Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

¹⁵ The Lord had spoken to Samuel the day before Saul came. He had said, ¹⁶ “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man. He is from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him to be the king of my people Israel. He will save them from the power of the Philistines. I have seen how much my people are suffering. Their cry for help has reached me.”

¹⁷ When Samuel saw a man coming toward him, the Lord spoke to Samuel again. He said, “He is the man I told you about. His name is Saul. He will govern my people.”

¹⁸ Saul approached Samuel at the gate of the town. He asked Samuel, “Can you please show me the seer’s house?”

¹⁹ “I’m the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go on up to the high place ahead of me. I want you and your servant to eat with me today. Tomorrow morning I’ll tell you what’s on your mind. Then I’ll send you on your way. ²⁰ Don’t worry about the donkeys you lost three days ago. They’ve already been found. But who do all the Israelites want? You and your father’s whole family!”

²¹ Saul answered, “But I’m from the tribe of Benjamin. It’s the smallest tribe in Israel. And my family group is the least important in the whole tribe of Benjamin. So why are you saying that to me?”

²² Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the room where they would be eating. He seated them at the head table. About 30 people had been invited. ²³ Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the piece of meat I gave you. It’s the one I told you to put to one side.”

²⁴ So the cook went and got a choice piece of thigh. He set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, “Here is what has been kept for you. Eat it. It was put to one side for you for this special occasion. We’ve saved it for you ever since I invited the guests.” And Saul ate with Samuel that day.

²⁵ They came down from the high place to the town. After that, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of Samuel’s house. ²⁶ The next day they got up at about the time the sun was rising. Samuel called out to Saul on the roof. He said, “Get ready. Then I’ll send you on your way.” So Saul got ready. And he and Samuel went outside together. ²⁷ As they were on their way down to the edge of town, Samuel spoke to Saul. He said, “Tell the servant to go ahead of us.” So the servant went on ahead. Then Samuel continued, “Stay here for a while. I’ll give you a message from God.”

10 Then Samuel took a bottle of olive oil. He poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him. He said, “The Lord has anointed you to be the king of his people.

Rules for Choosing Leaders and Deacons

3 Here is a saying you can trust. If anyone wants to be a leader in the church, they want to do a good work for God and people. ² A leader must be free from blame. He must be faithful to his wife. In anything he does, he must not go too far. He must control himself. He must be worthy of respect. He must welcome people into his home. He must be able to teach. ³ He must not get drunk. He must not push people around. He must be gentle. He must not be a person who likes to argue. He must not love money. ⁴ He must manage his own family well. He must make sure that his children obey him. And he must do this in a way that gains him respect. ⁵ Suppose someone doesn’t know how to manage his own family. Then how can he take care of God’s church? ⁶ The leader must not be a new believer. If he is, he might become proud. Then he would be judged just like the devil. ⁷ The leader must also be respected by those who are outside the church. Then he will not be put to shame. He will not fall into the devil’s trap.

⁸ In the same way, deacons must be worthy of respect. They must be honest and true. They must not drink too much wine. They must not try to get money by cheating people. ⁹ They must hold on to the deep truths of the faith. Even their own minds tell them to do that.