1 Samuel 10

1 And Samuel takes the vial of the oil, and pours [it] on his head, and kisses him, and says, “Is it not because YHWH has appointed you over His inheritance for leader?

And Samuel took a little vial of oil and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said: Behold, the Lord hath anointed thee to be prince over his inheritance, and thou shalt deliver his people out of the hands of their enemies, that are round about them. And this shall be a sign unto thee, that God hath anointed thee to be prince.

2 In your going from me today—then you have found two men by the grave of Rachel, in the border of Benjamin, at Zelzah, and they have said to you, The donkeys have been found which you have gone to seek; and behold, your father has left the matter of the donkeys, and has sorrowed for you, saying, What do I do for my son?

When thou shalt depart from me this day, thou shalt find two men by the sepulchre of Rachel in the borders of Benjamin to the south, and they shall say to thee: The asses are found which thou wentest to seek: and thy father thinking no more of the asses is concerned for you, and saith: What shall I do for my son?

3 And you have passed on there, and beyond, and have come to the oak of Tabor, and three men going up to God to Beth-El have found you there, one carrying three kids, and one carrying three cakes of bread, and one carrying a bottle of wine,

And when thou shalt depart from thence, and go farther on, and shalt come to the oak of Thabor, there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine.

4 and they have asked of your welfare, and given two loaves to you, and you have received from their hand.

And they will salute thee, and will give thee two loaves, and thou shalt take them at their hand.

5 Afterward you come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines [is], and it comes to pass, at your coming in there to the city, that you have met a band of prophets coming down from the high place, and before them stringed instrument, and tambourine, and pipe, and harp, and they are prophesying;

After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is: and when thou shalt be come there into the city, thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place, with a psaltery and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp before them, and they shall be prophesying.

6 and the Spirit of YHWH has prospered over you, and you have prophesied with them, and have turned into a [new] man;

And the spirit of the Lord shall come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be changed into another man.

7 and it has been, when these signs come to you—do for yourself as your hand finds, for God [is] with you.

When therefore these signs shall happen to thee, do whatsoever thy hand shall find, for the Lord is with thee.

8 And you have gone down before me to Gilgal, and behold, I am going down to you, to cause burnt-offerings to ascend, to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings; you wait [for] seven days until my coming to you, and I have made known to you that which you do.”

And thou shalt go down before me to Galgal, (for I will come down to thee, ) that thou mayest offer an oblation, and sacrifice victims of peace: seven days shalt thou wait, O till I come to thee, and I will shew thee what thou art to do.

9 And it has been, at his turning his shoulder to go from Samuel, that God turns to him another heart, and all these signs come on that day,

So when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave unto him another heart, and all these things came to pass that day.

10 and they come in there to the height, and behold, a band of prophets [is there] to meet him, and the Spirit of God prospers over him, and he prophesies in their midst.

And they came to the foresaid hill, and behold a company of prophets met him: and the spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he prophesied in the midst of them.

11 And it comes to pass, all knowing him before, see, and behold, he has prophesied with prophets, and the people say to one another, “What [is] this [that] has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

And all that had known him yesterday and the day before, seeing that he was with the prophets, and prophesied, said to each other: What is this that hath happened to the son of Cis? Is Saul also among the prophets?

12 And a man there answers and says, “And who [is] their father?” Therefore it has been for an allegory, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

And one answered another, saying: And who is their father? therefore it became a proverb: Is Saul also among the prophets?

13 And he ceases from prophesying, and comes to the high place,

And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.

14 and the uncle of Saul says to him, and to his young man, “To where did you go?” And he says, “To seek the donkeys; and we see that they are not, and we come to Samuel.”

And Saul’s uncle said to him, and to his servant: Whither went you? They answered: To seek the asses: and not finding them we went to Samuel.

15 And the uncle of Saul says, “Please declare to me what Samuel said to you.”

And his uncle said to him: Tell me what Samuel said to thee.

16 And Saul says to his uncle, “He certainly declared to us that the donkeys were found”; and of the matter of the kingdom he has not declared to him that which Samuel said.

And Saul said to his uncle: He told us that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom of which Samuel had spoken to him, he told him not.

17 And Samuel calls the people to YHWH to Mizpeh,

And Samuel called together the people to the Lord in Maspha:

18 and says to the sons of Israel, “Thus said YHWH, God of Israel: I have brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I deliver you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms who are oppressing you;

And he said to the children of Israel: Thus saith the Lord the 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 the kings who afflicted you.

19 and you have rejected your God today, who [is] Himself your Savior out of all your evils and your distresses, and you say, No, but you set a king over us; and now, station yourselves before YHWH, by your tribes, and by your thousands.”

But you this day have rejected your God, who only hath saved you out of all your evils and your tribulations: and you have said: Nay: but set a king over us. Now therefore stand before the Lord by your tribes, and by your families.

20 And Samuel brings all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin is captured,

And Samuel brought to him all the tribes of Israel, and the lot fell on the tribe of Benjamin.

21 and he brings the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of Matri is captured, and Saul son of Kish is captured, and they seek him, and he has not been found.

And he brought the tribe of Benjamin and the kindreds thereof, and the lot fell Upon the kindred of Metri, and it came to Saul the son of Cis. They sought him therefore and he was not found.

22 And they ask again of YHWH, “Has the man come here yet?” And YHWH says, “Behold, he has been hidden near the vessels.”

And after this they consulted the Lord whether he would come thither. And the Lord answered: Behold he is hidden at home.

23 And they run and bring him there, and he stationed himself in the midst of the people, and he is higher than any of the people from his shoulder and upward.

And they ran and fetched him thence: and he stood in the midst of the people, and he was higher than any of the people from the shoulders and upward.

24 And Samuel says to all the people, “Have you seen him on whom YHWH has fixed, for there is none like him among all the people?” And all the people shout, and say, “Let the king live!”

And Samuel said to all the people: Surely you see him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people. And all the people cried and said: God save the king.

25 And Samuel speaks to the people the right of the kingdom, and writes in a scroll, and places [it] before YHWH; and Samuel sends all the people away, each to his house.

And Samuel told the people the law of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord: and Samuel sent away all the people, every one to his own house.

26 And Saul has also gone to his house, to Gibeah, and the force goes with him whose heart God has touched;

Saul also departed to his own house in Gabaa: and there went with him a part of the army, whose hearts God had touched.

27 and the sons of worthlessness have said, “How can this one save us?” And they despise him, and have not brought a present to him; and he is as one being deaf.

But the children of Belial said: Shall this fellow be able to save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents, but he dissembled as though he heard not.