立掃羅為王
1撒母耳把一瓶膏油倒在掃羅的頭上，親吻他，說：「耶和華已經膏立你做祂子民的首領。 2你離開我以後，會在便雅憫境內的泄撒、靠近拉結的墓旁遇見兩個人。他們會告訴你，走失的驢已經找到，現在你父親不再為驢擔心，反為你擔心，說，『我該怎樣找到我的兒子呢？』 3你繼續往前走，會在他泊的橡樹那裡遇見三個人。他們要到伯特利去敬拜上帝，一個牽著三隻山羊羔，一個帶著三個餅，一個拿著一皮袋酒。 4他們會問候你，送你兩個餅，你會把餅收下。 5此後，你會去上帝的山，那裡有非利士人的駐軍。你一進城，就會遇見一群先知從邱壇下來，前面有人鼓瑟、敲鼓、吹笛、彈琴，先知們會說預言。 6耶和華的靈會降在你身上，你就會跟他們一起說預言，那時，你會變成另一個人。 7這些兆頭臨到你的時候，你就要見機行事，因為上帝與你同在。 8你先到吉甲去，在那裡等我七天，我會到那裡獻燔祭和平安祭。我到了以後會告訴你怎麼做。」
9掃羅轉身離開撒母耳，上帝使他心靈煥然一新。撒母耳所說的預言那天都應驗了。 10掃羅和他的僕人來到上帝的山，遇見了一群先知。上帝的靈降在掃羅身上，他就和他們一起說起預言來。 11以前認識掃羅的人看見他跟先知一起說預言，就議論說：「基士的兒子怎麼了？掃羅也做了先知嗎？」 12當地的一個人說：「他們的父親是誰？」自此以後，「掃羅也做了先知嗎」就成為一句諺語。 13掃羅說完預言以後，就去了邱壇。
14掃羅的叔叔問他和他的僕人：「你們到哪裡去了？」掃羅答道：「我們去找驢，沒找著，就去見撒母耳。」 15掃羅的叔叔說：「請把撒母耳對你們說的話告訴我。」 16掃羅答道：「他肯定地告訴我們驢已經找到了。」但掃羅沒有把自己做王的事告訴叔叔。
17撒母耳把所有以色列人招聚到米斯巴耶和華那裡， 18說：「以色列的上帝耶和華這樣說，『我帶領你們離開埃及，從埃及人及壓迫你們的各國之人手中救出你們。』 19但你們現在卻背棄了拯救你們脫離一切災難和困苦的上帝，竟然對祂說，『我們要你立一位王來統治我們。』所以你們現在就按著支派宗族站在耶和華面前吧！」
20撒母耳讓以色列各支派來抽籤，結果抽中了便雅憫支派。 21然後撒母耳讓便雅憫支派的各宗族來抽，結果抽中了瑪特利家族，最後又抽中了基士的兒子掃羅。大家找掃羅，卻找不到他。 22他們便求問耶和華，說：「這人來了嗎？」耶和華說：「他來了，躲在行李堆中。」 23他們就跑去把掃羅請來。掃羅站在百姓當中，高出眾人一頭。 24撒母耳對百姓說：「這就是耶和華為你們選的人。在以色列沒有人能比得上他。」眾人高呼：「願王萬歲！」
25撒母耳向百姓說明做君王的權利和責任，又把這些都記在冊子上，放在耶和華面前，然後讓百姓各自回家。 26掃羅返回基比亞自己的家時，有一群被上帝感動的勇士跟隨他。 27但有一些市井之徒說：「這人怎能救我們？」就鄙視他，沒有送禮物給他，但掃羅沒有說什麼。
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?10:1 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate over his people Israel? You will reign over the Lord’s people and save them from the power of their enemies round about. And this will be a sign to you that the Lord has anointed you ruler over his inheritance: 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?” ’
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. 4They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.
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. 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. 7Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
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.”
Saul Made King
9As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. 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. 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?”
12A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.
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.”
15Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”
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.
17Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah 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 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.”
20When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 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 further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”
And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”
23They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. 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!”
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 in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. 27But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.
