1 Samuel 8–15

Israel Asks Samuel for a King

8When Samuel became old, he appointed his sons to serve as judges for Israel. ²The name of his oldest son was Joel. The name of his second son was Abijah. They served as judges at Beersheba. ³But his sons didn’t live as he did. They were only interested in making money. They accepted money from people who wanted special favors. They made things that were wrong appear to be right.

⁴So all of the elders of Israel gathered together. They came to Samuel at Ramah. ⁵They said to him, “You are old. Your sons don’t live as you do. So appoint a king to lead us. We want a king just like the kings all of the other nations have.”

⁶Samuel wasn’t pleased when they said, “Give us a king to lead us.” So he prayed to the Lord.

⁷The Lord told him, “Listen to everything the people are saying to you. You are not the one they have turned their backs on. I am the one they do not want as their king. ⁸They are doing just as they have always done. They have deserted me and served other gods. They have done that from the time I brought them up out of Egypt until this very day. Now they are deserting you too.

⁹“Let them have what they want. But give them a strong warning. Let them know what the king who rules over them will do.”

¹⁰Samuel told the people who were asking him for a king everything the Lord had said. ¹¹Samuel told them, “Here’s what the king who rules over you will do. He will take your sons. He’ll make them serve with his chariots and horses. They will run in front of his chariots. ¹²He’ll choose some of your sons to be commanders of thousands of men. Some will be commanders of fifties. Others will have to plow his fields and gather his crops. Still others will have to make weapons of war and parts for his chariots.

¹³“He’ll also take your daughters. Some will have to make perfume. Others will be forced to cook and bake.

¹⁴“He will take away your best fields and vineyards and olive groves. He’ll give them to his attendants. ¹⁵He will take a tenth of your grain and a tenth of your grapes. He’ll give it to his officials and attendants. ¹⁶He will also take your male and female servants. He’ll take your best cattle and donkeys. He’ll use all of them any way he wants to.

¹⁷“He will take a tenth of your sheep and goats. You yourselves will become his slaves.

¹⁸“When that time comes, you will cry out for help because of the king you have chosen. But the Lord won’t answer you at that time.”

¹⁹In spite of what Samuel said, the people refused to listen to him. “No!” they said. “We want a king to rule over us. ²⁰Then we’ll be like all of the other nations. We’ll have a king to lead us. He’ll go out at the head of our armies and fight our battles.”

²¹Samuel heard everything the people said. He told the Lord about it. ²²The Lord answered, “Listen to them. Give them a king.”

Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Each of you go back to your own town.”

Samuel Anoints Saul to Be Israel’s Leader

9There was a man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. Kish was a very important person. He was the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror. Zeror was the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah from the tribe of Benjamin. ²Kish had a son named Saul. Saul was a handsome young man. There wasn’t anyone like him among the people of Israel. He was a head taller than any of them.

³The donkeys that belonged to Saul’s father Kish were lost. So Kish spoke to his son Saul. He said, “Go and look for the donkeys. Take one of the servants with you.”

⁴Saul and his servant went through the hill country of Ephraim. They also went through the area around Shalisha. But they didn’t find the donkeys. So they went on into the area of Shaalim. But the donkeys weren’t there either. Then Saul went through the territory of Benjamin. But they still didn’t find the donkeys.

⁵When Saul and the servant who was with him reached the area of Zuph, Saul spoke to him. He said, “Come on. Let’s go back. If we don’t, my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”

⁶But the servant replied, “There’s a man of God here in Ramah. People have a lot of respect for him. Everything he says comes true. So let’s go and see him now. Perhaps he’ll tell us which way to go.”

⁷Saul said to his servant, “If we go to see the man, what can we give him? There isn’t any food in our sacks. We don’t have a gift for the man of God. So what can we give him?”

⁸The servant answered Saul again. “Look,” he said. “I’ve got a tenth of an ounce of silver. I’ll give it to the man of God. Then maybe he’ll tell us which way to go.”

⁹In Israel, prophets used to be called seers. So if a man wanted to ask God for advice, he would say, “Come on. Let’s go to the seer.”

¹⁰Saul said to his servant, “That’s a good idea. Come on. Let’s go and ask the seer.” So they started out for the town where the man of God lived.

¹¹They were going up the hill toward the town. Along the way they met some young women who were coming out to get water from the well. Saul and his servant asked them, “Is the seer here?”

¹²“Yes, he is,” they answered. “In fact, he’s just up ahead of you. So hurry along. He has just come to our town today. The people are going to offer a sacrifice at the high place where they worship. ¹³As soon as you enter the town, you will find him. He’ll be there until he goes up to the high place to eat. The people won’t start eating until he gets there. He must bless the sacrifice first. After that, those who are invited will eat. So go on up. You should find him there just about now.”

¹⁴They went up to the town. As they were entering it, they saw Samuel. He was coming toward them. He was on his way up to the high place.

¹⁵The Lord had spoken to Samuel the day before Saul came. He had said, ¹⁶“About this time tomorrow I will send you a man. He is from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him to be the leader of my people Israel. He will save them from the powerful hand of the Philistines. I have seen how much my people are suffering. Their cry for help has reached me.”

¹⁷When Samuel saw a man coming toward him, the Lord spoke to Samuel again. He said, “He is the man I told you about. His name is Saul. He will govern my people.”

¹⁸Saul approached Samuel at the gate of the town. He asked Samuel, “Can you please show me the house where the seer is staying?”

¹⁹“I’m the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go on up to the high place ahead of me. I want you and your servant to eat with me today. Tomorrow morning I’ll tell you what’s on your mind. Then I’ll let you go. ²⁰Don’t worry about the donkeys you lost three days ago. They’ve already been found. But who are all of the people of Israel longing for? You and your father’s whole family!”

²¹Saul answered, “But I’m from the tribe of Benjamin. It’s the smallest tribe in Israel. And my family group is the least important in the whole tribe of Benjamin. So why are you saying that to me?”

²²Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the room where they would be eating. He seated them at the head table. About 30 people had been invited. ²³Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the piece of meat I gave you. It’s the one I told you to put to one side.”

²⁴So the cook went and got a choice piece of thigh. He set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, “Here is what has been kept for you. Eat it. It was put to one side for you for this special occasion. We’ve saved it for you ever since I invited the guests.” And Saul ate with Samuel that day.

²⁵They came down from the high place to the town. After that, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof of Samuel’s house.

²⁶The next day they got up at about the time the sun was rising. Samuel called out to Saul on the roof. He said, “Get ready. Then I’ll send you on your way.” So Saul got ready. And he and Samuel went outside together.

²⁷As they were on their way down to the edge of town, Samuel spoke to Saul. He said, “Tell the servant to go ahead of us.” So the servant went on ahead. Then Samuel continued, “Stay here awhile. I’ll give you a message from God.”

10Then Samuel took a bottle of olive oil. He poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him. He said, “The Lord has anointed you to be the leader of his people. ²When you leave me today, you will meet two men. They will be near Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They’ll say to you, ‘The donkeys you have been looking for have been found. Now your father has stopped thinking about them. Instead, he’s worried about you. He’s asking, “What can I do to find my son?” ’

³“You will go on from Zelzah until you come to the large tree at Tabor. Three men will meet you there. They’ll be on their way up to Bethel to worship God. One of them will be carrying three young goats. Another will be carrying three loaves of bread. A third will be carrying a bottle of wine. It will be a bottle that is made out of animal skin. ⁴The men will greet you. They’ll offer you two loaves of bread. You will accept the loaves from them.

⁵“After that, you will go to Gibeah of God. Some Philistine soldiers are stationed there. As you approach the town, you will meet a group of prophets. They’ll be coming down from the high place where they worship. People will be playing lyres, tambourines, flutes and harps at the head of the group. The prophets will be prophesying. ⁶The Spirit of the Lord will come on you with power. Then you will prophesy along with them. You will become a different person.

⁷“All of those things will happen. Then do what you want to do. God is with you.

⁸“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. You can be sure that I’ll come down to you there. I’ll come and sacrifice burnt offerings and friendship offerings. But you must wait there for seven days until I come to you. Then I’ll tell you what to do.”

Saul Is Made King of Israel

⁹As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart. All of those things happened that day. ¹⁰When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met Saul. Then the Spirit of God came on him with power. He prophesied along with them. ¹¹Those who had known…