1 Samuel 10
New King James Version
Samuel Anoints Saul
10 Then (A)Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, (B)and kissed him and said: “Is it not because (C)the Lord has anointed you commander over (D)His [a]inheritance? 2 When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by (E)Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin (F)at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about (G)you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’ 3 Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There three men going up (H)to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 And they will [b]greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands. 5 After that you shall come to the hill of God (I)where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down (J)from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; (K)and they will be prophesying. 6 Then (L)the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and (M)you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7 And let it be, when these (N)signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for (O)God is with you. 8 You shall go down before me (P)to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. (Q)Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do.”
9 So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God [c]gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. 10 (R)When they came there to the hill, there was (S)a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? (T)Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 Then a man from there answered and said, “But (U)who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.
14 Then Saul’s (V)uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?”
So he said, “To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.”
15 And Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you.”
16 So Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been (W)found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel had said.
Saul Proclaimed King
17 Then Samuel called the people together (X)to the Lord (Y)at Mizpah, 18 and said to the children of Israel, (Z)“Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.’ 19 (AA)But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your [d]clans.”
20 And when Samuel had (AB)caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 Therefore they (AC)inquired of the Lord further, “Has the man come here yet?”
And the Lord answered, “There he is, hidden among the equipment.”
23 So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, (AD)he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him (AE)whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?”
So all the people shouted and said, (AF)“Long[e] live the king!”
25 Then Samuel explained to the people (AG)the behavior of royalty, and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. 26 And Saul also went home (AH)to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. 27 (AI)But some (AJ)rebels said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him, (AK)and brought him no presents. But he [f]held his peace.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 10:1 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX people Israel; and you shall rule the people of the Lord; LXX, Vg. add And you shall deliver His people from the hands of their enemies all around them. And this shall be a sign to you, that God has anointed you to be a prince.
- 1 Samuel 10:4 ask you about your welfare
- 1 Samuel 10:9 changed his heart
- 1 Samuel 10:19 Lit. thousands
- 1 Samuel 10:24 Lit. May the king live
- 1 Samuel 10:27 kept silent
1 Samuel 10
Good News Translation
10 Then Samuel took a jar of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head, kissed him, and said, “The Lord anoints you as ruler of his people Israel. You will rule his people and protect them from all their enemies. And this is the proof to you that the Lord has chosen you[a] to be the ruler of his people: 2 When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They will tell you that the donkeys you were looking for have been found, so that your father isn't worried any more about them but about you, and he keeps asking, ‘What shall I do about my son?’ 3 You will go on from there until you come to the sacred tree at Tabor, where you will meet three men on their way to offer a sacrifice to God at Bethel. One of them will be leading three young goats, another one will be carrying three loaves of bread, and the third one will have a leather bag full of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept. 5 Then you will go to the Hill of God in Gibeah, where there is a Philistine camp. At the entrance to the town you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the altar on the hill, playing harps, drums, flutes, and lyres. They will be dancing and shouting. 6 Suddenly the spirit of the Lord will take control of you, and you will join in their religious dancing and shouting and will become a different person. 7 When these things happen, do whatever God leads you to do. 8 You will go ahead of me to Gilgal, where I will meet you and offer burnt sacrifices and fellowship sacrifices. Wait there seven days until I come and tell you what to do.”
9 When Saul turned to leave Samuel, God gave Saul a new nature. And everything Samuel had told him happened that day. 10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Suddenly the spirit of God took control of him, and he joined in their ecstatic dancing and shouting. 11 People who had known him before saw him doing this and asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Has Saul become a prophet?” 12 (A)A man who lived there asked, “How about these other prophets—who do you think their fathers are?” This is how the saying originated, “Has even Saul become a prophet?” 13 When Saul finished his ecstatic dancing and shouting, he went to the altar on the hill.
14 Saul's uncle saw him and the servant, and he asked them, “Where have you been?”
“Looking for the donkeys,” Saul answered. “When we couldn't find them, we went to see Samuel.”
15 “And what did he tell you?” Saul's uncle asked.
16 “He told us that the animals had been found,” Saul answered—but he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about his becoming king.
Saul Is Acclaimed as King
17 Samuel called the people together for a religious gathering at Mizpah 18 and said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I brought you out of Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and all the other peoples who were oppressing you. 19 I am your God, the one who rescues you from all your troubles and difficulties, but today you have rejected me and have asked me to give you a king. Very well, then, gather yourselves before the Lord by tribes and by clans.’”
20 Then Samuel had each tribe come forward, and the Lord picked the tribe of Benjamin. 21 Then Samuel had the families of the tribe of Benjamin come forward, and the family of Matri was picked out. Then the men of the family of Matri came forward,[b] and Saul son of Kish was picked out. They looked for him, but when they could not find him, 22 they asked the Lord, “Is there still someone else?”
The Lord answered, “Saul is over there, hiding behind the supplies.”
23 So they ran and brought Saul out to the people, and they could see that he was a foot taller than anyone else. 24 Samuel said to the people, “Here is the man the Lord has chosen! There is no one else among us like him.”
All the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25 Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of a king, and then wrote them in a book, which he deposited in a holy place. Then he sent everyone home. 26 Saul also went back home to Gibeah. Some powerful men,[c] whose hearts God had touched, went with him. 27 But some worthless people said, “How can this fellow do us any good?” They despised Saul and did not bring him any gifts.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 10:1 Some ancient translations as ruler of his people … the Lord has chosen you; Hebrew does not have these words.
- 1 Samuel 10:21 One ancient translation Then the men of the family of Matri came forward; Hebrew does not have these words.
- 1 Samuel 10:26 One ancient translation Some powerful men; Hebrew The army.
1 Samuel 10
English Standard Version
Saul Anointed King
10 (A)Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head (B)and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince[a] over (C)his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince[b] over his heritage. 2 When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by (D)Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, (E)‘The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now (F)your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”’ 3 Then you shall go on from there farther and come to the (G)oak of Tabor. Three men (H)going up (I)to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4 And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand. 5 After that you shall come to (J)Gibeath-elohim,[c] (K)where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down (L)from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. 6 (M)Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, (N)and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7 Now when (O)these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, (P)for God is with you. 8 Then go down before me (Q)to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and (R)to sacrifice peace offerings. (S)Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.”
9 When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. 10 When they came to (T)Gibeah,[d] behold, a group of prophets met him, (U)and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? (V)Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 And a man of the place answered, (W)“And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, (X)“Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.
14 (Y)Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, (Z)“To seek the donkeys. And when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.” 15 And Saul's uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.” 16 And Saul said to his uncle, (AA)“He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything.
Saul Proclaimed King
17 Now Samuel called the people together (AB)to the Lord (AC)at Mizpah. 18 And he said to the people of Israel, (AD)“Thus says the Lord, 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 were oppressing you.’ 19 (AE)But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore (AF)present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”
20 Then Samuel (AG)brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot;[e] and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 (AH)So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” 23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, (AI)he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him (AJ)whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, (AK)“Long live the king!”
25 Then Samuel told the people (AL)the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 Saul also went to his home (AM)at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some (AN)worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 10:1 Or leader
- 1 Samuel 10:1 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks over his people Israel? And you shall…. to be prince
- 1 Samuel 10:5 Gibeath-elohim means the hill of God
- 1 Samuel 10:10 Gibeah means the hill
- 1 Samuel 10:21 Septuagint adds finally he brought the family of the Matrites near, man by man
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
