1 Samuel 10:17–24

Saul Proclaimed King

¹⁷Now Samuel called the people together ^bto the Lord ^cat Mizpah. ¹⁸And he said to the people of Israel, ^d“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.’ ^19eBut 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 ^fpresent yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”

²⁰Then Samuel ^gbrought all the tribes of Israel near, and 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;⁵ and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. ^22hSo 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.” ²³Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, ⁱhe was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. ²⁴And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him ^jwhom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, ^k“Long live the king!”