Then 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. When 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?”’ Then 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. And they will
greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept
from their hand. After 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. Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you,
and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. Now
when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God
is with you. Then 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.”

  When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another
heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. When they came to
Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God
rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. And 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?” And a man of the place answered,
“And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul
also among the prophets?” When he had finished prophesying, he came
to the high place.

  Saul'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.” And Saul's uncle said, “Please tell
me what Samuel said to you.” And 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.

  Now Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah. And
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.’ But 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.”

  Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe
of Benjamin was taken by lot. He 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. So 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.” Then 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. And 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!”

  Then 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.
Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of
valor whose hearts God had touched. But some worthless fellows
said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought
him no present. But he held his peace.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001
by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.