1 Samuel Chapter 10

Saul Anointed as King

¹ Samuel took a vial of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, and kissed him,

“Hasn’t Yahveh anointed you to rule his people? You’ll save Israel from their enemies round about. This will be the sign that Yahveh has anointed you ruler over his heritage. ² When you leave me today, you’ll meet two men by Rachel’s tomb in Benjamin at Zelzah. They’ll say, ‘The donkeys you went to look they’ve found. Now your father has stopped caring about them and is worrying about you, “What am I going to do about my son?”’ ³ You’ll go on to the Oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three kids, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. ⁴ They’ll greet you and give you two loaves of bread; accept them. ⁵ After that, you’ll come to Gibeah-elohim, where the Philistine outpost is. As you come to the town, you’ll meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place, prophesying behind a harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre. ⁶ The Spirit of Yahveh will come on you powerfully, and you’ll prophesy with them and become another man. ⁷ When these signs meet you, do whatever you find to do, because God is with you. ⁸ Go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I’ll come to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings. Wait for a week till I come and show you what to do.”        

1 Sam 10:1-8

⁹ When he turned to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart, and those signs happened that day. ¹⁰ When they got to Gibeah, a band of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God stirred him powerfully, and he prophesied with them. ¹¹ When everybody that knew him before saw how he prophesied with them, they said to one another, “What has come over Kish’s son? Is Saul among the prophets too?” ¹² A man at that place answered, “Who is their father?” It became a saying, “Is Saul among the prophets too?” ¹³ When he finished prophesying, he went to the high place.

¹⁴ Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where’d you go?”

            “To look for the donkeys. When we couldn’t find them, we went to Samuel.”

¹⁵ “What did he tell you?”

¹⁶ “That they’d been found.” He didn’t tell him anything Samuel said about the kingdom.

1 Sam 10:9-16

¹⁷ Samuel called the people to Yahveh at Mizpah ¹⁸ and told them,

“Yahveh God of Israel, says, ‘I brought you out of Egypt and delivered you from the Egyptians and the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ ¹⁹ But today you’ve rejected the God who saved you from your calamities and distresses. You’ve said, ‘No, install a king over us.’ Present yourselves to Yahveh by tribes and by thousands.”

²⁰ Samuel brought the tribes forward, and Benjamin was taken by lot. ²¹ He brought Benjamin forward by families, and the Matrite family was taken by lot. Finally, he brought the Matrite family forward one by one, and Saul Ben-Kish was taken by lot. But they couldn’t find him. ²² They asked Yahveh again, “Did the man come here?” Yahveh said, “He hid in the baggage.” ²³ They ran and got him. When he stood among the people, he was head and shoulders taller than any of them.

²⁴ Samuel said to the people, “See who Yahveh has chosen? There’s none like him among you.”

The people shouted, “Long live the king!”

²⁵ Samuel told them the rights and duties of kings. He wrote them in a scroll and laid it up in Yahveh’s presence and sent everyone home. ²⁶ Saul went to his home in Gibeah, and brave men whose hearts God had touched went with him. ²⁷ But some worthless fellows said, “How can this fellow save us?” They scorned him and wouldn’t bring him a gift, but he didn’t react to them.  

1 Sam 10:17-27