1Forsooth Samuel took a vessel of oil, and he poured it out on the head of Saul, and kissed him, and said, Lo! the Lord hath anointed thee into prince on his heritage;

2when thou shalt go from me today, thou shalt find two men beside the sepulchre of Rachel, in the ends of Benjamin, in midday; and they shall say to thee, The female asses be found, which thou wentest to seek; and while the asses be left off caring about, thy father is now busy for you, and saith, What shall I do of my son?

3And when thou hast gone from thence, and hast passed further, and hast come to the oak of Tabor, three men, going up to God into Bethel, shall find thee there, one man bearing three kids, and another man bearing three cakes of bread, and another man bearing a gallon of wine.

4And when they have greeted thee, they shall give to thee two loaves, and thou shalt take those of their hand.

5After these things thou shalt come into the hill of the Lord, where is the standing place, that is, the forcelet, of Philistines; and when thou shalt enter into the city, there thou shalt have meeting thee a flock, or a company, of prophets, coming down from the high place, and a psaltery, and a tympan, and a pipe, and an harp before them, and them prophesying.

6And the Spirit of the Lord shall at once fall into thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and thou shalt be changed into another man.

7Therefore when all these signs befall to thee, do thou, whatever things thine hand findeth, for the Lord is with thee.

8And thou shalt go down before me into Gilgal; for I shall come down to thee, to offer an offering, and sacrifice peaceable sacrifices; by seven days thou shalt abide, till I come to thee, and show thee what thou shalt do.

9Therefore when Saul had turned away his shoulder to go from Samuel, God exchanged another heart to Saul, and all these signs came in that day.

10And Saul and his child came to the foresaid hill, and lo! a company of prophets were meeting with him; and the Spirit of the Lord fell at once upon Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the prophets.

11And all men, that knew Saul yesterday and the third day ago, saw that he was with the prophets, and that he prophesied, and they said together, What thing hath befallen to the son of Kish? Whether also Saul is among [the] prophets?

12And one man answered to another, and said, And who is the father of them? Therefore it was turned into a proverb, Whether also Saul is among the prophets?

13And Saul ceased to prophesy, and he came to an high place.

14And the brother of Saul’s father said to him, and to his child, Whither went ye? And they answered, To seek [the] she-asses; and when we found them not, we came to Samuel.

15And the brother of Saul’s father said to him, Show thou to me what Samuel said to thee.

16And Saul said to his uncle, Samuel showed to us, that the she-asses were found. But he showed not to his uncle of the word of the realm, that Samuel spake to him.

17And Samuel called together the people to the Lord in Mizpeh;

18and he said to the sons of Israel, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, I led Israel out of the land of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of Egyptians, and from the hand of all the kings that tormented you.

19And today ye have cast away your Lord God, which alone saved you from all your evils and [your] tribulations; and ye [have] said, Nay, but ordain thou a king upon us. Now therefore stand ye before the Lord by your lineages, and by meines.

20And Samuel set together all the lineages of Israel, and [the] lot felled upon the lineage of Benjamin.

21And he set together the lineage of Benjamin, and the meines thereof; and lot felled upon the meine of Matri, and it came unto Saul, the son of Kish. Therefore they sought him, and he was not found there.

22And after these things they counselled with the Lord, whether Saul should come thither. And the Lord answered, Lo! he is hid among vessels.

23Therefore they ran, and took him from thence; and he stood in the middle of the people, and [he] was higher than all the people from the shoulder[s] and above.

24And Samuel said to all the people, Certainly ye see whom the Lord hath chosen; for none in all the people is like him. And all the people cried, and said, Live the king!

25And Samuel spake to the people the law of the realm, and he wrote it in a book, and put it up before the Lord. And Samuel delivered all the people, each man into his house;

26but also Saul went into his house in Gibeah; and a part of the host went with him, whose hearts God had touched.

27And the sons of Belial said, Whether this man may save us? And they despised him, and brought not gifts, that is, presents, to him; and he let it go as though he heard it not.