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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?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?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,⁴ and they have asked of your welfare, and given two loaves to you, and you have received from 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;⁶ and the Spirit of YHWH has prospered over you, and you have prophesied with them, and have turned into a [new] man;⁷ and it has been, when these signs come to you—do for yourself as your hand finds, for God [is] with you.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."

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,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.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?"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?"¹³ And he ceases from prophesying, and comes 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."¹⁵ And the uncle of Saul says, "Please declare to me what Samuel said to you."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.

¹⁷ And Samuel calls the people to YHWH to Mizpeh,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;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."²⁰ And Samuel brings all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin is captured,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.²² And they ask again of YHWH, "Has the man come here yet?" And YHWH says, "Behold, he has been hidden near the vessels."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.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!"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.²⁶ And Saul has also gone to his house, to Gibeah, and the force goes with him whose heart God has 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.