Then Samuel took a vessel of oil and poured it on his head, and he kissed him and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you to be the king over his inheritance?”

When you depart from me today, you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, “The asses which you went to seek are found, and now your father has left off the matter of the asses and is anxious about you, saying, ‘What shall I do about my son?’”

Then you shall go on from there further, and come to the valley of Tabor; three men who are going up to bow down before the LORD at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three kids, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.

And they will ask you about your well being and give you two loaves of wreathed bread, which you shall accept from their hand.

After that you shall go to the hill where the ark of the LORD is, where the praetors of the Philistines are. And there, as you come to the city, you will meet a company of scribes coming down from the banqueting hall and before them harps, tambourines, cymbals and lyres, and they will be praising.

Then a prophetic spirit from before the LORD will dwell upon you, and you shall praise with them and be turned into another man.

When these signs will come to you, prepare for yourselves the instruments of kingship, for the speech of the LORD is in your aid.

And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I am coming down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and to slaughter holy slaughterings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and tell you what you shall do.”

And when he turned away from Samuel, the LORD gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day.

When they came there, to the hill, behold, a company of scribes met them; and a prophetic spirit from before the LORD dwelt upon him, and he praised among them.

And when all who knew him before saw that he was praising among the scribes, the people said, one to another, “What is this that has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the scribes?”

And a man from there answered, and said, “And who is their master?” Therefore it became a proverb, “Is Saul also among the scribes?”

When he had finished praising, he entered the banqueting hall.

Saul’s uncle said to him and to his young man, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To seek the asses. And when we saw we would not find them, we went to Samuel.”

And Saul’s uncle said, “Now, tell me what Samuel said to you.”

And Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the asses had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom he did not tell him what Samuel had said.

Now Samuel gathered the people together before the LORD at Mizpah.

And he said to the sons of Israel, “Thus said the LORD the God of Israel, ‘I brought Israel up 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 you have this day despised the worship of your God, the one who saved you from all your evil and your distress, and you have said before Him, ‘We cannot be saved, unless you appoint a king over us.’ Now, take your stand before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands.”

Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of the House of Benjamin was singled out.

He brought the tribe of the House of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of Matar was singled out. Then Saul the son of Kish was singled out. But when they sought him, he could not be found.

So they inquired again of the speech of the LORD “Is the man still here?” And the LORD said, “Behold, he is hidden among the vessels.”

And they ran and led him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than all the people from his shoulder upward.

And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see whom the LORD has chosen? For there is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “May the king prosper!”

Then Samuel discussed the royal rights with the people, and he wrote them in a book and deposited it before the LORD Then Samuel sent all the people away, each to his home.

And also Saul went to his home at The Hill, and with him went part of the people, men fearing sin, in whose hearts fear from before the LORD was given.

But evil men said, “How can this one save us?” And they despised him and did not ask about his well being. But he was like one who is silent.