1 Samuel 9

Saul looks for his father’s donkeys

¹There was a man from the tribe of Benjamin whose name was Kish. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, son of a Benjaminite, and he was a man of wealth and standing. ²He had a son named Saul, a fine young man. No one among the Israelites was more handsome than he, and from the shoulders up he stood taller than all the people. ³Now the donkeys of Saul’s father Kish had strayed and were lost. So Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you, and go and look for the donkeys.” ⁴He went through the hill country of Ephraim and through the region of Shalishah, but they did not find them. They went through the region of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then he went through the territory of Benjamin, and still they did not find them. ⁵When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come on, let us go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.” ⁶But the servant answered, “Listen, there is a man of God in this town, and he is highly respected. Everything he says comes true. Let us go there now. Perhaps he can tell us something about the journey we have set out on.” ⁷Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? The bread in our bags is gone, and we have nothing to bring the man of God as a gift. What do we have with us?” ⁸The servant answered Saul again, “Look, I have about a tenth of an ounce of silver with me. I can give that to the man of God, so that he will tell us about our journey.” ⁹(In earlier times in Israel, anyone who went to ask God for guidance would say, “Come, let us go to the seer.” For the one who is now called a prophet used to be called a seer.)^{a 10}Saul said to his servant, “That is a good idea. Come on, let us go.” So they set off for the town where the man of God was. ¹¹As they were climbing the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?” ¹²They answered, “Yes, he is. He is just ahead of you. Hurry now; he has come to town today because the people are holding a sacrifice at the high place. ¹³As soon as you enter the town you will catch him, before he goes up to the high place for the meal. The people do not eat until he arrives, because he must bless the sacrifice; after that the guests eat. Go up now, for this is just the time to find him.” ¹⁴So they went up to the town. As they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.

The LORD shows Samuel the man

¹⁵Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel, ¹⁶“Tomorrow at about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him as ruler over my people Israel. He will rescue my people from the power of the Philistines, for I have looked on my people, because their cry has reached me.”^{b 17}As soon as Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD said to him, “There is the man I spoke to you about. He is the one who will govern my people.”^{c 18}Saul went up to Samuel inside the gate and asked, “Would you tell me, please, where the seer’s house is?” ¹⁹Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are both to eat with me. In the morning I will send you on your way, and I will tell you everything that is on your mind. ²⁰Do not trouble yourself about the donkeys that went missing three days ago; they have been found. And on whom is all Israel’s desire fixed? Is it not on you and on all your father’s family?”^d

²¹Saul replied, “But I am a Benjaminite, from the smallest of Israel’s tribes, and my clan is the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin. Why do you say such a thing to me?”

Saul at Samuel’s table

²²Samuel took Saul and his servant and led them into the hall, where he gave them places at the head of the guests, who were about thirty men.^{e 23}Samuel told the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you, the one I told you to set aside.” ²⁴So the cook took up the thigh with what was on it and set it before Saul. Samuel said, “Here is what was kept for you. Eat it, because it was saved for you for this occasion, ever since I said, ‘I have invited the guests.’” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.^{fg 25}When they had come down from the high place into the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof.^{h 26}They got up early, and at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get up, and I will send you on your way.” Saul got up, and he and Samuel went outside together. ²⁷As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to walk on ahead of us”—and he walked on—“but you stay here a while, so that I can give you a message from God.”