1And Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said to him, Has not the Lord anointed thee for a ruler over his people, over Israel? and thou shalt rule among the people of the Lord, and thou shalt save them out of the hand of their enemies; and this shall be the sign to thee that the Lord has anointed thee for a ruler over his inheritance.

2As soon as thou shalt have departed this day from me, thou shalt find two men by the ⁴⁵burial-place of Rachel on the mount of Benjamin, exulting greatly; and they shall say to thee, The asses are found which ye went to seek; and, behold, thy father has given up the matter of the asses, and he is anxious for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?

3And thou shalt depart thence, and shalt go beyond that as far as the oak of Thabor, and thou shalt find there three men going up to God to Bæthel, one bearing three kids, and another bearing three vessels of bread, and another bearing a bottle of wine.

4And they shall ask thee how thou doest, and shall give thee two presents of bread, and thou shalt receive them of their hand.

5And afterward thou shalt go to the hill of God, where is the encampment of the Philistines; there is Nasib the Philistine: and it shall come to pass when ye shall have entered into the city, that thou shalt meet a band of prophets coming down from the Bama; and before them will be lutes, and a drum, and a pipe, and a harp, and they ⁴⁶shall prophesy.

6And the Spirit of the Lord shall ⁴⁷come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

7And it shall come to pass when these signs shall come upon thee,—then do thou whatsoever thy hand shall find, because God is with thee.

8And thou shalt go down in front of Galgal, and behold, I come down to thee to offer a whole-burnt-offering and peace-offerings: seven days shalt thou wait until I shall come to thee, and I will make known to thee what thou shalt do.

9And it came to pass when he ⁴⁸turned his back to depart from Samuel, God ⁴⁹gave him another heart; and all these signs came to pass in that day.

10And he comes thence to the hill, and behold a band of prophets opposite to him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied in the midst of them.

11And all that had known him before came, and saw, and, behold, he was in the midst of the prophets: and the people said every one to his neighbour, What is this that has happened to the son of Kis? is Saul also among the prophets?

12And one of them answered and said, And who is his father? and therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?

13And he ceased prophesying, and comes to the hill.

14And his kinsman said to him and to his servant, Whither went ye? and they said, To seek the asses; and we saw that they were lost, and we went in to Samuel.

15And his kinsman said to Saul, Tell me, I pray thee, What did Samuel say to thee?

16And Saul said to his kinsman, He verily told me that the asses were found. But the matter of the kingdom he told him not.

17And Samuel summoned all the people before the Lord to Massephath.

18And he said to the children of Israel, Thus has the Lord God of Israel spoken, saying, I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you out of the hand of Pharao king of Egypt, and out of all the kingdoms that afflicted you.

19And ye have this day rejected God, who is himself your Deliverer out of all your evils and afflictions; and ye said, Nay, but thou shalt set a king over us: and now stand before the Lord according to your tribes, and according to your families.

20And Samuel brought nigh all the tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Benjamin is taken by lot.

21And he brings near the tribe of Benjamin by families, and the family of Mattari is taken by lot: and they bring near the family of Mattari, man by man, and Saul the son of Kis is taken; and he sought him, but he was not found.

22And Samuel asked yet again of the Lord, ⁵⁰Will the man come hither? and the Lord said, Behold, he is hid among the stuff.

23And he ran and took him thence, and he set him in the midst of the people; and he was higher than all the people by his shoulders and upwards.

24And Samuel said to all the people, Have ye seen whom the Lord has chosen to himself, that there is none like to him among you all? And all the people took notice, and said, Let the king live!

25And Samuel told to the people the manner of the king, and wrote it in a book, and set it before the Lord: and Samuel sent away all the people, and each went to his place.

26And Saul departed to his house to Gabaa; and there went with Saul mighty men whose hearts God had touched.

27But evil men said, Who is this man that shall save us? and they despised him, and brought him no gifts.