1 Samuel 9
9
Saul Chosen to Be King
1There was a man of Benjamin whose name was #ch. 14:51; 1 Chr. 8:33; 9:39Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. 2And he had a son whose name was Saul, #[ch. 8:16] a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. #ch. 10:23From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
3Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” 4And he passed through #See Josh. 24:33 the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of #2 Kgs. 4:42Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.
5When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant#9:5 Hebrew young man; also verses 7, 8, 10, 27 who was with him, “Come, let us go back, #ch. 10:2lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” 6But he said to him, “Behold, there is #Deut. 33:1; Judg. 13:6; 1 Kgs. 13:1 a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; #ch. 3:19all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.” 7Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, #[1 Kgs. 14:3; 2 Kgs. 4:42; 8:8]what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” 8The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel#9:8 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.” 9(Formerly in Israel, when a man #Gen. 25:22went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for today’s “prophet” was formerly called a seer.) 10And Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.
11As they went up the hill to the city, #Gen. 24:11they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?” 12They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people #ch. 16:2; 20:29; Gen. 31:54 have a sacrifice today on #ch. 10:5; 1 Kgs. 3:2-4the high place. 13As soon as you enter the city you will find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.” 14So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.
15Now the day before Saul came, #ch. 15:1; [Acts 13:21] the Lord had #Ruth 4:4revealed to Samuel: 16“Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, #ch. 10:1 and you shall anoint him to be prince#9:16 Or leader over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. #Ex. 2:25; 3:7, 9For I have seen#9:16 Septuagint adds the affliction of my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, #[ch. 16:12]“Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.” 18Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Tell me where is the house of the seer?” 19Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind. 20#ver. 3As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s house?” 21Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, #[Judg. 20:46; 21:6; Ps. 68:27] from the least of the tribes of Israel? #ch. 15:17; [Judg. 6:15]And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?”
22Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons. 23And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Put it aside.’” 24So the cook took up #Ex. 29:22, 27; Lev. 7:32, 33; [Ezek. 24:4]the leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, “See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.”#9:24 Hebrew appointed, saying, ‘I have invited the people’
So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul #[Deut. 22:8; 2 Sam. 11:2; 16:22; Neh. 8:16; Matt. 24:17; Acts 10:9]on the roof, and he lay down to sleep.#9:25 Septuagint; Hebrew city, he spoke with Saul on the roof 26Then at the break of dawn#9:26 Septuagint; Hebrew And they arose early, and at the break of dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.
27As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.”
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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1 Samuel 9
9
Samuel Anoints Saul
1#1Sa 14:51; 1Ch 9:36–39Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. 2He had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice and handsome man, and there was not a better looking man among the children of Israel. From his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.
3Now the donkeys of Kish, the father of Saul, were lost. And Kish said to his son Saul, “Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go find the donkeys.” 4#2Ki 4:42; Jos 24:33He passed through the mountains of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them.
5#1Sa 10:2; 1:1When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, “Come, and let us return lest my father stop caring about the donkeys and worry about us.”
6#Dt 33:1; 1Ki 13:1He said to him, “Look, there is in this city a man of God, and he is highly respected. All that he speaks surely comes about. Now let us go there. Perhaps he can show us the way that we should go.”
7#1Ki 14:3; 2Ki 8:8Then Saul said to his servant, “But listen, if we go, what will we bring the man? For the bread is gone from our satchels, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?”
8And the servant answered Saul again, and said, “Look, I have here in my hand a quarter of a shekel#About 1/10 ounce, or 3 grams. of silver. I will give it to the man of God, to tell us our way.” 9#2Sa 24:11; 2Ki 17:13(Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said, “Come, and let us go to the seer.” For he that is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.)
10Then Saul said to his servant, “Well said. Come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.
11#Ge 24:11; Ex 2:16As they went up the hill to the city, they found young women going out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?”
12#Ge 31:54; 1Sa 10:5And they answered them and said, “He is. See, he is ahead of you. Hurry now, for today he came to the city, because there is a sacrifice for the people in the high place today. 13#Jn 6:11As soon as you come into the city, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice. Afterwards those invited will eat. Now therefore, go up, for about this time of the day you will find him there.”
14So they went up into the city. And when they entered, Samuel was coming toward them to go up to the high place.
15#1Sa 15:1; Ac 13:21Now the Lord had revealed in the ear of Samuel one day before Saul came, saying, 16#1Sa 10:1; Ex 3:7–9“Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin. And you will anoint him to be leader over My people Israel, that he may save My people out of the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come unto Me.”
17When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! This one will rule over My people.”
18Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, “Tell me, please, where is the seer’s house?”
19Samuel answered Saul, and said, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you will eat with me today. And tomorrow I will let you go, and will tell you then all that is in your heart. 20#1Sa 8:5; 12:13As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not your worry about them for they have been found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father’s house?”
21#1Sa 15:17; Jdg 20:46–48And Saul answered and said, “Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you speak to me this way?”
22And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the hall, and gave them a place at the head of those invited, which were about thirty men. 23Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Set it aside.’ ”
24#Lev 7:32–33; Eze 24:4Then the cook took up the thigh and what was on it and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Here is what was set aside. Set it before you and eat, because it has been kept for you until this time, since I said I have invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25#Dt 22:8; Ac 10:9When they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul up on the roof. 26They arose early, and it was at the rising of the dawn that Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, that I may send you away.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went to the street. 27As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us.” So he passed on. “But you stand still and I will proclaim to you the word of God.”
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