Saul is anointed. He prophesies, and is changed into another man. Samuel calls the people together, to make a king: the lot falls on Saul.

¹ Then Samuel took a little vial of oil, and poured it on his head. And he kissed him, and said: “Behold, the Lord has anointed you as first ruler over his inheritance. And you shall free his people from the hands of their enemies, who are all around them. And this shall be a sign for you that God has anointed you as ruler:

² When you will have departed from me this day, you will find two men beside the sepulcher of Rachel, in the parts of Benjamin to the south. And they will say to you: ‘The donkeys have been found, which you had been seeking as you traveled. And your father, forgetting about the donkeys, has been anxious for you, and he says, “What shall I do about my son?” ’

³ And when you will have departed from there, and will have traveled farther, and will have arrived at the oak of Tabor, in that place three men, who are going up to God at Bethel, will find you. One will be bringing three young goats, and another three loaves of bread, and another will be carrying a bottle of wine.¹

1. 10:3Bethel: Where there was at that time an altar of God; it being one of the places where Samuel judged Israel.(Challoner)

⁴ And when they will have greeted you, they will give you two loaves. And you shall accept these from their hand.

⁵ After these things, you shall arrive at the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is. And when you will have entered the city there, you will meet a company of prophets, descending from the high place, with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp before them, and they will be prophesying.¹²

1. 10:5The hill of God: Gabaa, in which there was also at that time, a high place or altar.(Challoner)
2. 10:5Prophets: These were men whose office it was to sing hymns and praises to God; for such in holy writ are called prophets, and their singing praises to God is called prophesying. See 1 Par. alias 1 Chr. 15.22, and 25.1. Now there were in those days colleges, or schools for training up these prophets; and it seems there was one of these schools at this hill of God; and another at Najoth in Ramatha. See 1 Kings 19.20, 21, etc.(Challoner)

⁶ And the Spirit of the Lord will spring up within you. And you shall prophesy with them, and you shall be changed into another man.

⁷ Therefore, when these signs will have happened to you, do whatever your hand will find, for the Lord is with you.

⁸ And you shall descend before me into Gilgal, (for I will descend to you), so that you may offer an oblation, and may immolate victims of peace. For seven days, you shall wait, until I come to you, and reveal to you what you should do.”¹

1. 10:8Galgal: Here also by dispensation was an altar of God.(Challoner)

⁹ And so, when he had turned his shoulder, so that he might go away from Samuel, God changed him to another heart. And all these signs occurred on that day.

¹⁰ And they arrived at the above-stated hill, and behold, a group of prophets met him. And the Spirit of the Lord leapt up within him, and he prophesied in their midst.

¹¹ Then all those who had known him yesterday and the day before, seeing that he was with the prophets, and that he was prophesying, said to one other: “What is this thing that has happened to the son of Kish? Could Saul also be among the prophets?”

¹² And one would respond to the other, saying, “And who is their father?” Because of this, it turned into a proverb, “Could Saul also be among the prophets?”¹²

1. 10:12They were asking about the forefather of Kish and of Saul.(Conte)
2. 10:12Their father: That is, their teacher, or superior. As much as to say, Who could bring about such a wonderful change as to make Saul a prophet?(Challoner)

¹³ Then he ceased to prophesy, and he went to the high place.

¹⁴ And the uncle of Saul said to him, and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And they responded: “To seek the donkeys. But when we did not find them, we went to Samuel.”

¹⁵ And his uncle said to him, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”

¹⁶ And Saul said to his uncle, “He told us that the donkeys would be found.” But the word about the kingdom, which Samuel had spoken to him, he did not reveal to him.

¹⁷ And Samuel called the people together, to the Lord at Mizpah.

¹⁸ And he said to the sons of Israel: “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: I led Israel away from Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all the kings who were afflicting you.

¹⁹ But today you have rejected your God, who alone saved you from all your evils and tribulations. And you have said: ‘By no means! Instead, appoint a king over us.’ Now therefore, stand in the sight of the Lord, by your tribes and by your families.”

²⁰ And Samuel brought near all the tribes of Israel, and the lot fell upon the tribe of Benjamin.

²¹ And he brought near the tribe of Benjamin, with its families, and the lot fell upon the family of Matri. And then it went to Saul, the son of Kish. Therefore, they sought him, but he was not found.

²² And after these things, they consulted the Lord as to whether he would soon arrive there. And the Lord responded, “Behold, he is hidden at home.”

²³ And so they ran and brought him there. And he stood in the midst of the people, and he was taller than the entire people, from the shoulders upward.

²⁴ And Samuel said to all the people: “Certainly, you see the one whom the Lord has chosen, that there is not anyone like him among all the people.” And all the people cried out and said, “Long live the king!”

²⁵ Then Samuel spoke to the people the law of the kingdom, and he wrote it in a book, and he stored it in the sight of the Lord. And Samuel dismissed all the people, each one to his own house.

²⁶ And then Saul went away to his own house at Gibeah. And a portion of the army, whose hearts had been touched by God, went away with him.

²⁷ Yet the sons of Belial said, “How could this one be able to save us?” And they despised him, and they brought him no presents. But he pretended not to hear them.