mizpah
10:18 and said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’
10:19 But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, ‘No, set a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans.”
10:20 When Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.
10:21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was chosen. Finally Saul son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found.
10:22 So they inquired further of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?” And the LORD said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”
10:23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others.
10:24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
10:25 Samuel explained to the people the regulations of the kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the LORD. Then Samuel dismissed the people, each to his own home.
10:26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched.
10:27 But some troublemakers said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.
10:1 Then Samuel took the vial of oil and poured it upon his head, and he kissed him and said, Jehovah anoints you ruler over His inheritance.
10:2 When you depart from me today, you will find two men by Rachel s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, The donkeys that you went to look for have been found; and now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and is worried about you, saying, What shall I do about my son?
10:3 Then you will go on further from there and come to the terebinth of Tabor; and three men will meet you there, going up to God at Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.
10:4 And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, and you will take them from their hand.
10:5 After that you will come to the hill of God, where the Philistines garrison is. And as you come to the city there, you will encounter a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by harp and tambourine and pipe and lyre; and they will be prophesying.
10:6 And the Spirit of Jehovah will rush upon you; and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.
10:7 And when these signs happen to you, do as you find occasion, for God is with you.
10:8 And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer up burnt offerings and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings. You shall wait seven days, until I come to you; then I will make known to you what you shall do.
10:9 And so when he turned his back to depart from Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs happened that day.
10:10 And when they came there to the hill, there was the group of prophets, coming to meet him. And the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them.
10:11 And when all who had known him previously saw that now he was prophesying with the prophets, the people said one to another, What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?
10:12 And someone from there answered and said, And who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?
10:13 And when he finished prophesying, he came to the high place.
10:14 And Saul s uncle said to him and his servant, Where did you go? And he said, To look for the donkeys; and when we saw that they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.
10:15 And Saul s uncle said, Tell me then what Samuel said to you.
10:16 And Saul said to his uncle, He told us clearly that the donkeys had been found. But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom that Samuel had spoken of.
10:17 Then Samuel gathered the people together to Jehovah at Mizpah.
10:18 And he said to the children of Israel, Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.
10:19 But today you have rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your calamities and distresses, and have said, No; but set a king over us. And now present yourselves before Jehovah according to your tribes and according to your thousands.
10:20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
10:21 And he brought the tribe of Benjamin near according to its families, and the family of Matri was taken. And Saul the son of Kish was taken. But when they sought him, he could not be found.
10:22 Therefore they asked of Jehovah again, Is there yet another man coming here? And Jehovah said, There he is; he has hidden himself among the baggage.
10:23 And they ran and took him from there. And when he stood up among the people, he was taller than all the people from his shoulders and up.
10:24 And Samuel said to all the people, See him whom Jehovah has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people. And all the people shouted and said, Long live the king!
10:25 Then Samuel told the people the practice of the kingdom, and he wrote it in a book and laid it before Jehovah. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.
10:26 And Saul also went to his house at Gibeah, and the men of valor, whose hearts God had touched, went with him;
10:27 But some worthless men said, How can this man save us? And they despised him and brought him no present. But he kept silent.