And Samuel took the flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him; and he said: “Has not the LORD anointed you as leader over his inheritance? As leader over his people, over Israel: you shall restrain the people of the LORD, and you shall save them from the hand of their enemies all around. And this is the sign for you that the LORD has anointed you:
when you go from me today, you will find two men by the tomb of Rachel, in the territory of Benjamin, at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys you went to seek have been found. And look — your father has dropped the matter of the donkeys and is worrying about you, saying: What shall I do for my son?’
And you shall pass on from there and beyond, and come to the oak of Tabor; and three men going up to God at Bethel will find you there — one carrying three young goats, and one carrying three rounds of bread, and one carrying a skin of wine.
And they will ask you of your welfare, and give you two loaves of bread; and you shall take them from their hand.
Afterward you shall come to the hill of God, where the garrisons of the Philistines are. And it shall be, as you come there into the city, that you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place, with harp and tambourine and flute and lyre before them, and they will be prophesying.
And the spirit of the LORD will rush on you, and you will prophesy with them — and you will be turned into another man.
And it shall be, when these signs come to you, do for yourself what your hand finds to do — for God is with you.
And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and look, I am coming down to you to offer up burnt offerings, to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you; and I will make known to you what you shall do.”
Samuel’s Signs Fulfilled
And it was, as he turned his shoulder to go from Samuel, that God turned him another heart; and all these signs came to pass on that day.
And they came there, to the hill — and look, a band of prophets to meet him; and the spirit of God rushed on him, and he prophesied in their midst.
And it was, when all who knew him before saw it — and look, he prophesied with the prophets — that the people said, each to his neighbor: “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
And a man from there answered and said, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
And he finished prophesying and came to the high place.
And Saul’s uncle said to him and to his young man, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To seek the donkeys; and we saw that they were nowhere, and we came to Samuel.”
And Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, please — what did Samuel say to you?”
And Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But the matter of the kingship, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him.
Saul Proclaimed King
And Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah.
And he said to the sons of Israel: “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I myself brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were pressing you.
But you — today you have rejected your God, who himself saves you from all your evils and your distresses; and you have said to him, ‘No — set a king over us.’ And now, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands.”
And Samuel brought near all the tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
And he brought near the tribe of Benjamin by its families, and the family of the Matrite was taken; and Saul the son of Kish was taken. And they sought him, but he was not found.
And they asked again of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?” And the LORD said, “Look — he is hidden among the baggage.”
And they ran and took him from there; and he presented himself in the middle of the people, and he was taller than all the people, from his shoulders and upward.
And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen — that there is none like him among all the people?” And all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king!”
And Samuel spoke to the people the custom of the kingship, and wrote it in the book, and laid it before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each to his house.
And Saul also went to his house, to Gibeah; and there went with him the men of valor whose heart God had touched.
But worthless men said, “How will this one save us?” And they despised him, and brought him no gift. But he was as one keeping silent.
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