1 Samuel 10:17-27
Lexham English Bible
17 Then Samuel summoned the people to Yahweh at Mizpah, 18 and he said to the Israelites,[a] “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19 But you today have rejected your God who always delivers you from all of your calamities and your distresses. You have said to him, ‘No, but you must appoint a king over us!’ So then present yourselves before Yahweh by your tribes and by your clans.”
20 So Samuel brought near all the tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected by lot. 21 Then he brought near the tribe of Benjamin according to its families, and the family of Matri was selected by lot. Then Saul the son of Kish was chosen, and they sought him, but he could not be found. 22 So they inquired again of Yahweh, “Did the man come here?” [b] And Yahweh said, “Look, he is hiding himself among the baggage.” 23 So they ran and took him from there, and when he took his stand among the people, he was taller than all the people from his shoulders and up. 24 Then Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom Yahweh has chosen? For there is no one like him among all the people!” And all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king!”
25 Then Samuel told the people the custom of the kingship, and he wrote the rules down on a scroll and laid it before Yahweh. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each to his own house. 26 And Saul also went to his house at Gibeah, and the troops whose hearts[c] God had touched went with him. 27 However, some worthless men[d] said, “How can this man deliver us?” So they despised him and brought no gift to him, but he kept silent.[e]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 10:18 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- 1 Samuel 10:22 Literally “Did he come still here a man”
- 1 Samuel 10:26 Hebrew “heart”
- 1 Samuel 10:27 Literally “sons of wickedness”
- 1 Samuel 10:27 The Dead Sea Scrolls contained a nearly complete scroll of 1 and 2 Samuel, the oldest Hebrew manuscript extant. There is a story therein that provides a setting for the acts of Nahash in 1 Samuel 11, which otherwise seems to occur obtrusively. This story may be translated: “Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, harshly tormented the Gadites and the Reubenites, and he gouged out all their right eyes, and struck terror and dread in Israel. No Israelite beyond the Jordan remained whose right eye was not gouged out by Nahash king of the Ammonites, except for seven thousand men who had fled from the Ammonites and entered Jabesh Gilead. About a month later …” This early text leaves off with 11:1 at this point
1 Samuel 10:17-27
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Saul Proclaimed King
17 Samuel summoned the people to the Lord at Mizpah(A) 18 and said to the Israelites, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’(B) 19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said, ‘No, but set a king over us.’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.”(C)
20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.(D) 21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of the Matrites was taken by lot. Finally he brought the family of the Matrites near man by man,[a] and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 So they inquired again of the Lord, “Did the man come here?”[b] And the Lord said, “See, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”(E) 23 Then they ran and brought him from there. When he took his stand among the people, he was head and shoulders taller than any of them.(F) 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”(G)
25 Samuel told the people 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 back to their homes.(H) 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went warriors whose hearts God had touched.(I) 27 But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” They despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the Gadites and the Reubenites. He would gouge out the right eye of each of them and would not grant Israel a deliverer. No one was left of the Israelites across the Jordan whose right eye Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But there were seven thousand men who had escaped from the Ammonites and had entered Jabesh-gilead.[c](J)
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