1 Samuel 10
10
1Then Samuel took a bottle of olive oil. He poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him. He said, “The Lord has anointed you to be the king of his people. 2When you leave me today, you will meet two men. They will be near Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They’ll say to you, ‘The donkeys you have been looking for have been found. Now your father has stopped thinking about them. Instead, he’s worried about you. He’s asking, “What can I do to find my son?” ’
3“You will go on from Zelzah until you come to the large tree at Tabor. Three men will meet you there. They’ll be on their way up to Bethel to worship God. One of them will be carrying three young goats. Another will be carrying three loaves of bread. A third will be carrying a bottle of wine. It will be a bottle made out of animal skin. 4The men will greet you. They’ll offer you two loaves of bread. You will accept the loaves from them.
5“After that, you will go to Gibeah of God. Some Philistine soldiers are stationed there. As you approach the town, you will meet a group of prophets. They’ll be coming down from the high place where they worship. People will be playing lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps at the head of the group. The prophets will be prophesying. 6The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully on you. Then you will prophesy along with them. You will become a different person. 7All these things will happen. Then do what you want to do. God is with you.
8“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. You can be sure that I’ll come down to you there. I’ll come and sacrifice burnt offerings and friendship offerings. But you must wait there for seven days until I come to you. Then I’ll tell you what to do.”
Saul Becomes King of Israel
9As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart. All these things happened that day. 10When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met Saul. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully on him. He prophesied along with them. 11Those who had known Saul before saw him prophesying with the prophets. They asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also one of the prophets?”
12A man who lived in Gibeah answered, “Yes, he is. In fact, he’s their leader.” That’s why people say, “Is Saul also one of the prophets?” 13After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place to worship.
14Later, Saul’s uncle spoke to him and his servant. He asked, “Where have you been?”
“Looking for the donkeys,” Saul said. “But we couldn’t find them. So we went to Samuel.”
15Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”
16Saul replied, “He told us the donkeys had been found.” But Saul didn’t tell his uncle that Samuel had said he would become king.
17Samuel sent a message to the Israelites. He told them to meet with the Lord at Mizpah. 18He said to them, “The Lord is the God of Israel. He says, ‘Israel, I brought you up out of Egypt. I saved you from their power. I also saved you from the power of all the kingdoms that had treated you badly.’ 19But now you have turned your backs on your God. He saves you out of all your trouble and suffering. In spite of that, you have said, ‘We refuse to listen. Place a king over us.’ So now gather together to meet with the Lord. Do it tribe by tribe and family group by family group.”
20Then Samuel had each tribe of Israel come forward. The tribe of Benjamin was chosen by casting lots. 21Next he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward, family group by family group. Matri’s group was chosen. Finally Saul, the son of Kish, was chosen. But when people looked for him, they realized he wasn’t there. 22They needed more help from the Lord. So they asked him, “Has the man come here yet?”
The Lord said, “Yes. He has hidden himself among the supplies.”
23So they ran over there and brought him out. When he stood up, the people saw that he was a head taller than any of them. 24Samuel spoke to all the people. He said, “Look at the man the Lord has chosen! There isn’t anyone like him among all the people.”
Then the people shouted, “May the king live a long time!”
25Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of the king who ruled over them. He wrote them down in a book. He placed it in front of the Lord in the holy tent. Then he sent the people away. He sent each of them to their own homes.
26Saul also went to his home in Gibeah. Some brave men whose hearts God had touched went with Saul. 27But some people who wanted to stir up trouble said, “How can this fellow save us?” They looked down on him. They didn’t bring him any gifts. But Saul kept quiet about it.
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1 Samuel 10: NIrV
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
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1 Samuel 10
10
Saul Anointed by Samuel
1Samuel took a flask of olive oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “The Lord has anointed you to be ruler of his people Israel. You will rule his people and save them from all their enemies. This will be the sign that the Lord has anointed you #10:1 “to be ruler of his people … has anointed you” Greek; Masoretic Text omits these words. to be ruler of his people. 2When you leave me today, two men will be at Rachel’s grave on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. They’ll tell you, ‘We’ve found the donkeys you went looking for. Your father no longer cares about them. Instead, he’s worried about you. He keeps asking, “What can I do ⌞to find⌟ my son?” ’ 3Keep going until you come to the oak tree at Tabor. There you will find three men on their way to worship God at Bethel: One will be carrying three young goats, one will be carrying three loaves of bread, and one will be carrying a ⌞full⌟ wineskin. 4They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you should accept from them. 5After that, you will come to the hill of God, where the Philistines have a military post. When you arrive at the city, you will meet a group of prophets prophesying as they come from the worship site. They will be led by men playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre. 6Then the Lord’s Spirit will come over you. You will be a different person while you prophesy with them. 7When these signs happen to you, do what you must, because God is with you. 8Go ahead of me to Gilgal. Then I will come to sacrifice burnt offerings and make fellowship offerings. Wait seven days until I come to tell you what to do.”
Saul’s Anointing Confirmed by Signs
9When Saul turned around to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s attitude. That day all these signs happened. 10When Saul came to the hill, a group of prophets came to meet him, and God’s Spirit came over him. He prophesied with them. 11When all who had known him before saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul one of the prophets?” 12But a man from that place asked, “But who’s the chief prophet?” So it became a proverb: “Is Saul one of the prophets?” 13And when he had finished prophesying, he came to the worship site.
14Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?”
Saul answered, “To look for the donkeys, and when we couldn’t find them, we went to Samuel.”
15Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.”
16“He assured us the donkeys had been found,” Saul answered his uncle. But Saul didn’t tell him what Samuel said ⌞about his becoming king⌟.
The LORD Chooses Saul
17Samuel called the people to ⌞come into the presence of⌟ the Lord at Mizpah. 18He said to the Israelites, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I brought Israel out of Egypt and rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and all the kings who were oppressing you. 19But now you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and distresses. You said, ‘No! Place a king over us.’ Now then, stand in front of the Lord by your tribes and family groups.”
20When Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21When he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by families, the family of Matri was chosen. Then Saul, the son of Kish, was chosen. They looked for him but couldn’t find him. 22They asked the Lord again, “Has he arrived here yet?”
The Lord answered, “He’s hiding among the baggage.”
23They ran and got him from there. As he stood among the people, he was a head taller than everyone else. 24Samuel asked the people, “Do you see whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.”
Then all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25Samuel explained the laws concerning kingship to the people. He wrote the laws on a scroll, which he placed in front of the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people back to their homes. 26Saul also went home to Gibeah. With him went some soldiers whose hearts God had touched. 27However, some good-for-nothing people asked, “How can this man save us?” They despised him and wouldn’t bring him presents, but he didn’t respond.
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