| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the LORD and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the LORD has anointed you to be prince over his heritage. | 1Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, "Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over his inheritance? |
| 2When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”’ | 2When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, 'The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, "What shall I do about my son?"' |
| 3Then you shall go on from there farther and come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. | 3"Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. |
| 4And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand. | 4They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them. |
| 5After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim, where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. | 5"After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. |
| 6Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. | 6The Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. |
| 7Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you. | 7Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you. |
| 8Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.” | 8"Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do." |
| 9When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. | 9As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. |
| 10When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. | 10When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. |
| 11And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” | 11When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, "What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" |
| 12And a man of the place answered, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” | 12A man who lived there answered, "And who is their father?" So it became a saying: "Is Saul also among the prophets?" |
| 13When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place. | 13After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place. |
| 14Saul’s uncle said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To seek the donkeys. And when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.” | 14Now Saul's uncle asked him and his servant, "Where have you been?" "Looking for the donkeys," he said. "But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel." |
| 15And Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.” | 15Saul's uncle said, "Tell me what Samuel said to you." |
| 16And Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything. | 16Saul replied, "He assured us that the donkeys had been found." But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship. |
| 17Now Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah. | 17Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the LORD at Mizpah |
| 18And he said to the people of Israel, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ | 18and said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.' |
| 19But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands.” | 19But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, 'No, appoint a king over us.' So now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans." |
| 20Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. | 20When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. |
| 21He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. | 21Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri's clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. |
| 22So they inquired again of the LORD, “Is there a man still to come?” and the LORD said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” | 22So they inquired further of the LORD, "Has the man come here yet?" And the LORD said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies." |
| 23Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. | 23They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. |
| 24And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!” | 24Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." Then the people shouted, "Long live the king!" |
| 25Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the LORD. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. | 25Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the LORD. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes. |
| 26Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. | 26Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. |
| 27But some worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace. | 27But some scoundrels said, "How can this fellow save us?" They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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