⁴ So all the elders^(A) of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.^{(B) 5} They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king^(C) to lead^[a](D) us, such as all the other nations^(E) have.”

⁶ But when they said, “Give us a king^(F) to lead us,” this displeased^(G) Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. ⁷ And the Lord told him: “Listen^(H) to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected,^(I) but they have rejected me as their king.^(J)

¹⁷ Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah^{(A) 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^(B) you.’ ¹⁹ But you have now rejected^(C) your God, who saves^(D) you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king^(E) over us.’^(F) So now present^(G) yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”

²⁰ When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. ²¹ Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken.^(H) Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. ²² So they inquired^(I) further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”

And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”

²³ They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller^(J) than any of the others. ²⁴ Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?^(K) There is no one like^(L) him among all the people.”

Then the people shouted, “Long live^(M) the king!”