Saul Made King

⁹ As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed^(A) Saul’s heart, and all these signs^(B) were fulfilled^(C) that day.

⁷ “‘This is the Lord’s sign^(A) to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: ⁸ I will make the shadow cast by the sun go back the ten steps it has gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.’” So the sunlight went back the ten steps it had gone down.^(B)

² When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb,^(A) at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys^(B) you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried^(C) about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’

³ “Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel^(D) will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. ⁴ They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread,^(E) which you will accept from them.

⁵ “After that you will go to Gibeah^(F) of God, where there is a Philistine outpost.^(G) As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets^(H) coming down from the high place^(I) with lyres, timbrels,^(J) pipes^(K) and harps^(L) being played before them, and they will be prophesying.^{(M) 6} The Spirit^(N) of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed^(O) into a different person.

¹¹ and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp.

³⁶ Gideon said to God, “If you will save^(A) Israel by my hand as you have promised— ³⁷ look, I will place a wool fleece^(B) on the threshing floor.^(C) If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know^(D) that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” ³⁸ And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request.^(E) Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” ⁴⁰ That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.^(F)

²¹ Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread^(A) with the tip of the staff^(B) that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared.

¹⁶ The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.