Beginning
Saul Searches for His Father’s Donkeys
9 There was a man from the tribe of Benjamin whose name was Kish. He was a son of Abiel, grandson of Zeror, and great-grandson of Becorath, whose father was Aphiah, a descendant of Benjamin. Kish was a powerful man. 2 He had a son named Saul, a handsome, young man. No man in Israel was more handsome than Saul. He stood a head taller than everyone else.
3 When some donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, Kish told Saul, “Take one of the servants with you, and go look for the donkeys.”
4 They went through the mountains of Ephraim and the region of Shalisha without finding the donkeys. Then Saul and his servant went through the region of Shaalim, but the donkeys weren’t there. The men went through the territory of Benjamin but still didn’t find them. 5 When they came to the territory of Zuph, Saul told his servant who was with him, “Let’s go back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and worry about us instead.”
Saul Seeks Samuel’s Advice
6 The servant responded, “There’s a man of Elohim in this city, a highly respected man. Everything he says is sure to happen. Let’s go there. Maybe he’ll tell us which way we should go.”
7 “If we go,” Saul asked his servant, “what could we bring the man since the food in our sacks is gone? There’s no present we can bring the man of Elohim. What do we have?”
8 The servant again answered Saul, “Look, here! I have one-tenth of an ounce of silver. I’ll give it to the man of Elohim. Then he’ll tell us where to find the donkeys.”
9 (Formerly in Israel, when a person went to ask Elohim a question, he would say, “Come, let’s go to the seer,” because a person we now call a prophet used to be called a seer.)
10 Saul told his servant, “That’s a good idea! Come on, let’s go.” They went to the city where the man of Elohim was.
11 As they were going up the hill to the city, they met girls coming out to get water. They asked the girls, “Is the seer here?”
12 The girls answered, “He’s there ahead of you. Hurry! He just went into the city today since the people are offering a sacrifice on the worship site. 13 As you go into the city, you can find him before he goes to the worship site to eat. The people will not eat until he comes, since he blesses the sacrifice. Then those who are invited may eat. Go. You should be able to find him now.”
14 So Saul and his servant went to the city. As they entered it, Samuel was coming toward them on his way to the worship site. 15 Now, Yahweh had revealed the following message to Samuel one day before Saul came: 16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the territory of Benjamin. Anoint him to be ruler of my people Israel. He will save my people from the Philistines because I’ve seen my people’s suffering and their cry has come to me.” 17 When Samuel noticed Saul, Yahweh told him, “There’s the man I told you about. This man will govern my people.”
18 Saul approached Samuel inside the gateway and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”
19 Samuel replied, “I’m the seer. Go ahead of me to the worship site. You will eat with me today. In the morning I’ll let you go after I tell you all that’s on your mind. 20 Don’t trouble yourself about the donkeys that were lost three days ago because they’ve been found. Who will have all that is desirable in Israel? Won’t it be you and your father’s family?”
21 Saul replied, “I am a man from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe of Israel. My family is the most insignificant of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin. So why are you saying such things to me?”
22 Samuel brought Saul and his servant to the banquet hall and had them sit at the head of the guests—about 30 people. 23 Samuel said to the cook, “Bring me the portion of the sacrificial meat that I gave you and told you to put aside.” 24 So the cook picked up the leg and thigh[a] and laid it in front of Saul. Samuel said, “This was kept in order to be laid in front of you. Eat it. When I invited people to the feast, I set it aside for you.”[b] Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 Then they left the worship site for the city. They spread blankets on the roof for Saul, and he slept there.[c]
26 At dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get up! It’s time for me to send you away.” Saul got up, and both he and Samuel went outside. 27 As they were going toward the city limits, Samuel told Saul, “Have the servant go ahead of you.” (He went ahead.) “But you stay here, and I will tell you Elohim’s word.”
Saul Anointed by Samuel
10 Samuel took a flask of olive oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Yahweh has anointed you to be ruler of his people Israel. You will rule his people and save them from all their enemies. This will be the sign that Yahweh has anointed you[d] to be ruler of his people. 2 When you leave me today, two men will be at Rachel’s grave on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. They’ll tell you, ‘We’ve found the donkeys you went looking for. Your father no longer cares about them. Instead, he’s worried about you. He keeps asking, “What can I do to find my son?”’ 3 Keep going until you come to the oak tree at Tabor. There you will find three men on their way to worship Elohim at Bethel: One will be carrying three young goats, one will be carrying three loaves of bread, and one will be carrying a full wineskin. 4 They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you should accept from them. 5 After that, you will come to the hill of Elohim, where the Philistines have a military post. When you arrive at the city, you will meet a group of prophets prophesying as they come from the worship site. They will be led by men playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre. 6 Then the Ruach Yahweh will come over you. You will be a different person while you prophesy with them. 7 When these signs happen to you, do what you must, because Elohim is with you. 8 Go ahead of me to Gilgal. Then I will come to sacrifice burnt offerings and make fellowship offerings. Wait seven days until I come to tell you what to do.”
Saul’s Anointing Confirmed by Signs
9 When Saul turned around to leave Samuel, Elohim changed Saul’s attitude. That day all these signs happened. 10 When Saul came to the hill, a group of prophets came to meet him, and the Ruach Elohim came over him. He prophesied with them. 11 When all who had known him before saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul one of the prophets?” 12 But a man from that place asked, “But who’s the chief prophet?” So it became a proverb: “Is Saul one of the prophets?” 13 And when he had finished prophesying, he came to the worship site.
14 Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?”
Saul answered, “To look for the donkeys, and when we couldn’t find them, we went to Samuel.”
15 Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.”
16 “He assured us the donkeys had been found,” Saul answered his uncle. But Saul didn’t tell him what Samuel said about his becoming king.
The Lord Chooses Saul
17 Samuel called the people to come into the presence of Yahweh at Mizpah. 18 He said to the Israelites, “This is what Yahweh Elohim of Israel says: I brought Israel out of Egypt and rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and all the kings who were oppressing you. 19 But now you have rejected your Elohim, who saves you from all your troubles and distresses. You said, ‘No! Place a king over us.’ Now then, stand in front of Yahweh by your tribes and family groups.”
20 When Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21 When he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by families, the family of Matri was chosen. Then Saul, the son of Kish, was chosen. They looked for him but couldn’t find him. 22 They asked Yahweh again, “Has he arrived here yet?”
Yahweh answered, “He’s hiding among the baggage.”
23 They ran and got him from there. As he stood among the people, he was a head taller than everyone else. 24 Samuel asked the people, “Do you see whom Yahweh has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.”
Then all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25 Samuel explained the laws concerning kingship to the people. He wrote the laws on a scroll, which he placed in front of Yahweh. Then Samuel sent the people back to their homes. 26 Saul also went home to Gibeah. With him went some soldiers whose hearts Elohim had touched. 27 However, some good-for-nothing people asked, “How can this man save us?” They despised him and wouldn’t bring him presents, but he didn’t respond.
Saul Defeats Ammon
11 King Nahash of Ammon was severely oppressing the tribes of Gad and Reuben. He would poke out everyone’s right eye and allow no one to rescue Israel. There was no one among the Israelites east of the Jordan River whose right eye King Nahash of Ammon had not poked out. However, seven thousand men had escaped from the Ammonites and gone to Jabesh Gilead. About a month later[e] Nahash the Ammonite blockaded Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we’ll serve you.”
2 Nahash the Ammonite responded, “I’ll make a treaty with you on this one condition: I’ll poke out everyone’s right eye and bring disgrace on all Israel.”
3 The leaders of Jabesh told him, “Give us seven days so that we can send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. And if there’s no one to save us, we’ll surrender to you.”
4 The messengers came to Saul’s town, Gibeah. When they told the people the news, the people cried loudly. 5 Just then Saul was coming from the field behind some oxen. “Why are these people crying?” Saul asked. So they told him the news about the men of Jabesh. 6 When he heard this news, the Ruach Elohim came over him, and he became very angry. 7 Saul took a pair of oxen, cut them in pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the territory of Israel with the following message: “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who doesn’t follow Saul and Samuel into battle.” So the people became terrified by Yahweh, and they came out united behind Saul. 8 When Saul counted them at Bezek, there were 300,000 troops from Israel and 30,000 troops from Judah. 9 They told the messengers who had come, “This is what you are to say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun gets hot, you will be rescued.’” When the men of Jabesh received the message, they were overjoyed.
10 They said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we’ll surrender to you, and you may do to us whatever you think is right.”
11 The next day Saul arranged the army in three divisions. They came into the Ammonite camp during the morning hours and continued to defeat the Ammonites until it got hot that day. The survivors were so scattered that no two of them were left together.
12 Then the people asked Samuel, “Who said that Saul shouldn’t rule us? Let us have them, and we’ll kill them.”
13 But Saul said, “No one will be killed today, because today Yahweh saved Israel.”
14 Samuel told the troops, “Come, let’s go to Gilgal and there acknowledge Saul’s kingship.” 15 Then all the troops went to Gilgal, and there in Yahweh’s presence, they confirmed Saul as their king. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings to Yahweh. Saul and all of Israel’s soldiers celebrated.
Samuel’s Spotless Leadership
12 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you have said to me and appointed a king over you. 2 And now, here is the king who will lead you. I am old and gray, but my sons are with you. I have led you from my youth until this day. 3 Here I am. Testify against me in front of Yahweh and in front of his anointed king. Did I take anyone’s ox? Did I take anyone’s donkey? Did I cheat or oppress anyone? Did I take a bribe from anyone to look the other way? If so, I will give it all back.”
4 They answered, “You didn’t cheat us, oppress us, or take anything from anyone.”
5 Samuel told them, “Yahweh is a witness to what you’ve said, and his anointed king is a witness today that you’ve found nothing in my hands.”
“He is a witness,” they answered.
6 Samuel told the people, “Yahweh appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors out of Egypt. 7 Now, stand up while I put you on trial in front of Yahweh and cite all the righteous things Yahweh did for you and your ancestors. 8 When your ancestors went with Jacob to Egypt and were oppressed, they cried out to Yahweh, who sent Moses and Aaron to bring them out of Egypt. Yahweh settled them in this place. 9 But they forgot Yahweh their Elohim. So he handed them over to Sisera, who was the commander of the army of Hazor, to the Philistines, and to the king of Moab. All of them fought against your ancestors. 10 Then they cried out to Yahweh and said, ‘We have sinned. We have abandoned Yahweh and served other gods and goddesses—the Baals and the Astartes. But rescue us from our enemies now, and we will serve you.’
11 “Then Yahweh sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel and rescued you from your enemies on every side so that you could live securely. 12 But when you saw King Nahash of Ammon coming to attack you, you told me, ‘No, a king should rule over us,’ though Yahweh your Elohim was your king.
The New Kingship
13 “Now, here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for. See, Yahweh has put a king over you. 14 If you fear Yahweh, serve him, obey him, and don’t rebel against what Yahweh says, then you and your king will follow Yahweh your Elohim. 15 But if you don’t obey Yahweh, if you rebel against what Yahweh says, then Yahweh will be against you as he was against your ancestors. 16 Now then, stand still and watch this great thing Yahweh is going to do right before your eyes. 17 Isn’t the wheat being harvested today? I will call on Yahweh, and he’ll send thunder and rain. Then you will realize what a wicked thing you did in Yahweh’s presence when you asked for a king.”
18 Then Samuel called on Yahweh. That day Yahweh sent thunder and rain so that all the people feared Yahweh and Samuel very much.
19 All the people pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to Yahweh your Elohim for us so that we will not die. We have added another evil thing to all our other sins by asking for a king.”
20 “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel told the people. “You did do all these evil things. But don’t turn away from Yahweh. Instead, serve Yahweh wholeheartedly. 21 Don’t turn away to follow other gods. They can’t help or rescue you, because they don’t exist. 22 For the sake of his great name, Yahweh will not abandon his people, because Yahweh wants to make you his people. 23 It would be unthinkable for me to sin against Yahweh by failing to pray for you. I will go on teaching you the way that is good and right. 24 Fear Yahweh, and serve him sincerely. Consider the great things he did for you. 25 But if you go on doing what is evil, you and your king will be wiped out.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.