1 Samuel 10

1Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on his head, kissed him, and said, "Hasn't Yahweh anointed you ruler over his inheritance?"

3You will pass on from there and go forward to the oak of Tabor, and three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there—one carrying three kids, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a wineskin of wine.

4They will ask how you fare and give you two loaves of bread, which you will take from their hands.

5Afterward you will arrive at God's hill, where the Philistine garrison stands; and as you enter the city there, you will meet a band of prophets descending from the high place with a psaltery, timbrel, pipe, and harp before them, as they prophesy.

6The Spirit of Yahweh will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them, and you will be changed into another man.

7When these signs come to you, do for yourself what your hand finds, for God is with you.

8Go down ahead of me to Gilgal; behold, I will come down to you to present burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings: wait seven days until I come to you, and I will reveal to you what you must do.

9As he turned his back to go away from Samuel, God changed his heart to another, and all these signs occurred that day.

10They came there to the hill, and there a band of prophets met him; the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them.

11When all who had known him before saw him prophesying with the prophets, the people said to each other, "What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"

12A man from there answered, "Who is their father?" Thus it became a proverb: "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

13When he finished prophesying, he came to the high place.

14Saul's uncle said to him and his servant, "Where did you go?" He said, "To seek the donkeys. When we saw that they were not there, we came to Samuel."

15Saul's uncle said to Saul, "Please tell me what Samuel said to you."

16Saul said to his uncle, "He surely told us that the donkeys were found." But he did not tell him the matter of the kingdom, which Samuel had spoken of.

17Samuel summoned the people to Yahweh at Mizpah.

18He said to the sons of Israel, "Thus says Yahweh, God of Israel, 'I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.'"

19Yet today you have rejected your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and distresses, and you said to him, "No, appoint a king over us." Now present yourselves before Yahweh by your tribes and your thousands.

20Samuel brought all Israel's tribes near, and Benjamin's tribe was taken.

21He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families, and the family of Matri was taken; Saul son of Kish was taken, but when they sought him, he was not found.

22They asked Yahweh again whether the man would yet come here, and Yahweh said, "See, he is hidden among the gear."

23They ran and brought him from there, and when he stood among the people, he towered over all the people from his shoulders upward.

24Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see whom Yahweh has chosen, that no one equals him among all the people?" All the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!"

25Samuel declared to the people the ordinances of the kingdom, wrote them in a book, and set it before Yahweh. Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

26Saul also went home to Gibeah, and valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him.

27But the sons of Belial said, "How will this man deliver us?" They scorned him and brought him no gift. But he stayed silent.