Kings I 10

1 And Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured [it] on his head, and kissed him, and said to him, Has not the Lord anointed you for a ruler over his people, over Israel? and you shall rule amongst the people of the Lord, and you shall save them out of the hand of their enemies; and this [shall be] the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you for a ruler over his inheritance.

Then Samuel took a little vial of oil, and poured it on his head. And he kissed him, and said: “Behold, the Lord has anointed you as first ruler over his inheritance. And you shall free his people from the hands of their enemies, who are all around them. And this shall be a sign for you that God has anointed you as ruler:

2 [As soon] as you shall have departed this day from me, you shall find two men by the burial-place of Rachel on the mount of Benjamin, exulting greatly; and they shall say to you, The asses are found which you went to seek; and, behold, your father has given up the matter of the asses, and he is anxious for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?

When you will have departed from me this day, you will find two men beside the sepulcher of Rachel, in the parts of Benjamin to the south. And they will say to you: ‘The donkeys have been found, which you had been seeking as you traveled. And your father, forgetting about the donkeys, has been anxious for you, and he says, “What shall I do about my son?”’

3 And you shall depart thence, and shall go beyond that as far as the oak of Thabor, and you shall find there three men going up to God to Baethel, one bearing three kids, and another bearing three vessels of bread, and another bearing a bottle of wine.

And when you will have departed from there, and will have traveled farther, and will have arrived at the oak of Tabor, in that place three men, who are going up to God at Bethel, will find you. One will be bringing three young goats, and another three loaves of bread, and another will be carrying a bottle of wine.

4 And they shall ask you how you do, and shall give you two presents of bread, and you shall receive them of their hand.

And when they will have greeted you, they will give you two loaves. And you shall accept these from their hand.

5 And afterward you shall go to the hill of God, where is the encampment of the Philistines; there [is] Nasib the Philistine: an it shall come to pass when you shall have entered into the city, that you shall meet a band of prophets coming down from the Bama; and before them will be lutes, and a drum, and a pipe, and a harp, and they shall prophesy.

After these things, you shall arrive at the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is. And when you will have entered the city there, you will meet a company of prophets, descending from the high place, with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp before them, and they will be prophesying.

6 And the Spirit of the Lord shall come upon you, and you shall prophesy with them, and shall be turned into another man.

And the Spirit of the Lord will spring up within you. And you shall prophesy with them, and you shall be changed into another man.

7 And it shall come to pass when these signs shall come upon you, —[then] do you whatever your hand shall find, because God [is] with you.

Therefore, when these signs will have happened to you, do whatever your hand will find, for the Lord is with you.

8 And you shall go down in front of Galgal, and behold, I come down to you to offer a whole burnt offering and peace-offerings: seven days shall you wait until I shall come to you, and I will make known to you what you shall do.

And you shall descend before me into Gilgal, (for I will descend to you), so that you may offer an oblation, and may immolate victims of peace. For seven days, you shall wait, until I come to you, and reveal to you what you should do.”

9 And it came to pass when he turned his back to depart from Samuel, God gave him another heart; and all these signs came to pass in that day.

And so, when he had turned his shoulder, so that he might go away from Samuel, God changed him to another heart. And all these signs occurred on that day.

10 And he comes thence to the hill, and behold a band of prophets opposite to him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied in the midst of them.

And they arrived at the above-stated hill, and behold, a group of prophets met him. And the Spirit of the Lord leapt up within him, and he prophesied in their midst.

11 And all that had known him before came, and saw, and behold, he [was] in the midst of the prophets: and the people said every one to his neighbour, What [is] this that has happened to the son of Kis? [is] Saul also amongst the prophets?

Then all those who had known him yesterday and the day before, seeing that he was with the prophets, and that he was prophesying, said to one other: “What is this thing that has happened to the son of Kish? Could Saul also be among the prophets?”

12 And one of them answered and said, And who [is] his father? and therefore it became a proverb, [Is] Saul also amongst the prophets?

And one would respond to the other, saying, “And who is their father?” Because of this, it turned into a proverb, “Could Saul also be among the prophets?”

13 And he ceased prophesying, and comes to the hill.

Then he ceased to prophesy, and he went to the high place.

14 And his kinsman said to him and to his servant, Whither went you? and they said, To seek the asses; and we saw that they were lost, and we went in to Samuel.

And the uncle of Saul said to him, and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And they responded: “To seek the donkeys. But when we did not find them, we went to Samuel.”

15 And his kinsman said to Saul, Tell me, I pray you, What did Samuel say to you?

And his uncle said to him, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”

16 And Saul said to his kinsman, he verily told me that the asses were found. But the matter of the kingdom he told him not.

And Saul said to his uncle, “He told us that the donkeys would be found.” But the word about the kingdom, which Samuel had spoken to him, he did not reveal to him.

17 And Samuel summoned all the people before the Lord to Massephath.

And Samuel called the people together, to the Lord at Mizpah.

18 And he said to the children of Israel, Thus has the Lord God of Israel spoken, saying, I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you out of the hand of Pharao king of Egypt, and out of all the kingdoms that afflicted you.

And he said to the sons of Israel: “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: I led Israel away from Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all the kings who were afflicting you.

19 And you have this day rejected God, who is himself your Deliverer out of all your evils and afflictions; and you said, Nay, but you shall set a king over us: and now stand before the Lord according to your tribes, and according to your families.

But today you have rejected your God, who alone saved you from all your evils and tribulations. And you have said: ‘By no means! Instead, appoint a king over us.’ Now therefore, stand in the sight of the Lord, by your tribes and by your families.”

20 And Samuel brought near all the tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Benjamin is taken by lot.

And Samuel brought near all the tribes of Israel, and the lot fell upon the tribe of Benjamin.

21 And he brings near the tribe of Benjamin by families, and the family of Mattari is taken by lot: and they bring near the family of Mattari, man by man, and Saul the son of Kis is taken; and he sought him, but he was not found.

And he brought near the tribe of Benjamin, with its families, and the lot fell upon the family of Matri. And then it went to Saul, the son of Kish. Therefore, they sought him, but he was not found.

22 And Samuel asked yet again of the Lord, Will the man come here? and the Lord said, Behold, he is hid amongst the stuff.

And after these things, they consulted the Lord as to whether he would soon arrive there. And the Lord responded, “Behold, he is hidden at home.”

23 And he ran and took him thence, and he set him in the midst of the people; and he was higher than all the people by his shoulders and upwards.

And so they ran and brought him there. And he stood in the midst of the people, and he was taller than the entire people, from the shoulders upward.

24 And Samuel said to all the people, Have you seen whom the Lord has chosen to himself, that there is none like to him amongst you all? And all the people took notice, and said, Let the king live!

And Samuel said to all the people: “Certainly, you see the one whom the Lord has chosen, that there is not anyone like him among all the people.” And all the people cried out and said, “Long live the king!”

25 And Samuel told the people the manner of the king, and wrote it in a book, and set it before the Lord: and Samuel sent away all the people, and each went to his place.

Then Samuel spoke to the people the law of the kingdom, and he wrote it in a book, and he stored it in the sight of the Lord. And Samuel dismissed all the people, each one to his own house.

26 And Saul departed to his house to Gabaa; and there went with Saul mighty men whose hearts God had touched.

And then Saul went away to his own house at Gibeah. And a portion of the army, whose hearts had been touched by God, went away with him.

27 But evil men said, Who [is] this man [that] shall save us? and they despised him, and brought him no gifts.

Yet the sons of Belial said, “How could this one be able to save us?” And they despised him, and they brought him no presents. But he pretended not to hear them.