Beginning

Chapter 9

Saul and the Lost Donkeys. ¹ There was a certain man from Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah. He was a man of high standing in Benjamin. ² He had a son whose name was Saul. He was a handsome young man, and there was no one in Israel who was more handsome than he. He was also a head taller than anyone else. ³ Now the donkeys belonging to Kish, the father of Saul, were lost, and Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the servants with you and go up and look for the donkeys.”^[a]

⁴ So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim, in the area around Shalishah, but he could not find them. Then he went into the area around Shaalim, but they were not there. He next passed into the land of the Benjaminites, but they did not find them.

⁵ When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come on, let us go back, lest my father stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us.” ⁶ But the servant replied, “There is a man of God in this town. He is highly respected, and everything that he says comes true. Let us now go to him, perhaps he can tell us where to go.”

⁷ Saul said to his servant, “If we go, what are we going to bring the man? We have used up all of the food in our sacks. We have nothing to give the man of God. What do we have?” ⁸ The servant answered Saul, saying, “I have a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he can tell us which way to go.” ⁹ (In former days in Israel, if someone wanted to ask something of God, he would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for in those days prophets were called seers.) ¹⁰ So Saul said to his servant, “Good! Let us go.” They went into the town where the man of God was living.

¹¹ As they were going up the hill on the way to the town, they met some young women who were coming out to draw water. They said to them, “Is the seer here?” ¹² They answered, “He is. Hurry now, for he has just arrived in the town today because the people are offering a sacrifice on the heights.^{[b] 13} Find him as soon as you enter the town before he goes up to the heights to eat. The people will not start to eat until he arrives, for he must bless the sacrifice. Afterward, those who are invited will eat. Go up now, for right around now you should find him.”

¹⁴ Saul Meets Samuel. They went into the town, and as they were entering the town, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the heights. ¹⁵ Now the day before Saul arrived, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: ¹⁶ “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. You will anoint him as leader over my people Israel. He will deliver my people out of the hands of the Philistines. I have regarded my people, for their cry has risen up to me.” ¹⁷ When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is the man of whom I have spoken to you. He is to rule over my people.”

^18 [c]Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and said to him, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.” ¹⁹ But Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up ahead of me to the heights, for you will eat with me today. I will let you go on your way tomorrow, and I will make known to you all that is on your mind. ²⁰ As for the donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not worry about them, for they have been found. Is not all the desire of Israel placed upon you and all your father’s family?” ²¹ But Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, the smallest of the tribes in Israel? Is not my family the least important of the clans in the tribe of Benjamin? Why are you saying this to me?”

²² Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall, and he sat them down at the head of those who had been invited; there were about thirty in all. ²³ Samuel said to the cook, “Bring me the piece of meat that I brought you, the portion I told you to set aside.” ²⁴ The cook brought up the leg and what was on it and set it in front of Saul. He said, “Here is what I saved for you. Eat it, because I set it aside for this moment from when I first invited the guests.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

²⁵ After they came down from the heights into the town, he spoke to Saul on the roof of his house. ²⁶ They rose about daybreak, and Samuel called up to Saul on the rooftop, “Get up, and I will send you on your way.” Saul got up, and both he and Samuel went outside together. ²⁷ As they were coming to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell your servant to go on ahead of us,” and he went on ahead. He continued, “You stay here for a while, so that I can reveal the word of God to you.”

Chapter 10

Saul Is Anointed. ¹ Samuel took a flask of oil, and he poured it upon his head. He kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you as leader over his inheritance?^{[d] 2} When you leave me today, you will encounter two men near the Tomb of Rachel on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys that you were looking for have been found. Your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and has begun to worry about you saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’

³ “From there you are to continue on until you arrive at the Terebinth of Tabor. Three men who are on their way to God in Bethel will meet you there. One will be bringing three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and the third a bottle of wine. ⁴ They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread. Take them from them.

Signs and Prophecies. ⁵ “After that go to Gibeath-elohim where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the city, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high places with lyres, tambourines, flutes, and harps being played before them. They will be prophesying.^{[e] 6} The Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them, for you will be changed into another person. ⁷ Once these signs occur, do whatever comes to hand, for God is with you. ⁸ Precede me to Gilgal, and I will come down to be with you and to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. You are to wait for seven days until I come to you and show you what to do.”

The Signs Fulfilled. ⁹ When Saul turned around to leave Samuel, God changed his heart. All those signs were fulfilled that day. ¹⁰ When they arrived at Gibeah, they were met by a band of prophets. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him and he prophesied among them. ¹¹ When all of those who had known him saw him prophesying among the prophets, they said to one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also one of the prophets?” ¹² A man who lived there asked, “Who is their father?” This is why it became a saying, “Is Saul also one of the prophets?”

¹³ After Saul stopped prophesying, he went up to the high places. ¹⁴ Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?” He answered, “Looking for the donkeys. When we realized that we could not find them, we went to Samuel.” ¹⁵ Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.” ¹⁶ Saul said to his uncle, “He informed us that the donkeys had been found.” He did not tell him about what Samuel had said concerning the kingdom.

¹⁷ Saul Is Chosen King.^[f] Samuel summoned the people of Israel to Mizpah. ¹⁸ He said to the Israelites, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt and delivered them out of the hands of the Egyptians and all of the nations that oppressed you.’ ¹⁹ But today you have rejected your God who himself delivers you from all of your adversities and difficulties. You have said to him, ‘Appoint a king over us.’ Now present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and by clans.”

²⁰ When Samuel had all of the tribes of Israel approach him, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. ²¹ Then he had the tribe of Benjamin approach him clan by clan, and the clan of Matri was chosen. Finally Saul, the son of Kish, was chosen. But when they looked for him, he could not be found. ²² They then asked the Lord, “Has the man arrived yet?” The Lord answered, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” ²³ They ran and brought him back from there. When he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of them. ²⁴ Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one else like him among the people.” All the people cried out, “Long live the king.”

²⁵ Samuel instructed the people concerning the ordinances of the kingdom. He wrote this in a book and placed it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed all of the people, each to his own home. ²⁶ Saul also went home to Gibeah, and he was accompanied by a group of brave men whose hearts God had touched.^{[g] 27} But some sons of Belial said, “How can this one save us?” They held him in contempt and brought him no gifts, but he held his peace.

Chapter 11^[h]

Victory over the Ammonites. ¹ Nahash the Ammonite went up and camped outside of Jabesh-gilead. All of the men in Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us and we will be subject to you.” ² But Nahash answered, “I will only make a covenant with you if I gouge out your right eyes^[i] so that you might bring shame upon all of Israel.” ³ The elders of Jabesh answered, “Give us a reprieve of seven days so that we can send messengers all throughout the territory of Israel. If no one comes to save us, then we will surrender to you.”

⁴ When the messengers arrived at Gibeah, Saul’s city, and they proclaimed these things in the hearing of the people, all the people cried out and wept. ⁵ Saul was just then coming back from the field behind his oxen, and asked, “What is wrong that the people are weeping?” So they told him what the men from Jabesh had said.

⁶ When he heard this report, the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon Saul and he burned with rage.^{[j] 7} He took a pair of oxen and cut them into pieces. He sent them by messengers all throughout the territory of Israel. He said, “Whoever does not follow Saul and Samuel will have this done to his oxen.” The fear of the Lord came upon the people so that they came out as if they were one man.

⁸ When Saul counted the Israelites who were in Bezek, there were three hundred thousand of them, and thirty thousand from Judah. ⁹ They said to the messengers who had come to them, “Say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, before the sun warms up, you will have help.’ ” The messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh who were elated. ¹⁰ So the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us what you see fit.”

¹¹ The next day Saul divided his people into three groups. During the morning watch they attacked the camp of the Ammonites and continued to strike them down until the day was hot. Even those who survived were scattered, so that not two of them remained together.

¹² Saul Proclaimed King. The people said to Samuel, “Who is it who asked, ‘Is Saul to reign over us?’ Bring those men out so that we can put them to death.” ¹³ But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today, for today the Lord delivered Israel.” ¹⁴ Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and reaffirm the kingdom there.” ¹⁵ All of the people went to Gilgal, and they confirmed Saul as king before the Lord in Gilgal. They sacrificed peace offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all of the Israelites greatly rejoiced there.

Chapter 12^[k]

Samuel’s Innocence. ¹ Samuel said to all of Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and I have appointed a king over you. ² Now you have a king leading you. I am old and gray, and my sons are in your presence. I have led you from the days of my youth up to the present. ³ Behold, I testify against you in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hands did I receive a bribe to close my eyes? I am willing to restore it all to you.”

⁴ They answered, “You have not cheated us nor have you oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from anyone’s hands.” ⁵ So Samuel said, “The Lord is a witness before you, and the anointed is also a witness before you, that you have not found anything in my hands.” They answered, “He is our witness.”

Samuel’s Review of the People. ⁶ Samuel then said to the people, “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron, and he brought you up out of the land of Egypt. ⁷ Now, therefore, stay here, so that I can plead my case with you before the Lord concerning all of the righteous deeds that the Lord did on your behalf and for your fathers.

⁸ “After Jacob went into Egypt, your fathers cried out to the Lord, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron who brought your fathers out of Egypt and led them here to settle in this place. ⁹ They forgot the Lord, their God, so he sold them into the hands of Sisera, the leader of Hazor’s army, and into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the king of Moab, who fought against them. ¹⁰ They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have abandoned the Lord to serve the Baals and the Astartes. Deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’

¹¹ “Then the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel. He rescued you out of the hands of the enemies who surrounded you so that you might live in safety. ¹² But now when you saw that Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, was attacking you, you said to me, ‘No! We want a king to rule over us,’ even though the Lord, your God, was your king.

¹³ Samuel’s Farewell.“Now, behold the king you have chosen, the one whom you desired. The Lord has given you a king. ¹⁴ If you fear the Lord and serve him and hearken to his voice and do not rebel against the commandment of God, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord, your God, then fine. ¹⁵ But if you do not hearken to the voice of the Lord and you rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you as it was against your fathers.

¹⁶ “Now, therefore, stand here and see this great thing that the Lord is doing before your eyes. ¹⁷ Is it not now the season for the wheat harvest? I will call upon the Lord to send thunder and rain. Then you will perceive and realize the great wickedness that you have done before the Lord in asking for a king.”^[l]

¹⁸ Samuel Intercedes on Behalf of the People. Then Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. All of the people were filled with fear of the Lord and of Samuel. ¹⁹ All of the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord, your God, for your servants that we might not die, for we have added this to our other evil deeds, that we asked for a king.”

²⁰ But Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid. You have done all of this wickedness, but you have not turned away from following the Lord. Serve the Lord with your whole heart. ²¹ Do not turn aside after useless things that cannot be to your profit, nor can they deliver you, for they are useless. ²² The Lord will not abandon you because of his great name,^[m] for the Lord desired to make you his people.

²³ “As for myself, far be it from me to sin against the Lord by not praying for you. I will instruct you in the way that is good and right. ²⁴ Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with your whole heart, considering the great things he has done for you.^{[n] 25} But if you continue to do what is wicked, then both you and your king will perish.”