Beginning

9 There was now a man of Benjamin, mighty in power, named Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a man of Benjamin.

² And he had a son called Saul, a fine young man and handsome, so that among the children of Israel there was none better than he. From the shoulders upward, he was higher than any of the people.

³ Now, the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. Therefore, Kish said to Saul, his son, “Take now one of the servants with you and arise, go and seek the donkeys.

⁴ So, he passed through Mount Ephraim, and went through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. Then they went through the land of Shaalim; and they were not there. He also went through the land of Benjamin, but they did not find them.

⁵ When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come and let us return, lest my father leaves the donkeys and becomes worried about us.”

⁶ And he said to him, “Behold, now, in this city is a man of God. And he is an honorable man. All that he says comes to pass. Let us now go there, if so be that he can show us what way we may go.”

⁷ Then Saul said to his servant, “Well then, let us go! But what shall we bring to the man? For the bread in our vessels is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?”

⁸ And the servant answered Saul again, and said, “Behold, I have found a fourth of a shekel of silver lying around. I will give that to the man of God, to tell us our way.”

⁹ (In the old time in Israel, when a man went to seek an answer from God, he said, “Come and let us go to the Seer.” For he who is now called a Prophet was in the old time called a Seer.)

¹⁰ Then Saul said to his servant, “Well said! Come, let us go.” So they went into the city where the man of God was.

¹¹ And as they were going up the highway to the city, they found maids who came out to draw water, and said to them, “Is there a Seer here?”

¹² And they answered them, and said, “Yea, lo, he is before you. Hurry now, for he came this day to the city. For there is an Offering of the people this day in the high place.

¹³ “When you shall come into the city, you shall find him immediately, before he comes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, because he will bless the Sacrifice. And then those who are invited to the feast may eat. Now, therefore, go up. For you shall find him now.”

¹⁴ Then they went up into the city. And when they had come into the midst of the city, Samuel came out opposite them, to go up to the high place.

¹⁵ But the LORD had revealed to Samuel secretly (a day before Saul came) saying,

¹⁶ “Tomorrow, about this time, I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin. You shall anoint him to be Governor over My people, Israel, so that he may save My people out of the hands of the Philistines. For I have looked upon My people and their cry has come to Me.”

¹⁷ Therefore, when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD answered him, “See, this is the man of whom I spoke to you. He shall rule My people.”

¹⁸ Then Saul went to Samuel in the midst of the gate, and said, “Tell me, please, where the Seer’s house is.”

¹⁹ And Samuel answered Saul, and said, “I am the Seer. Go up before me to the high place; for you shall eat with me today and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart.

²⁰ “And as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not worry about them, for they have been found. And on whom is set all the desire of Israel? Is it not upon you, and on all your father’s House?”

²¹ But Saul answered, and said, “Am I not the son of Benjamin, of the smallest tribe of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why, then, do you speak so to me?”

²² And Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the chamber, and made them sit in the chief place among those who were invited (which was about thirty people).

²³ And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring forth the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, “Keep it with you.”

²⁴ And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Behold that which remains, set apart for you! Eat! For up to now it has been kept for you, since I said, “I have called the people!” So, Saul ate with Samuel that day.

²⁵ And when they had come down from the high place into the city, he spoke with Saul upon the top of the house.

²⁶ And when they arose early, about the dawn of the day, Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, “Up, so that I may send you away!” And Saul arose. And they went out, both he and Samuel.

²⁷ And when they had come down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Bid the servant go before us,” (and he went) “But you stand still now, so that I may show you the Word of God.”

10 Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be Governor over His inheritance?

² “After you have departed from me this day, you shall find two men by Rachel’s sepulcher, on the border of Benjamin, at Zelzah; and they will say to you, “The donkeys which you went to seek have been found. And lo, your father has left the care of the donkeys and worries about you, saying, ‘What shall I do for my son?’

³ “Then you shall go forth from there and shall come to the plain of Tabor. And you shall meet three men there going up to God, to Bethel, one carrying three goats and another carrying three loaves of bread and another carrying a bottle of wine.

⁴ “And they will ask you if all is well and will give you the two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands.

⁵ “After that, you shall come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is. And when you have come there to the city, you shall meet a company of Prophets coming down from the high place with a lute and a tambourine and a flute and a harp before them; and they shall prophesy.

⁶ “Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you. And you shall prophesy with them and shall be turned into another man.

⁷ “Therefore, when these signs shall come to you, do as the occasion shall require. For God is with you.

⁸ “And you shall go down before me to Gilgal. And I, also, will come down to you, to offer Burnt Offerings, and to sacrifice Sacrifices of peace. Wait for me for seven days, until I come to you and tell you what you shall do.”

⁹ And when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all those signs came to pass that same day.

¹⁰ And when they came there to the hill, behold, the company of Prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him; and he prophesied among them.

¹¹ Therefore, all the people who knew him before, when they saw that he prophesied among the Prophets, said each to other, “What has come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the Prophets?”

¹² And one from the same place answered, and said, “But who is their father?” Therefore, it was a proverb, “Is Saul also among the Prophets?”

¹³ And when he had finished Prophesying, he came to the high place.

¹⁴ And Saul’s uncle said to him, and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To look for the donkeys. And when we saw that they were nowhere, we came to Samuel.”

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

¹⁶ Then Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But concerning the kingdom of which Samuel had spoken, he told him nothing.

¹⁷ And Samuel assembled the people to the LORD in Mizpah,

¹⁸ And he said to the children of Israel, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I have brought Israel out of Egypt and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hands of all kingdoms that troubled you.

¹⁹ ‘But you have this day cast away your God, Who alone delivers you out of all your adversities and tribulations. And you said to Him, “No! But appoint a king over us!” Now, therefore, stand before the LORD, according to your tribes and according to your thousands.’”

²⁰ And when Samuel had gathered together all the tribes of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.

²¹ Afterward, he assembled the tribe of Benjamin, according to their families; and the family of Matri was taken. So Saul, the son of Kish, was taken. And when they sought him, he could not be found.

²² Therefore, they asked the LORD again if that man should still come there. And the LORD answered, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the implements.”

²³ And they ran and brought him there. And when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from the shoulders upward.

²⁴ And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you not see him whom the LORD has chosen, so that there is no one like him among all the people?” And all the people shouted and said, “God save the king!”

²⁵ Then Samuel told the people the duty of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each man to his house.

²⁶ Saul, also, went home to Gibeah. And a band of men followed him whose hearts God had touched.

²⁷ But some wicked men said, “How shall he save us?” So they despised him and brought him no presents. But he held his tongue.

11 Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and besieged Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us, and we will be your servants.”

² And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you: that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring that shame upon all Israel.”

³ To whom the elders of Jabesh said, “Give us seven days respite, so that we may send messengers to all the territories of Israel. and then if no man delivers us, we will come out to you.”

⁴ Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told this news in the hearing of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept.

⁵ And behold, Saul came following the cattle out of the field. And Saul said, “What ails the people, so that they weep?” And they told him the news of the men of Jabesh.

⁶ Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard that news. And he was exceedingly angry

⁷ and took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territories of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come forth with Saul, and with Samuel, so shall his oxen be served.” And the fear of the LORD fell on the people; and they came out as one man.

⁸ And when he counted them in Bezek, the children of Israel numbered three hundred thousand men, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

⁹ Then they said to the messengers who came, “So say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow by the time the Sun is hot, you shall have help.’” And the messengers came and told it to the men of Jabesh, who were glad.

¹⁰ Therefore, the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you; and you shall do with us all that pleases you.”

¹¹ And when the next day had come, Saul put the people in three bands. And they came in upon the army during the morning watch and killed the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who remained were scattered, so that not even two of them were left together.

¹² Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is he who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring those men, so that we may kill them.”

¹³ “But,” said Saul, “no man shall die this day. For today the LORD has saved Israel.”

¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, so that we may go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.”

¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king there, before the LORD in Gilgal. And they offered Peace Offerings before the LORD there. And Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced exceedingly there.

12 Samuel then said to all Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me and have appointed a king over you.

² “Now, therefore, behold! Your king walks before you. And I am old and grayheaded. And behold, my sons are with you. And I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.

³ “Behold, here I am. Bear record of me before the LORD and before His anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or, whose donkey have I taken? Or, to whom have I done wrong? Or, whom have I hurt? Or, of whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? And I will restore it you.”

⁴ Then they said, “You have done us no wrong. Nor have you hurt us. Nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.”

⁵ And he said to them, “The LORD is Witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have found nothing in my hands.” And they answered, “Witness!”

⁶ Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the LORD Who made Moses and Aaron, and Who brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt.

⁷ “Now, therefore, stand still, so that I may reason with you before the LORD, according to all the righteousness of the LORD which He showed to you and to your fathers.

⁸ “After Jacob had come into Egypt, and your fathers cried to the LORD, the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.

⁹ “And when they forgot the LORD their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought against them.

¹⁰ “And they cried to the LORD, and said, ‘We have sinned because we have forsaken the LORD and have served Baal and Ashtoreth! Now, therefore, deliver us out of the hands of our enemies and we will serve You!’

¹¹ “Therefore, the LORD sent Jerubbaal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hands of your enemies on every side. And you dwelled safely.

¹² “Nevertheless, when you saw that Nahash, the king of the children of Ammon, came against you, you said to me, ‘No! But a king shall reign over us!’ When the LORD your God was still your King.

¹³ “Now, therefore, behold the king whom you have chosen, whom you have desired. Lo, therefore, the LORD has set a king over you.

¹⁴ “If you will fear the LORD and serve Him, and hear His Voice, and not disobey the Word of the LORD, both you and the king who reigns over you shall follow the LORD your God.

¹⁵ “But if you will not obey the Voice of the LORD, but disobey the LORD’s Mouth, then the Hand of the LORD shall be upon you and on your fathers.

¹⁶ “Now, also, stand and see this great thing which the LORD will do before your eyes.

¹⁷ “Is it not now wheat harvest? I will call to the LORD; and He shall send thunder and rain, so that you may perceive and see how great your wickedness is which you have done in the sight of the LORD in asking for a king for yourselves.”

¹⁸ Then Samuel called to the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain the same day. And all the people feared the LORD, and Samuel, exceedingly.

¹⁹ And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants, so that we do not die. For we have sinned in asking for a king for ourselves, in addition to all our other sins.”

²⁰ And Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear! You have indeed done all this wickedness. Still, do not depart from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart!

²¹ “Do not turn back, either! For that would be after meaningless things which cannot profit you or deliver you, for they are but empty.

²² “For the LORD will not forsake His people for His great Name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people.

²³ “Moreover, may it never be that I should sin against the LORD and cease praying for you! But I will show you the good and right way.

²⁴ “Therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in the truth with all your hearts, and consider what great things He has done for you.

²⁵ “But if you do wickedly, you shall perish, both you and your king.”