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¹ NOW there was a man from Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zerod, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.² And he had a son whose name was Saul, a choice young man and a goodly; and there was not among the children of Israel a more attractive person than he; he was head and shoulders higher than any of the people.

³ And the asses of Kish, Sauls father, were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go seek the asses. And Saul arose and went, and took one of the servants with him, and they went to seek the asses of his father.⁴ And they passed through mount Ephraim and through the land of Gomrey, but they did not find them; then they passed through the land of Taley, and they were not there; and they passed through the land of Benjamin, but they did not find them.⁵ And when they came to the land of Sur, Saul said to the servant who was with him, Come, let us return, lest my father cease to be anxious about the asses and begin to be concerned about us.⁶ But his servant said to him, Behold, there is a man of God in this city, and he is an honorable man in the eyes of the people; all that he says comes surely to pass; now let us go there; perhaps he can tell us about the errand for which we have come.⁷ Then Saul said to his servant, Behold, if we go, what shall we bring to the man of God? For the bread is spent in our bags and there are no provisions to bring a present to the man of God, because we have nothing.⁸ And the servant answered his master again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver; let us give it to the man of God, that he may tell us about our errand.⁹ (Because formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said, Come, let us go to the seer; for he who is now called a prophet, before was called a seer.)¹⁰ Then Saul said to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went to the city where the man of God was.

¹¹ And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and Saul said to them, Is there a seer here?¹² And they answered him and said, There is; behold, he is ahead of you; go up now quickly, for he came today to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people today on the high place;¹³ As soon as you enter the city, you shall straightway find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat; for the people will not eat until he comes, because he blesses the sacrifices; and afterwards those who are invited, eat. Now therefore go up; for today you shall find him.¹⁴ And they went up to the city; and just as they were entering the city gate, behold, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the high place.¹⁵ Now the LORD had told Samuel a day before Saul came, saying,¹⁶ Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be a ruler over my people Israel, and he shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have seen the oppression of my people, and their cry has come to me.¹⁷ And when Samuel saw Saul, whom the LORD had chosen, then the LORD said to Samuel, Behold the man of whom I spoke to you! This man shall reign over my people.

¹⁸ Then Saul drew near to Samuel at the gate, and said, Tell me, where is the house of the seer?¹⁹ And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer; go up before me to the high place; for you shall eat with me today, and in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is in your heart.²⁰ And as for your asses that were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for they have been found. And on whom is all the hope of the house of Israel? Is it not on you and on your fathers house?²¹ And Saul answered and said to Samuel, Behold, I am a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family is the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin. Why then have you spoken thus to me?²² And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the house, and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, who were about thirty persons.²³ And Samuel said to the cook, Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, Set it apart.²⁴ And the cook took up the shoulder and the thigh, and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is left! Set it before you and eat; because it has been kept for you for some time. So Saul ate with Samuel that day.²⁵ And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel conversed with Saul upon the roof.²⁶ And they arose at dawn, and Samuel called to Saul upon the roof, saying, Up, that I may send you away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel.²⁷ And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Tell the servant to pass on before us, but you stop where you are, that I may tell you the word of God.