went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.
27 Andas they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant
pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the
word of God.
1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured itupon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is itnot
because the LORD hath anointed thee to becaptain over his inheritance?
2 When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in
the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to
seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying,
What shall I do for my son?
3 Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and
there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another
carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine:
4 And they will salute thee, and give thee two loavesof bread; which thou shalt receive of
their hands.
5 After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where isthe garrison of the Philistines: and it
shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of
prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp,
before them; and they shall prophesy:
6 And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt
be turned into another man.
7 And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, thatthou do as occasion serve thee; for
God iswith thee.
8 And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer
burnt offerings, andto sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I
come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.
9 And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go 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 beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied
among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What isthis thatis come unto the son
of Kish? IsSaul also among the prophets?
12 And one of the same place answered and said, But who istheir father? Therefore it became
a proverb, IsSaul 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 unto him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the
asses: and when we saw that they wereno where, we came to Samuel.
15 And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you.
16 And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. But of the matter
of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not.
17 And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh;
18 And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD 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
kingdoms, andof them that oppressed you:
19 And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities
and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore
present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands.
20 And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was

taken.
21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of
Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be
found.
22 Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the
LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.
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 the LORD hath chosen, that there isnone
like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.
25 Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote itin a book, and laid itup
before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.
26 And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts
God had touched.
27 But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and
brought him no presents. But he held his peace.
1 Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of
Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee.
2 And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this conditionwill I make a covenantwith you,
that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it fora reproach upon all Israel.
3 And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days' respite, that we may send
messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then, if there beno man to save us, we will come
out to thee.
4 Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people:
and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.
5 And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What aileththe people
that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.
6 And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled
greatly.
7 And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent themthroughout all the coasts
of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after
Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they
came out with one consent.
8 And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and
the men of Judah thirty thousand.
9 And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabeshgilead,
To morrow, by that timethe sun be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and
shewed itto the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.
10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, To morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do
with us all that seemeth good unto you.
11 And it was soon the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came
into the midst of the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the
day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were
not left together.
12 And the people said unto Samuel, Who ishe that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the
men, that we may put them to death.
13 And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day: for to day the LORD hath
wrought salvation in Israel.
14 Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there.

15 And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal;
and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all
the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
1 And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said
unto me, and have made a king over you.
2 And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my
sons arewith you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.
3 Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox
have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or
of whose hand have I received anybribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.
4 And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of
any man's hand.
5 And he said unto them, The LORD iswitness against you, and his anointed iswitness this day,
that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He iswitness.
6 And Samuel said unto the people, It isthe LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that
brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
7 Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous
acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.
8 When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent
Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this
place.
9 And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the
host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and
they fought against them.
10 And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD,
and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we
will serve thee.
11 And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of
the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.
12 And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said
unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God wasyour king.
13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, andwhom ye have desired! and, behold,
the LORD hath set a king over you.
14 If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the
commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue
following the LORD your God:
15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the
LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it wasagainst your fathers.
16 Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes.
17 Is itnot wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain;
that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness isgreat, which ye have done in the sight of
the LORD, in asking you a king.
18 So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the
people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
19 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we
die not: for we have added unto all our sins thisevil, to ask us a king.
20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not
aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;
21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye goafter vain things, which cannot profit nor