22Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and gave them a place at the head of the guests, who numbered about thirty. 23And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion which I gave you and told you to set aside.” 24The cook lifted up the thigh and g-what was on it,-g and set it before Saul. And [Samuel] said, h-“What has been reserved is set before you. Eat; it has been kept for you for this occasion, when I said I was inviting the people.”-h So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25They then descended from the shrine to the town, and i-[Samuel] talked with Saul on the roof.
26Early, at-i the break of day, Samuel called to Saul on the roof. He said, “Get up, and I will send you off.” Saul arose, and the two of them, Samuel and he, went outside. 27As they were walking toward the end of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to walk ahead of us”— and he walked ahead—“but you stop here a moment and I will make known to you the word of God.”
10 Samuel took a flask of oil and poured some on Saul’sa head and kissed him, and said, “The LORD herewith b-anoints you ruler-b over His own people. 2When you leave me today, you will meet two men near the tomb of Rachel in the territory of Benjamin, c-at Zelzah,-c and they will tell you that the asses you set out to look for have been found, and that your father has stopped being concerned about the asses and is worrying about you, saying: ‘What shall I do about my son?’ 3You shall pass on from there until you come to the terebinth of Tabor. There you will be met by three men making a pilgrimage to God at Bethel. One will be carrying three kids, another will be carrying three loaves of bread, and the third will be carrying a jar of wine. 4They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept. 5After that, you are to go on to d-the Hill-d of God, where the Philistine prefects reside. There, as you enter the town, you will encounter a band of prophets coming down from the shrine, preceded by lyres, timbrels, flutes, and harps, and they will be e-speaking in ecstasy.-e 6The spirit of the LORD will grip you, and you will speak in ecstasy along with them; you will become another man. 7And once these signs have happened to you, f-act when the occasion arises,-f for God is with you. 8After that, you are to go down to Gilgal ahead of me, and I will come down to you to present burnt offerings and offer sacrifices of well-being.f Wait seven days until I come to you and instruct you what you are to do next.”
9As [Saul] turned around to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart; and all those signs were fulfilled that same day. 10And when they came there, to d-the Hill,-d he saw a band of prophets coming toward him. Thereupon the spirit of God gripped him, and he spoke in ecstasy among them. 11When all who knew him previously saw him speaking in ecstasy together with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What’s hap-pened to g-the son of Kish?-g Is Saul too among the prophets?” 12But another person there spoke up and said, “And who are their fathers?” Thus the proverb arose: “Is Saul too among the prophets?” 13And when he stopped speaking in ecstasy, he entered the shrine.
14Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?” “To look for the asses,” he replied. “And when we saw that they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.” 15“Tell me,” said Saul’s uncle, “what did Samuel say to you?” 16Saul answered his uncle, “He just told us that the asses had been found.” But he did not tell him anything of what Samuel had said about the kingship.
17Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah 18and said to them, “Thus said the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘I brought Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ 19But today you have rejected your God who delivered you from all your troubles and calamities. For you said, ‘No,h set up a king over us!’ Now station yourselves before the LORD, by your tribes and clans.”
20Samuel brought forward each of the tribes of Israel, and the lot in-dicated the tribe of Benjamin. 21Then Samuel brought forward the tribe of Benjamin by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was indicated; and theni Saul son of Kish was indicated. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22They inquired of the LORD again, j-“Has anyone else come here?”-j And the LORD replied, “Yes; he is hiding among the baggage.” 23So they ran over and brought him from there; and when he took his place among the people, he stood a head taller than all the people. 24And Samuel said to the people, “Do you see the one whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people acclaimed him, shouting, “Long live the king!”
25Samuel expounded to the people the rules of the monarchy, and recorded them in a document which he deposited before the LORD. Sam-uel then sent the people back to their homes. 26Saul also went home to Gibeah, accompanied by k-upstanding men-k whose hearts God had touched. 27But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” So they scorned him and brought him no gift. l-But he pretended not to mind.-l
11 Nahash the Ammonite marched up and besieged Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh-gilead said to Nahash, “Make a pact with us, and we will serve you.” 2But Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “I will make a pact with you on this condition, that everyone’s right eye be gouged out; I will make this a humiliation for all Israel.” 3The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days’ respite, so that we may send messengers throughout the territory of Israel; if no one comes to our aid, we will surrender to you.” 4When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and gave this report in the hearing of the people, all the people broke into weeping.
5Saul was just coming from the field driving the cattle; and Saul asked, “Why are the people crying?” And they told him about the situation of the men of Jabesh. 6When he heard these things, the spirit of God gripped Saul and his anger blazed up. 7He took a yoke of oxen and cut them into pieces, which he sent by messengers throughout the territory of Israel, with the warning, “Thus shall be done to the cattle of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” Terror from the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. 8[Saul] mustered them in Bezek, and the Israelites numbered 300,000, the men of Judah 30,000. 9The messengers who had come were told, “Thus shall you speak to the men of Jabesh-gilead: Tomorrow, when the sun grows hot, you shall be saved.” When the messengers came and told this to the men of Jabeshgilead, they rejoiced. 10The men of Jabesh then told [the Ammonites], “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you please.”
11The next day, Saul divided the troops into three columns; at the morning watch they entered the camp and struck down the Ammonites until the day grew hot. The survivors scattered; no two were left together.
12The people then said to Samuel, “Who was it said, ‘Shall Saul be king over us?’ Hand the men over and we will put them to death!” 13But Saul replied, “No man shall be put to death this day! For this day the LORD has brought victory to Israel.”
14Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there inaugurate the monarchy.” 15So all the people went to Gilgal, and there at Gilgal they declared Saul king before the LORD. They offered sacrifices of well-being there before the LORD; and Saul and all the men of Israel held a great celebration there.
12 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I have yielded to you in all you have asked of me and have set a king over you. 2Henceforth the king will be your leader.
“As for me, I have grown old and gray—but my sons are still with you—and I have been your leader from my youth to this day. 3Here I am! Testify against me, in the presence of the LORD and in the presence of His anointed one: Whose ox have I taken, or whose ass have I taken? Whom have I defrauded or whom have I robbed? From whom have I taken a bribe a-to look the other way?-a I will return it to you.” 4They responded, “You have not defrauded us, and you have not robbed us, and you have taken nothing from anyone.” 5He said to them, “The LORD then is witness, and His
