1 Tomou Samuel o vaso de óleo, e lho derramou sobre a cabeça e o beijou e disse: Não te ungiu Jeová para ser príncipe sobre a sua herança?2 Quando te apartares hoje de mim, acharás dois homens juntos ao sepulcro de Raquel, no território de Benjamim, em Zelza. Eles te dirão: Acharam-se as jumentas que foste procurar; e teu pai, deixando de cuidar delas, aflige-se por ti e diz: Que farei eu por meu filho?3 Então dali irás para adiante, e chegarás ao carvalho de Tabor, ali te encontrarão três homens que, subindo a Deus a Betel, levam, um três cabritos, outro três pães, e o outro um odre de vinho.4 Eles te saudarão, e te darão dois pães; tu os receberás das suas mãos.5 Depois virás ao outeiro de Deus, onde está a guarnição dos filisteus. Ao entrares ali na cidade, encontrarás um rancho de profetas descendo do alto, precedido de saltérios, tambores, flautas, harpas, e eles profetizando.6 O espírito de Jeová se apoderará de ti, profetizarás com eles, e ficarás mudado em outro homem.7 Quando estes sinais te acontecerem, faze o que pedir a ocasião; porque Deus é contigo.8 Descerás diante de mim a Gilgal, e eu descerei a ter contigo, para oferecer holocaustos e para imolar sacrifícios de ofertas pacíficas. Esperarás sete dias, até que eu venha ter contigo e te declare o que hás de fazer.9 Tanto que Saul deu costas para partir de Samuel, Deus lhe mudou o coração em outro; e todos esses sinais aconteceram naquele dia.10 Chegando eles ao outeiro, eis que um rancho de profetas lhe saiu ao encontro; o espírito de Deus apoderou-se de Saul, e ele profetizou no meio deles.11 Todos os que o tinham conhecido antes, quando viram que ele profetizava com os profetas, diziam uns aos outros: Que é o que aconteceu ao filho de Quis? Está Saul também entre os profetas?12 Então um homem do lugar respondeu, e disse: Quem é o pai deles? Por isso passou em provérbio: Está Saul também entre os profetas?13 Tendo acabado de profetizar, veio ao alto.14 O tio de Saul perguntou-lhe a ele e ao seu servo: Aonde fostes? Respondeu ele: A procurar as jumentas. Quando vimos que não apareciam, fomos ter com Samuel.15 Tornou-lhe o tio: Declara-me, que é o que vos disse Samuel.16 Respondeu Saul a seu tio: Declarou-nos que as jumentas já eram achadas. Mas no tocante ao assunto do reino de que lhe falara Samuel, não lho disse.17 Convocou Samuel o povo a Jeová em Mispa,18 e disse aos filhos de Israel: Assim diz Jeová, Deus de Israel: Eu fiz subir a Israel do Egito, e vos livrei da mão dos egípcios e da mão de todos os reinos que vos oprimiam.19 Mas vós hoje rejeitastes o vosso Deus, que é quem vos livra de todas as vossas calamidades e angústias, e lhe dissestes: Não! mas constitui um rei sobre nós. Agora ponde-vos diante de Jeová pelas vossas tribos e pelos vossos milhares.20 Tendo Samuel feito chegar todas as tribos de Israel, tomou-se a tribo de Benjamim.21 Tendo feito chegar a tribo de Benjamim pelas suas famílias, tomou-se a família de Matri; e dele se tomou Saul, filho de Quis. Mas, quando o procuraram, não podia ser encontrado.22 Portanto, tornaram a perguntar a Jeová: Não veio ainda o homem para cá? Jeová respondeu: Ele se escondeu por entre a bagagem.23 Foram correndo e trouxeram-no de lá. Estando ele entre o povo, era mais alto do que todo o povo desde o ombro para cima.24 Disse Samuel a todo o povo: Vedes a quem Jeová escolheu? pois não há entre todo o povo quem lhe seja semelhante. Então todo o povo rompeu em gritos e disse: Viva o rei!25 Declarou Samuel diante do povo o que fariam os reis e, escrevendo-o num livro, depositou-o diante de Jeová. Então Samuel despediu todo o povo, cada um para a sua casa.26 Voltou Saul também para a sua casa em Gibeá; e foram com ele os homens de valor, cujos corações Deus tinha tocado.27 Mas os filhos de Belial disseram: Como pode este homem salvar-nos? Desprezaram-no, e não lhe trouxeram presentes. Saul, porém, portou-se como se fora surdo.

1 And Samuel took a little vial of oil and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said: Behold, the Lord hath anointed thee to be prince over his inheritance, and thou shalt deliver his people out of the hands of their enemies, that are round about them. And this shall be a sign unto thee, that God hath anointed thee to be prince.2 When thou shalt depart from me this day, thou shalt find two men by the sepulchre of Rachel in the borders of Benjamin to the south, and they shall say to thee: The asses are found which thou wentest to seek: and thy father thinking no more of the asses is concerned for you, and saith: What shall I do for my son?3 And when thou shalt depart from thence, and go farther on, and shalt come to the oak of Thabor, there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine.4 And they will salute thee, and will give thee two loaves, and thou shalt take them at their hand.5 After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is: and when thou shalt be come there into the city, thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place, with a psaltery and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp before them, and they shall be prophesying.6 And the spirit of the Lord shall come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be changed into another man.7 When therefore these signs shall happen to thee, do whatsoever thy hand shall find, for the Lord is with thee.8 And thou shalt go down before me to Galgal, (for I will come down to thee,) that thou mayest offer an oblation, and sacrifice victims of peace: seven days shalt thou wait, O till I come to thee, and I will shew thee what thou art to do.9 So when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave unto him another heart, and all these things came to pass that day.10 And they came to the foresaid hill, and behold a company of prophets met him: and the spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he prophesied in the midst of them.11 And all that had known him yesterday and the day before, seeing that he was with the prophets, and prophesied, said to each other: What is this that hath happened to the son of Cis? Is Saul also among the prophets?12 And one answered another, saying: And who is their father? therefore it became a proverb: Is Saul also among the prophets?13 And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.14 And Saul's uncle said to him, and to his servant: Whither went you? They answered: To seek the asses: and not finding them we went to Samuel.15 And his uncle said to him: Tell me what Samuel said to thee.16 And Saul said to his uncle: He told us that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom of which Samuel had spoken to him, he told him not.17 And Samuel called together the people to the Lord in Maspha:18 And he said to the children of Israel: Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all the kings who afflicted you.19 But you this day have rejected your God, who only hath saved you out of all your evils and your tribulations: and you have said: Nay: but set a king over us. Now therefore stand before the Lord by your tribes, and by your families.20 And Samuel brought to him all the tribes of Israel, and the lot fell on the tribe of Benjamin.21 And he brought the tribe of Benjamin and the kindreds thereof, and the lot fell Upon the kindred of Metri, and it came to Saul the son of Cis. They sought him therefore and he was not found.22 And after this they consulted the Lord whether he would come thither. And the Lord answered: Behold he is hidden at home.23 And they ran and fetched him thence: and he stood in the midst of the people, and he was higher than any of the people from the shoulders and upward.24 And Samuel said to all the people: Surely you see him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people. And all the people cried and said: God save the king.25 And Samuel told the people the law of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord: and Samuel sent away all the people, every one to his own house.26 Saul also departed to his own house in Gabaa: and there went with him a part of the army, whose hearts God had touched.27 But the children of Belial said: Shall this fellow be able to save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents, but he dissembled as though he heard not.