Top of Page
Page Style
was a Benjaminite man named Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah. He was a man of influence and standing. 2 He had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man in the prime of life. There was not a more impressive person among the Israelites than he. From the shoulders and upward he stood taller than any of the others.
3 Now one day the donkeys of Saul’s father Kish had wandered off. So Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.” 4 So he searched through the hill country of Ephraim then through the district of Shalisha, but they did not find them. So they searched through the region of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjaminites, but they did not find them.
5 When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant with him, “Come on, let’s go back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”
6 But he said to him, “Look, there is a man of God in this city, and he is an honourable man; all that he says always comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he can tell a which way we should go.”
7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we give the man? For the food in our sacks is gone, and there is no gift we can bring to the man of God. What do we have?”
8 The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have a quarter shekel of silver in my hand. I will give it to the man of God, so that he will tell us which way to go.” 9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he would say, “Come, let us go to the seer;” for the man who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.)
10 “Good,” Saul said to his servant. “Come on then, we will go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.
11 As they went up the hill to the city, they met some young women going out to draw water and asked, “Is the seer here?”
12 “Yes,” they answered. “He is ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has just come to the city, for the people are holding a sacrifice today at the high place. 13 As soon as you enter the city, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; after that, those who are invited will eat. Now go up quickly, and you will find him straight away.”
14 So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, there was Samuel, coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.
15 Now the day before Saul arrived, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send you to a man from the land of Benjamin, and you are to anoint him to be ruler over My people Israel. He will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked on My people and their cry has reached to Me.”
17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to Him, “Behold, the man whom I spoke to you about; he will rule over My people.”
18 Saul approached Samuel inside the gate and said, “Tell me, please, where the house of the seer is?”
19 “I am the seer,” Samuel answered. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for you will eat with me today. Then tomorrow morning I will tell you all that is in your heart and will let you go. 20 As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not worry about them, for they have been found. And for whom does all Israel desire? Is it not you and all your father’s family?”
21 Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me like this?”
22 Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, of whom there were about thirty persons. 23 Then Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion that I gave you, and of which I said to you, ‘Set it aside’.”
24 So the cook took up the leg with what was on it and set it before Saul. Then Samuel said, “Look, this is the portion that has been kept for you. Eat it, for it has been set aside for you for this solemn occasion since I said, ‘I have invited the people’.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 When they came down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof of the house. 26 They got up early, and at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof of the house and said, “Get up, so that I may send you on your way.” Saul got up, and both he and Samuel went outside.
27 As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”—and he did—“but you stay here awhile, and I will make known to you the word of God.”