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The First
Book of Samuel 10
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.
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?
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.
And they will salute thee, and will give thee two loaves,
and thou shalt take them at their hand.
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.
And the spirit of the Lord shall come upon thee, and
thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be changed
into another man.
When therefore these signs shall happen to thee, do
whatsoever thy hand shall find, for the Lord is with
thee.
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.
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.
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.
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?
And one answered another, saying: And who is their father?
therefore it became a proverb: Is Saul also among the
prophets?
And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came
to the high place.
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.
And his uncle said to him: Tell me what Samuel said
to thee.
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.
And Samuel called together the people to the Lord in
Maspha:
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.
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.
And Samuel brought to him all the tribes of Israel,
and the lot fell on the tribe of Benjamin.
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.
And after this they consulted the Lord whether he would
come thither. And the Lord answered: Behold he is hidden
at home.
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.
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.
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.
Saul also departed to his own house in Gabaa: and there
went with him a part of the army, whose hearts God had
touched.
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. |