| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the LORD has anointed you commander over His inheritance? | 1Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it out on Saul's head, kissed him, and said, "Hasn't the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance? |
| 2When you have departed 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 donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’ | 2Today when you leave me, you'll find two men at Rachel's Grave at Zelzah in the land of Benjamin. They will say to you, 'The donkeys you went looking for have been found, and now your father has stopped being concerned about the donkeys and is worried about you, asking: What should I do about my son?' |
| 3Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. | 3"You will proceed from there until you come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one bringing three goats, one bringing three loaves of bread, and one bringing a skin of wine. |
| 4And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands. | 4They will ask how you are and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them. |
| 5After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying. | 5"After that you will come to the Hill of God where there are Philistine garrisons. When you arrive at the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place prophesying. They will be preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres. |
| 6Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. | 6The Spirit of the LORD will control you, you will prophesy with them, and you will be transformed into a different person. |
| 7And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you. | 7When these signs have happened to you, do whatever your circumstances require because God is with you. |
| 8You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do.” | 8Afterward, go ahead of me to Gilgal. I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice fellowship offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what to do." |
| 9So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. | 9When Saul turned around to leave Samuel, God changed his heart, and all the signs came about that day. |
| 10When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. | 10When Saul and his attendant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God took control of him, and he prophesied along with them. |
| 11And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” | 11Everyone who knew him previously and saw him prophesy with the prophets asked each other, "What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" |
| 12Then a man from there answered and said, “But who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” | 12Then a man who was from there asked, "And who is their father?" As a result, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" became a popular saying. |
| 13And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place. | 13Then Saul finished prophesying and went to the high place. |
| 14Then Saul’s uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?” So he said, “To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.” | 14Saul's uncle asked him and his attendant, "Where did you go?" "To look for the donkeys," Saul answered. "When we saw they weren't there, we went to Samuel." |
| 15And Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you.” | 15"Tell me," Saul's uncle asked, "what did Samuel say to you?" |
| 16So Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel had said. | 16Saul told him, "He assured us the donkeys had been found." However, Saul did not tell him what Samuel had said about the matter of kingship. |
| 17Then Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah, | 17Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah |
| 18and said to the children of Israel, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.’ | 18and said to the Israelites, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.' |
| 19But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans.” | 19But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions. You said to Him, 'You must set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans." |
| 20And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. | 20Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected. |
| 21When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found. | 21Then he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by its clans, and the Matrite clan was selected. Finally, Saul son of Kish was selected. But when they searched for him, they could not find him. |
| 22Therefore they inquired of the LORD further, “Has the man come here yet?” And the LORD answered, “There he is, hidden among the equipment.” | 22They again inquired of the LORD, "Has the man come here yet?" The LORD replied, "There he is, hidden among the supplies." |
| 23So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. | 23They ran and got him from there. When he stood among the people, he stood a head taller than anyone else. |
| 24And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?” So all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king!” | 24Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the one the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among the entire population." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!" |
| 25Then Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty, and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. | 25Samuel proclaimed to the people the rights of kingship. He wrote them on a scroll, which he placed in the presence of the LORD. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each to his home. |
| 26And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. | 26Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and brave men whose hearts God had touched went with him. |
| 27But some rebels said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace. | 27But some wicked men said, "How can this guy save us?" They despised him and did not bring him a gift, but Saul said nothing. |
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