10 1 Saul is anointed King by Samuel. 9 God changeth Saul’s heart, and he prophesieth. 17 Samuel assembleth the people, and showeth them their sins. 21 Saul is chosen King by lot. 25 Samuel writeth the King’s office.

Then Samuel took a vial of [a]oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Hath not the Lord anointed thee to be governor over his inheritance?

When thou shalt depart from me this day, thou shalt find two men by (A)Rachel’s sepulcher in the border of Benjamin, even at Zelzah, and they will say unto thee, The [b]asses which thou wentest to seek, are found, and lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?

Then shalt thou go forth from thence, and shalt come to the [c]plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine:

And they will ask thee [d]if all be well, and will give thee the two loaves of bread, which thou shalt receive of their hands.

After that shalt thou come to the [e]hill of God, where is the garrisons of the Philistines: and when thou art come thither to the city, thou shalt meet a company of Prophets coming down from the high place with a vial, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and an harp before them, and they shall prophesy.

Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

Therefore when these signs shall come unto thee, do as occasion shall serve: for God is with thee.

And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal: and I also will come down unto thee to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace. (B)Tarry for me seven days, till I come to thee, and show thee what thou shalt do.

And when he had turned his [f]back to go from Samuel, God gave him another [g]heart; and all those tokens came to pass that same day.

10 ¶ And when they came thither to the hill, behold, the company of Prophets met him, and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he [h]prophesied among them.

11 Therefore all the people that knew him before, when they saw that he prophesied among the Prophets, said each to other, What is come unto the son of Kish? (C)is Saul also among the Prophets?

12 And one of the same place answered, and said, But who is their [i]father? Therefore it was a proverb, Is Saul also among the [j]Prophets?

13 And when he had made an end of Prophesying, he came to the high place.

14 And Saul’s uncle said unto him, and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses: and when we saw that they were nowhere, we came to Samuel.

15 And Saul’s uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you.

16 Then Saul said to his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found: but concerning the kingdom whereof Samuel spake, told he him not.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 10:1 In the Law this anointing signified the gifts of the holy Ghost, which were necessary for them that should rule.
  2. 1 Samuel 10:2 Samuel confirmeth him by these signs, that God hath appointed him king.
  3. 1 Samuel 10:3 Or, oaks.
  4. 1 Samuel 10:4 Hebrew, of peace.
  5. 1 Samuel 10:5 Which was an high place in the city Kirjath Jearim, where the Ark was, 1 Sam. 7:2.
  6. 1 Samuel 10:9 Hebrew, shoulder.
  7. 1 Samuel 10:9 He gave him such virtues as were meet for a King.
  8. 1 Samuel 10:10 Or, sang praises.
  9. 1 Samuel 10:12 Meaning, that prophecy cometh not by succession, but is given to whom it pleaseth God.
  10. 1 Samuel 10:12 Noting thereby him that from low degree cometh suddenly to honor.

10 Then Samuel took a flask(A) of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed(B) you ruler over his inheritance?[a](C) When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb,(D) at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys(E) you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried(F) about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’

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

“After that you will go to Gibeah(I) of God, where there is a Philistine outpost.(J) As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets(K) coming down from the high place(L) with lyres, timbrels,(M) pipes(N) and harps(O) being played before them, and they will be prophesying.(P) The Spirit(Q) of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed(R) into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever(S) your hand(T) finds to do, for God is with(U) you.

“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal.(V) I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven(W) days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”

Saul Made King

As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed(X) Saul’s heart, and all these signs(Y) were fulfilled(Z) that day. 10 When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit(AA) of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying.(AB) 11 When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this(AC) that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”(AD)

12 A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”(AE) 13 After Saul stopped prophesying,(AF) he went to the high place.

14 Now Saul’s uncle(AG) asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?”

“Looking for the donkeys,(AH)” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”

15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”

16 Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys(AI) had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 10:1 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate over his people Israel? You will reign over the Lord’s people and save them from the power of their enemies round about. And this will be a sign to you that the Lord has anointed you ruler over his inheritance: