Samuel Anoints Saul

1Then toke Samuel a glasse of oyle, and poured it vpo his heade, and kissed him, and sayde: Seist thou that the LORDE hath anoynted the, to be the prince ouer his enheritauce? 2Whan thou goest now fro me, thou shalt fynde two men besyde Rachels graue in the coast of BenIamin at Zelzah, which shal saie vnto the: The asses are founde, whom thou wentest to seke: and beholde, thy father hath put the asses out of his mynde, and taketh thoughte for the, and sayeth: What shall I do for my sonne? 3And whan thou goest on forth from thence, thou shalt come to the Oke of Thabor, there shall thre men fynde the, which go vp vnto God towarde Bethel: one beareth thre kiddes, another thre loaues of bred the thyrde a bottel with wyne: 4and they shall salute the, and geue the two loaues, which thou shalt take of their hande. 5After that shalt thou come to the hyll of God, where the Philistynes watch is: and wha thou comest there in to the cite, there shall mete the a company of prophetes commynge downe from the hye place, and before them a Psaltery, and tabret, a pype and a harpe, and they them selues prophecienge. 6And the sprete of the LORDE shall come vpon the, and thou shalt prophecye with them, and shalt be chaunged in to another man. 7Whan these tokens now come vnto the, then do what so euer commeth vnder thyne hande: for God is with the. 8Thou shalt go downe before me vnto Gilgall: Beholde, thither wyl I come downe vnto the, that thou mayest offre burntofferynges and deedofferynges. Seuen dayes shalt thou tarye till I come to the, and shewe the what thou shuldest do.

Samuel’s Signs Fulfilled

9And whan he turned his shulder to go from Samuel, God chaunged him another hert, and all these tokes came the same daye. 10And whan they came vnto the hill, beholde, there met him a company of prophetes and the sprete of God came vpon him, so that he prophecyed amonge them. 11But wha they which knewe him before, sawe him that he prophecied with the prophetes, they sayde all amonge them selues: What is happened vnto the sonne of Cis? Is Saul also amonge the prophetes? 12And one yt was there, answered and sayde: Who is their father? Hereof came the prouerbe: Is Saul also amonge the prophetes? 13And wha he had left of prophecienge, he came vp to the hyll.

14Sauls vncle sayde vnto him and to his childe: Whither wente ye? They answered: To seke the asses. And whan we sawe that they were awaye, we came vnto Samuel. 15Then sayde Sauls vncle: Tell me, what sayde Samuel vnto you? 16Saul answered his vncle: He tolde vs, yt the asses were foude. But of ye kyngdome he tolde him nothinge what Samuel had sayde.

Saul Proclaimed King

17Samuel called the people together vnto the LORDE to Mispa, 18and spake vnto the children of Israel: Thus saieth ye LORDE the God of Israel: I broughte Israel out of Egipte, and delyuered you from the hande of ye Egipcians, and from the hande of all the kyngdomes that oppressed you. 19But now haue ye refused yor God, which hath helped you out of all youre sorowes and troubles, & ye haue saide vnto him: Set a kinge ouer vs. Well, stonde ye now before ye LORDE acordinge to youre trybes and kynreds.

20Now whan Samuel had brought forth all the trybes of Israel, the trybe of BenIamin was taken. 21And whan he had broughte forth the trybe of BenIamin with his kynreds, the kynred of Matri was take, & Saul the sonne of Cis was take. And they sought him, but they founde him not. 22Then axed they further at the LORDE, whether he was for to come thither. The LORDE answered: Beholde, he hath hyd him selfe amonge ye vessels. 23Then ranne they thither, and fetched him. And whan he stode amonge the people, he was hygher by the heade then all the people. 24And Samuel sayde vnto all the people: There se ye him whom the LORDE hath chosen, for in all the people there is none like him. Then gaue all the people a shoute, and sayde: God saue the new kynge.

25Samuel tolde the people all the lawe of the kyngdome, and wrote it in a boke, and layed it before the LORDE. And Samuel let all the people go, euery one to his awne house. 26And Saul wente home also vnto Gibea, and there wente with him one parte of the hoost, whose hertes God had touched. 27But the childre of Belial sayde: What shal this felowe helpe vs, and despysed him, & broughte him no presente. But he made him as though he herde it not.