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1 Samuel 10
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 10

1 Then, from a flask he had with him, Samuel poured oil on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying: “The Lord anoints you ruler over his people Israel. You are the one who will govern the Lord’s people and save them from the power of their enemies all around them.(A)

The Signs Foretold. “This will be the sign[a] for you that the Lord has anointed you ruler over his heritage: 2 When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb[b] at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you went to look for have been found. Now your father is no longer worried about the donkeys, but is anxious about you and says: What shall I do about my son?’(B) 3 Farther on, when you arrive at the oak of Tabor,[c] three men will meet you as they go up to God at Bethel; one will be bringing three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and the third a skin of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two elevated offerings of bread, which you should accept from them. 5 (C)After that you will come to Gibeath-elohim, where the Philistine garrison[d] is located. As you enter that city, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place. They will be preceded by lyres, tambourines, flutes, and harps, and will be in prophetic ecstasy. 6 The spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will join them in their prophetic ecstasy and will become a changed man.(D) 7 When these signs have come to pass, do whatever lies to hand, because God is with you. 8 (E)Now go down ahead of me to Gilgal, for I shall come down to you, to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice communion offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you; I shall then tell you what you must do.”[e]

The Signs Come to Pass. 9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed his heart. That very day all these signs came to pass…. 10 [f]From there they arrived at Gibeah, where a band of prophets met Saul, and the spirit of God rushed upon him, so that he joined them in their prophetic ecstasy.(F) 11 When all who had known him previously saw him in a prophetic state among the prophets, they said to one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”(G) 12 And someone from that district responded, “And who is their father?” Thus the saying arose, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When he came out of the prophetic ecstasy, he went home.

Silence About the Kingship. 14 Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?” Saul replied, “Looking for the donkeys. When we could not find them, we went to Samuel.” 15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, then, what Samuel said to you.” 16 Saul said to his uncle, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But Saul told him nothing about what Samuel had said about the kingship.

Saul Chosen King. 17 Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah(H) 18 and addressed the Israelites: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: It was I who brought Israel up from Egypt and delivered you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.(I) 19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your evils and calamities, by saying, ‘No! You must appoint a king over us.’ Now, therefore, take your stand before the Lord according to your tribes and families.”(J) 20 So Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.[g] 21 Next he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by clans, and the clan of Matri was chosen, and finally Saul, son of Kish, was chosen. But when they went to look for him, he was nowhere to be found. 22 (K)Again they consulted the Lord, “Is there still someone else to come forward?” The Lord answered: He is hiding among the baggage. 23 They ran to bring him from there; when he took his place among the people, he stood head and shoulders above all the people.(L) 24 Then Samuel addressed all the people, “Do you see the man whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people!” Then all the people shouted out, “Long live the king!”(M)

25 Samuel next explained to the people the rules of the monarchy,[h] wrote them in a book, and placed them before the presence of the Lord. Samuel then sent the people back to their own homes.(N) 26 Saul also went home to Gibeah, accompanied by warriors whose hearts the Lord had touched. 27 But some worthless people said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no tribute.[i](O)

Footnotes

  1. 10:1 The sign: the role of the new ruler is confirmed by specific signs; cf. Ex 7:9.
  2. 10:2 Here, as in Jer 31:15, Rachel’s tomb is placed at Ramah, north of Jerusalem. Later tradition understood Ephrath (Gn 35:19–20) as Bethlehem and placed the tomb farther south (Mt 2:16–18).
  3. 10:3 Oak of Tabor: or terebinth. Such a tree often indicates a shrine.
  4. 10:5 The Philistine garrison: the Hebrew word for “garrison” has been explained alternatively to mean a stele established to mark the Philistine occupation, or an inspector or officer for the collection of taxes. Prophetic ecstasy: a condition of religious enthusiasm often induced by communal rituals of music and dancing.
  5. 10:8 By inserting this verse, with its seven days, an editor has named in the very context of Saul’s anointing the condition which in a later narrative will be the grounds for the rejection of the dynastic character of Saul’s kingship (13:8–15).
  6. 10:10 An editor has abridged a longer version of this story by omitting mention of the first two signs Samuel has given (vv. 2–4).
  7. 10:20 Was chosen: probably by casting lots; cf. 14:40–42; Jos 7:14, 17.
  8. 10:25 Rules of the monarchy: a charter describing the relationship between the king and the people.
  9. 10:27 Tribute: a gift to honor a new ruler as a pledge of one’s loyalty; see Gn 32:14; Jgs 3:15; 2 Sm 8:2.
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1 Samuel 9
1 Samuel 11
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1 Samuel 11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

Chapter 11

Defeat of the Ammonites. 1 [a]About a month later, Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead. All the people of Jabesh begged Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.”(A) 2 But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “This is my condition for making a treaty with you: I will gouge out the right eye of every man,[b] and thus bring shame on all Israel.” 3 The elders of Jabesh said to him: “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If there is no one to save us, we will surrender to you.” 4 When the messengers arrived at Gibeah of Saul and reported the news in the people’s hearing, they all wept aloud. 5 Just then Saul came in from the field, behind his oxen. “Why are the people weeping?” he asked. They repeated the message of the inhabitants of Jabesh for him. 6 As he listened to this report, the spirit of God rushed upon him and he became very angry.(B) 7 Taking a yoke of oxen, he cut them into pieces and sent them throughout the territory of Israel[c] by messengers saying, “If anyone does not come out to follow Saul and Samuel, the same thing will be done to his oxen!” The dread of the Lord came upon the people and they went forth as one.(C) 8 When Saul reviewed them in Bezek,[d] there were three hundred thousand Israelites and seventy thousand Judahites.

9 To the messengers who had come he said, “Tell the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead that tomorrow, when the sun grows hot, they will be saved.” The messengers went and reported this to the inhabitants of Jabesh, and they rejoiced. 10 The men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you may do with us whatever you want.” 11 The next day, Saul arranged his troops in three companies and invaded the camp during the dawn watch. They slaughtered Ammonites until the day had gotten hot; by then the survivors were so scattered that no two of them were left together.

Saul Accepted as King. 12 [e]The people then said to Samuel: “Who questioned whether Saul should rule over us? Hand them over and we will put them to death.”(D) 13 But Saul objected, “No one will be put to death this day, for today the Lord has rescued Israel.”(E) 14 Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal to renew the kingship there.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king in the Lord’s presence. They also sacrificed communion offerings there before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.

Footnotes

  1. 11:1 A text from Qumran (1QSama) introduces this chapter with the report that Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had attacked the Gadites and the Reubenites, gouging out their right eyes. Seven thousand of them had fled to Jabesh-gilead. This additional information would explain why Nahash besieged Jabesh-gilead. There is no consensus among scholars whether the Qumran text represents an original reading or a secondary expansion.
  2. 11:2 Right eye of every man: thus rendering them incapable of military action.
  3. 11:7 Throughout the territory of Israel: Saul’s gesture summons the Israelite confederacy to a coordinated response against Nahash; cf. Jgs 19:29 for a similar action. Dread of the Lord: often a panic that immobilizes Israel’s enemies; here, however, it has the opposite effect and incites the Israelites to battle.
  4. 11:8 Bezek: probably modern Khirbet Ibziq, northeast of Shechem, on the west slope of the Jordan valley, opposite Jabesh-gilead.
  5. 11:12–14 With the defeat of the Ammonites, Saul demonstrates his ability to command Israel’s army and defend the land. At Gilgal, Saul’s kingship is ratified; ironically, he loses his kingship at the same place (13:7).
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Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.