1 ¶ Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head and kissed him and said, Is it not because the LORD has anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?

2 W hen thou art departed from me today, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel’s sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou didst go to seek are found, and thy father has left the care of the asses and sorrows for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?

3 T hen shalt thou go on forward from there, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and three men going up to God to Bethel shall meet thee, one carrying three kids and another carrying three loaves of bread and another carrying a bottle of wine.

4 A nd they will salute thee and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.

5 A fter that thou shalt come to the hill of God where the garrison of the Philistines is, and it shall come to pass when thou art come there to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery and a tambourine and a pipe and a harp before them; and they shall prophesy.

6 A nd the Spirit of the LORD will prosper thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them and shalt be turned into another man.

7 A nd let it be when these signs are come unto thee that thou do according as thou shalt find at hand, for God is with thee.

8 A nd thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal, and, behold, I will come down unto thee to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days shalt thou tarry until I come to thee and show thee what thou shalt do.

9 ¶ And it was so that when he had turned his shoulder to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart, and all those signs came to pass that day.

10 A nd when they came there to the hill, behold, the company of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God prospered him, and he prophesied among them.

11 A nd it came to pass when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?

12 A nd one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore, it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?

13 A nd he ceased prophesying and came to the high place.

14 A nd Saul’s uncle said unto him and to his servant, Where went ye? And he said, To seek the asses, and when we saw that they were nowhere, we came to Samuel.

15 A nd Saul’s uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you.

16 A nd Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel spoke, he did not tell him.

17 ¶ And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh

18 a nd said unto the sons of Israel, Thus hath the LORD God of Israel said, I brought up Israel out of Egypt and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all kingdoms and of those that oppressed you.

19 B ut ye have this day rejected your God, who saves you out of all your afflictions and your troubles, and ye have said unto him, No, but set a king over us. Now, therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands.

20 A nd when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.

21 W hen he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their lineages, the family of Matri was taken, and from it Saul the son of Kish was taken, and when they sought him, he could not be found.

22 T herefore, they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come there. And the LORD answered, Behold, he has hid himself among the stuff.

23 A nd they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

24 A nd Samuel said to all the people, See ye 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.

25 T hen Samuel recited unto the people the rights of the kingdom and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house.

26 A nd Saul also went home to Gibeah, and there went with him some from the army, whose hearts God had touched.

27 B ut the sons of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him and brought him no presents. But he pretended not to notice.