1 Samuel, 10

1. Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured [it] upon his head, and kissed him, and said, [Is it] not because the LORD hath anointed thee [to be] captain over his inheritance?

1. Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on Saul's head. And kissing Saul, Samuel said, "Yahweh has anointed you to rule over and to lead his people Israel. And this will be Yahweh's sign to you that he has anointed you.

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?

2. After we part today, you will meet two men by Rachel's tomb at Zelzah, in the territory of Benjamin. They will say to you: 'The asses you were looking for have been found. But your father is now worried about you, and what may have happened to you.'

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:

3. When you go on to the oak of Tabor, you will meet three men going up to see God at Bethel. One will be carrying three kids; another, three loaves of bread; and another, a skin of wine.

4. And they will salute thee, and give thee two [loaves] of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.

4. They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread which you are to accept from them.

5. After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where [is] the 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:

5. After that, you will come to Gibeath-elohim where the garrison of the Philistines is. At the entrance of the city, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place, and a choir with harp, tambourine, flute and lyre going before them. They will be in a trance as the prophets used to be.

6. And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

6. Then the Spirit of Yahweh will seize you. You shall prophesy with them and become another man.

7. And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, [that] thou do as occasion serve thee; for God [is] with thee.

7. Now when these signs are fulfilled, do whatever seems good to you for God is with you.

8. And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, [and] to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.

8. You shall go down to Gilgal ahead of me, and I shall join you there to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings. Wait there seven days until I come and tell you what you have to 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.

9. As soon as Saul parted from Samuel, God transformed him into a different person and all the signs Samuel mentioned to Saul were fulfilled 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.

10. Upon entering Gibeah, a band of prophets met Saul; then the Spirit of God seized him and he began to prophesy with 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 [is] this [that] is come unto the son of Kish? [Is] Saul also among the prophets?

11. Those who knew him and saw him prophesying with the prophets asked one another, "What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also one of the prophets?"

12. And one of the same place answered and said, But who [is] their father? Therefore it became a proverb, [Is] Saul also among the prophets?

12. One of them exclaimed, "And who is his father!" This, therefore, became a saying, "Is Saul also one of the prophets?"

13. And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.

13. When Saul finished prophesying, he arrived with them at the sanctuary.

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 were] no where, we came to Samuel.

14. Saul's uncle asked him and his boy, "Where did you go?" Saul answered, "To look for the asses. When we could not find them, we went to Samuel."

15. And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you.

15. His uncle said, "Please, tell me what Samuel told 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.

16. Saul replied, "He merely told us that the asses had been found." But Saul did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.

17. And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh;

17. After that, Samuel called the people together before Yahweh at Mizpah.

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, [and] of them that oppressed you:

18. He then spoke to the Israelites, "Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: I brought Israel out of Egypt and I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from all the kingdoms oppressing 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.

19. But you have this day rejected your God who saves you from all your calamities and your distress. You have said, 'No! Give us a king to rule over us.' So now present yourselves before Yahweh, grouping yourselves into tribes and clans."

20. And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.

20. Then Samuel made all the tribes of Israel come near him and when they cast lots, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.

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.

21. He made the families of the tribe of Benjamin come near him, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. He made the members of the family of Matrites come near him, and the lot fell to Saul, son of Kish. They looked for him but could not find him.

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.

22. So they asked Yahweh again, "Did the man come here?" Yahweh answered, "He has hidden himself among the baggage."

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.

23. They ran to fetch him and when Saul stood among the people, they saw that he was a head taller than the others.

24. And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that [there is] none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.

24. Samuel spoke and said, "Do you see the one Yahweh has chosen? There is none like him among all the people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"

25. Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote [it] in a book, and laid [it] up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

25. Samuel then told the people the rights and duties of the king. He wrote all these in a book and presented it before Yahweh. Then Samuel sent all the people home.

26. And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched.

26. Saul himself went home to Gibeah with these valiant 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.

27. Some evil people, however, remarked; "How can this man save us?" And they ignored Saul and brought him no gift.