1 Samuel 10

Samuel anoints Saul and gives him signs

¹Then Samuel took the flask of oil and poured it on Saul’s head. He kissed him and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be ruler over his own inheritance?^{a 2}When you leave me today, you will come upon two men near Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah, in the territory of Benjamin. They will tell you, ‘The donkeys you went looking for have been found. Your father has stopped thinking about the donkeys and is worried about you. He is saying, “What am I to do about my son?”’ ³Then you will go on from there until you reach the oak of Tabor. Three men will meet you there on their way up to worship God at Bethel. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and the third a skin of wine. ⁴They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, and you will accept them from them. ⁵Next you will reach Gibeah of God, where there are Philistine garrisons. Just as you enter the town, you will meet a band of prophets as they come down from the high place. Harp, tambourine, flute and lyre will be going before them, and they will be prophesying. ⁶The Spirit of the LORD will rush on you, and you will prophesy with them and be changed into a different man. ⁷When these signs have happened to you, do whatever the moment calls for, for God is with you. ⁸Then go down to Gilgal before me. I will come down to join you there, to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You must wait seven days for me to come, and then I will make known to you what you should do.” ⁹As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed his heart, and all these signs came true that day.

Saul among the prophets

¹⁰When they came to Gibeah, a band of prophets met him there. The Spirit of God rushed on him, and he prophesied among them. ¹¹When all who had known him before saw him prophesying with the prophets, the people asked one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” ¹²A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” That is how the saying came about: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”^{b 13}When he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place. ¹⁴Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?” “Looking for the donkeys,” Saul said. “When we saw they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.” ¹⁵Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.” ¹⁶Saul answered his uncle, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell him what Samuel had said about the kingship.

Saul chosen by lot at Mizpah

¹⁷Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah. ¹⁸He said to the Israelites, “The LORD, the God of Israel, says this: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt. I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ ¹⁹But today you have rejected your God, the one who saves you from all your troubles and distress. You have told him, ‘Set a king over us instead.’ So now present yourselves before the LORD tribe by tribe and clan by clan.”^{c 20}Samuel then brought all the tribes of Israel forward, and the lot fell on the tribe of Benjamin. ²¹Then he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward clan by clan, and the clan of the Matrites was chosen. Finally Saul son of Kish was chosen. But when they searched for him, he was not there. ²²So they inquired again of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?” The LORD answered, “There he is, hiding among the baggage.” ²³They ran and brought him out, and when he stood among the people he was taller than any of them by a head and shoulders. ²⁴Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? Among all the people there is no one like him.” Then all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

²⁵Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of the kingship. He wrote them in a scroll and placed it before the LORD. Then Samuel sent all the people home. ²⁶Saul also went home to Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had moved. ²⁷But some worthless men said, “How can this fellow save us?” They looked down on him and brought him no gift. But he held his tongue.^d