1 Kings 9
9
1Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Cis, the son of Abiel, the son of Seror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphia, the son of a man of Jemini, valiant and strong.
2And he had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and goodly man. And there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he appeared above all the people.
3And the asses of Cis, Sauls father, were lost. And Cis said to his son Saul: Take one of the servants with thee; and arise. Go, and seek the asses. And when they had passed through mount Ephraim,
4And through the land of Salisa, and had not found them, they passed also through the land of Salim; and they were not there: and through the land of Jemini, and found them not.
5And when they were come to the land of Suph, Saul said to the servant that was with him: Come, let us return, lest perhaps my father forget the asses, and be concerned for us.
6And he said to him: Behold, there is a man of God in this city, a famous man; all that he saith cometh certainly to pass. Now therefore let us go thither; perhaps he may tell us of our way, for which we are come.
7And Saul said to his servant: Behold we will go: but what shall we carry to the man of God? The bread is spent in our bags: and we have no present to make to the man of God, nor any thing at all.
8The servant answered Saul again, and said: Behold, there is found in my hand the fourth part of a sicle of silver. Let us give it to the man of God, that he may tell us our way.
9Now in time past, in Israel when a man went to consult God he spoke thus: Come, let us go to the seer. For he that is now called a prophet, in time past was called a seer.
10And Saul said to his servant: Thy word is very good. Come, let us go. And they went into the city, where the man of God was.
11And when they went up the ascent to the city, they found maids coming out to draw water, and they said to them: Is the seer here?
12They answered and said to them: He is. Behold, he is before you; make haste now. For he came to-day into the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to-day in the high place.
13As soon as you come into the city, you shall immediately find him, before he go up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he come: because he blesseth the victim; and afterwards they eat that are invited. Now therefore go up, for to-day you shall find him.
14And they went up into the city. And when they were walking in the midst of the city, behold, Samuel was coming out over against them, to go up to the high place.
15Now the Lord had revealed to the ear of Samuel the day before Saul came, saying:
16To-morrow about this same hour I will send thee a man of the land of Benjamin. And thou shalt anoint him to be ruler over my people Israel; and he shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked down upon my people, because their cry is come to me.
17And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him: Behold the man, of whom I spoke to thee. This man shall reign over my people.
18And Saul came to Samuel in the midst of the gate and said: Tell me, I pray thee, where is the house of the seer?
19And Samuel answered Saul, saying: I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, that you may eat with me to-day, and I will let thee go in the morning. And tell thee all that is in thy heart.
20And as for the asses, which were lost three days ago, be not solicitous, because they are found. And for whom shall be all the best things of Israel? Shall they not be for thee and for all thy father's house?
21And Saul answering said: Am not I a son of Jemini of the least tribe of Israel, and my kindred the last among all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then hast thou spoken this word to me?
22Then Samuel, taking Saul and his servant, brought them into the parlour, and gave them a place at the head of them that were invited. For there were about thirty men.
23And Samuel said to the cook: Bring the portion, which I gave thee, and commanded thee to set it apart by thee.
24And the cook took up the shoulder, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said: Behold what is left. Set it before thee, and eat: because it was kept of purpose for thee, when I invited the people. And Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25And they went down from the high place into the town. And he spoke with Saul upon the top of the house: and he prepared a bed for Saul on the top of the house; and he slept.
26And when they were risen in the morning, and it began now to be light, Samuel called Saul on the top of the house, saying: Arise, that I may let thee go. And Saul arose. And they went out both of them: to wit, he and Samuel.
27And as they were going down in the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul: Speak to the servant to go before us, and pass on. But stand thou still a while, that I may tell thee the word of the Lord.
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1 Kings 9: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
1 Samuel 9
9
Saul Meets Samuel
1Kish was a wealthy man who belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. His father was Abiel, his grandfather was Zeror, his great-grandfather was Becorath, and his great-great-grandfather was Aphiah. 2Kish had a son named Saul, who was better looking and more than a head taller than anyone else in all Israel.
3Kish owned some donkeys, but they had run off. So he told Saul, “Take one of the servants and go look for the donkeys.”
4Saul and the servant went through the hill country of Ephraim and the territory of Shalishah, but they could not find the donkeys. Then they went through the territories of Shaalim and Benjamin, but still there was no sign of the donkeys. 5Finally they came to the territory where the clan of Zuph#9.5 Zuph: Samuel's father Elkanah was from the Zuph clan. lived. “Let's go back home,” Saul told his servant. “If we don't go back soon, my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us!”
6“Wait!” the servant answered. “There's a man of God who lives in a town near here. He's amazing! Everything he says comes true. Let's talk to him. Maybe he can tell us where to look.”
7Saul said, “How can we talk to the prophet when I don't have anything to give him? We don't even have any bread left in our sacks. What can we give him?”
8“I have a small piece of silver,” the servant answered. “We can give him that, and then he will tell us where to look for the donkeys.”
9-10“Great!” Saul replied. “Let's go to the man who can see visions!” He said this because in those days God would answer questions by giving visions to prophets.
Saul and his servant went to the town where the prophet lived. 11As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to get water,#9.11 water: Towns were often built on a hill near a source of water, which would often be down in the valley outside of the town. It was usually the job of women to get water for their family. and the two men said to them, “We're looking for the man who can see visions. Is he in town?”
12“Yes, he is,” they replied. “He's in town today because there's going to be a sacrifice and a sacred meal at the place of worship. In fact, he's just ahead of you. Hurry 13and you should find him right inside the town gate. He's on his way out to the place of worship to eat with the invited guests. They can't start eating until he blesses the sacrifice. If you go now, you should find him.”
14They went to the town, and just as they were going through the gate, Samuel was coming out on his way to the place of worship.
15The day before Saul came, the Lord had told Samuel, 16“I've seen how my people are suffering, and I've heard their call for help. About this time tomorrow I'll send you a man from the tribe of Benjamin, who will rescue my people from the Philistines. I want you to pour olive oil#9.16 olive oil: Olive oil was poured on the head of someone who was chosen to be a priest, a prophet, or a king. on his head to show that he will be their leader.”
17Samuel looked at Saul, and the Lord told Samuel, “This is the man I told you about. He's the one who will rule Israel.”
18Saul went over to Samuel in the gateway and said, “A man who can see visions lives here in town. Could you tell me the way to his house?”
19“I am the one who sees visions!” Samuel answered. “Go on up to the place of worship. You will eat with me today, and in the morning I'll answer your questions. 20Don't worry about your donkeys that ran off three days ago. They've already been found. Everything of value in Israel now belongs to you and your family.”#9.20 Everything … family: Or “You and your family are what all Israel wants.”
21“Why are you telling me this?” Saul asked. “I'm from Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my clan is the least important in the tribe.”
Saul Eats with Samuel and Stays at His House
22Samuel took Saul and his servant into the dining room at the place of worship. About 30 people were there for the dinner, but Samuel gave Saul and his servant the places of honor. 23-24Then Samuel told the cook, “I gave you the best piece of meat and told you to set it aside. Bring it here now.”
The cook brought the meat over and set it down in front of Saul. “This is for you,” Samuel told him. “Go ahead and eat it. I had this piece saved especially for you, and I invited these guests to eat with you.”
After Saul and Samuel had finished eating, 25they went down from the place of worship and back into town. A bed was set up for Saul on the flat roof#9.25 roof: Guests often slept on the flat roof of their host's house, where it was cool and breezy. of Samuel's house, 26and Saul slept there.
About sunrise the next morning,#9.25,26 A bed was set … morning: One ancient translation; Hebrew “Samuel spoke with Saul on the flat roof of his house. They got up early the next morning, around sunrise, and.” Samuel called up to Saul on the roof, “Time to get up! I'll help you get started on your way.”
Saul got up. He and Samuel left together 27and had almost reached the edge of town when Samuel stopped and said, “Tell your servant go on. Stay here with me for a few minutes, and I'll tell you what God has told me.”
Samuel Tells Saul He Will Be King
After the servant had gone,
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.