2 Kun lähdet luotani, tapaat kaksi miestä Raakelin haudan lähellä Selsahissa, Benjaminin alueen rajalla. He sanovat sinulle: 'Ne aasit, joita lähdit etsimään, ovat löytyneet, mutta isäsi ei niitä enää muistakaan. Nyt hän on huolissaan teistä ja miettii, mitä voisi tehdä poikansa hyväksi.'

3 Kun sitten jatkat matkaasi ja saavut Taborin tammen kohdalle, sinua vastaan tulee kolme miestä, jotka ovat menossa Jumalan luo Beteliin. Yhdellä heistä on mukanaan kolme karitsaa, toisella kolme uhrileipää ja kolmannella viiniruukku.

4 He tervehtivät sinua ystävällisesti ja antavat sinulle kaksi leipää, ja sinun pitää ottaa ne vastaan.

5 Sen jälkeen tulet Jumalan kukkulalle Gebaan, missä on filistealaisten vartiosto. Saapuessasi kaupunkiin tapaat joukon profeettoja, jotka ovat tulossa uhrikukkulalta. Heidän edellään soivat harput ja rummut, huilut ja lyyrat, ja he ovat hurmoksissa.

6 Silloin Herran henki valtaa sinut ja sinäkin joudut hurmoksiin ja muutut toiseksi ihmiseksi.

7 Kun nämä ennusmerkit toteutuvat, tee, mitä tehtäväksesi tulee, sillä Jumala on sinun kanssasi.

9 Samalla hetkellä kun Saul kääntyi lähteäkseen pois Samuelin luota, Jumala antoi hänelle uuden sydämen, ja kaikki nämä ennusmerkit toteutuivat samana päivänä.

10 Saulin saapuessa Gebaan profeettajoukko tuli häntä vastaan ja Jumalan henki valtasi hänet, niin että hänkin joutui hurmoksiin ja liittyi heihin.

13 Hurmostilan mentyä ohi Saul nousi uhrikukkulalle.

17 Samuel kutsui kansan Herran luo Mispaan

20 Samuel toi kunkin Israelin heimon vuorollaan Herran eteen ja toimitti arvonnan, ja arpa osui Benjaminin heimoon.

21 Sitten hän toi esiin vuorollaan kunkin Benjaminin heimon suvun, ja arpa osui Matrin sukuun ja siinä Sauliin, Kisin poikaan. He etsivät Saulia mutta eivät löytäneet.

23 He juoksivat sinne ja toivat Saulin esiin, ja kun hän seisoi kansan keskellä, hän oli päätänsä pitempi kaikkia muita.

25 Sitten Samuel luetteli kansalle oikeudet, jotka kuuluivat kuninkaalle, kirjoitti ne kirjaan ja talletti sen pyhäkköön Herran eteen. Sen jälkeen Samuel päästi kaikki lähtemään kotiin.

26 Myös Saul meni kotiinsa Gibeaan, ja hänen mukanaan lähtivät ne soturit, joiden sydäntä Jumala oli koskettanut.

1 Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because Jehovah has anointed thee prince over his inheritance?

2 When thou goest from me to-day, thou shalt meet two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to thee, The asses are found which thou wentest to seek, and behold, thy father has dismissed the matter of the asses, and is anxious about you, saying, What shall I do for my son?

3 And thou shalt go on forward from thence, and shalt come to the oak of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God, to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three cakes of bread, and another carrying a flask of wine.

4 And they will ask after thy welfare, and give thee two loaves, which thou shalt receive of their hands.

5 After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where are the outposts of the Philistines; and it shall come to pass, when thou comest thither, into the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with lute and tambour and pipe and harp before them; and they themselves prophesying.

6 And the Spirit of Jehovah will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

7 And it shall be, when these signs shall come to thee, thou shalt do as thy hand shall find; for God is with thee.

8 And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to thee, to offer up burnt-offerings, {and} to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings: seven days shalt thou wait, until I come to thee and inform thee what thou shalt do.

9 And it was {so} that when he turned his back to go away from Samuel, God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day.

10 And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

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

12 And a man of that place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?

13 And when he had ended prophesying, he came to the high place.

14 And Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses; and when we saw that they were nowhere, we went to Samuel.

15 And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said to you.

16 And Saul said to his uncle, He told us for certain that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he told him not.

17 And Samuel called the people together to Jehovah to Mizpah.

18 And he said to the children of Israel, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, *I* brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you;

19 but *ye* have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your troubles, and have said unto him, {Nay,} but a king shalt thou set over us. Now therefore present yourselves before Jehovah by your tribes, and by your thousands.

20 And Samuel caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken.

21 And he caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, and the family of Matri was taken; and Saul the son of Kish was taken. And they sought him, but he was not to be found.

22 Therefore they inquired of Jehovah further, Will the man yet come hither? And Jehovah answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the baggage.

23 And they ran and fetched him thence; and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

24 And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom Jehovah has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted and said, May the king live.

25 And Samuel told the people the right of the kingdom, and wrote it in the book, and laid it before Jehovah. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

26 And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and with him went the band, whose hearts God had touched.

27 But the children of Belial said, How should this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no gifts. But he was as one deaf.