²¹ Then the people asked for a king,^(A) and he gave them Saul^(B) son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin,^(C) who ruled forty years.

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)

The Lord Rejects Saul as King

15 Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint^(A) you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord.

¹² “But when you saw that Nahash^(A) king^(B) of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule^(C) over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. ¹³ Now here is the king^(D) you have chosen, the one you asked^(E) for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. ¹⁴ If you fear^(F) the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel^(G) against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! ¹⁵ But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against^(H) his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.

¹⁶ “Now then, stand still^(I) and see^(J) this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! ¹⁷ Is it not wheat harvest^(K) now? I will call^(L) on the Lord to send thunder^(M) and rain.^(N) And you will realize what an evil^(O) thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.”

¹⁸ Then Samuel called on the Lord,^(P) and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe^(Q) of the Lord and of Samuel.

¹⁹ The people all said to Samuel, “Pray^(R) to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die,^(S) for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”

¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal^(A) and made Saul king^(B) in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.

⁵ They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king^(A) to lead^[a](B) us, such as all the other nations^(C) have.”

⁶ But when they said, “Give us a king^(D) to lead us,” this displeased^(E) Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. ⁷ And the Lord told him: “Listen^(F) to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected,^(G) but they have rejected me as their king.^{(H) 8} As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking^(I) me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. ⁹ Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know^(J) what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

¹⁰ Samuel told^(K) all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take^(L) your sons and make them serve^(M) with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.^{(N) 12} Some he will assign to be commanders^(O) of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your^(P) fields and vineyards^(Q) and olive groves and give them to his attendants.^{(R) 15} He will take a tenth^(S) of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. ¹⁶ Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle^[b] and donkeys he will take for his own use. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. ¹⁸ When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer^(T) you in that day.^(U)”

¹⁹ But the people refused^(V) to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want^(W) a king^(X) over us. ²⁰ Then we will be like all the other nations,^(Y) with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

²¹ When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated^(Z) it before the Lord. ²² The Lord answered, “Listen^(AA) to them and give them a king.”

Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”

Samuel Anoints Saul

9 There was a Benjamite,^(AB) a man of standing,^(AC) whose name was Kish^(AD) son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. ² Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome^(AE) a young man as could be found^(AF) anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller^(AG) than anyone else.

²¹ Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken.^(A) Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. ²² So they inquired^(B) 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^(C) than any of the others. ²⁴ Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?^(D) There is no one like^(E) him among all the people.”

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

²⁵ Samuel explained^(G) to the people the rights and duties^(H) of kingship.^(I) He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.

²⁶ Saul also went to his home in Gibeah,^(J) accompanied by valiant men^(K) whose hearts God had touched.