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16 yards, and give it to his officers and vassals. He will take also your men servants, and your maid servants, and the best of your herds, and your asses, even the tenth of them, for his own 17 works. He will also take a tenth of your flocks; and you shall 18 be his slaves. And in that day you will cry aloud, because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves: but the Lord will not hearken to you in those days, because you have chosen 19 a king for yourselves. But the people would not hearken to 20 Samuel, but said to him, None but a king shall be over us. We

will be like all the nations, and our king shall judge us, and 21 go out before us, and fight our battles. And when Samuel

heard all the words of the people, and rehearsed them in the 22 hearing of the Lord, the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken to their voice, and appoint a king over them. Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, Depart every man to his city.

IX. Now there was a man of the children of Benjamin whose name was Kis, son of Abiel, son of Jared, son of Bachir, son 2 of Aphek, son of Jemenaius, the head of the family. He was a man in authority; and he had a son whose name was Saul, a man of great stature, and comely appearance. There was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he. From the shoulders and upwards he was taller than any in 3 the land. And the asses of Kis, Saul's father, being lost, Kis

said to his son Saul, Take with thee one of the servants, and 4 arise, and go seek the asses. So when they had passed

through mount Ephraim, they passed through the land of Selcha, but found them not. Then they passed through the land of Segalin, but they were not there, then they passed through 5 the land of Jamin but did not find them. And when they came to Siph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, Come, let us return, lest my father, forgetting the asses, be 6 concerned for us. Thereupon the servant said to him, Behold, I pray thee, there is a man of God in this city, and he is a man in high repute. Whatever he saith will surely come to pass. Now therefore let us go, that he may tell us which way we should 7 go. And Saul said to the servant who was with him, But be

hold, if we go what can we carry to the man of God? For the bread in our vessels is spent, and we have nothing else with 8 us to carry to the man of God. In reply to which the servant

again said to Saul, Behold I have in my hand a quarter of a shekel of silver, thou shalt give that to the man of God, that he may tell 9 us our way. Now heretofore in Israel, when any one went to consult God, he spoke thus, Come let us go to the Seer; for 10 the people in former times called the prophet, SEER. Then

Saul said to his servant, It is well, Come, let us go. So they 11 went to the city, where the man of God was. And as they were going up the ascent to the city, they met the women coming out to draw water, and said to them, Is the Seer here? 12 And the women in reply said to them, He is. Behold he is be

fore you. He has just come to the city to-day, because there 13 is, to-day, a sacrifice for the people in the Bama. So when you

enter the city you will find him there, before he goeth up to the Bama to eat. For the people will not eat till he come; for he blesseth the sacrifice, and after that the guests eat. Now 14 therefore go up, for to-day you will find him. So they went up to the city, and as they were entering into the middle of the city, behold Samuel came out over against them with 15 an intent to go up to the Bama. Now the Lord had made a revelation to Samuel, the day before Saul came to him, saying, 16 About this time to-morrow I will send thee a man out of the

land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be ruler over my people Israel; and he shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon the affliction of this 17 people; for their cry hath come up to me. And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, Behold the man, whom I men18 tioned to thee! That man shall rule over my people. So when

Saul drew near to Samuel, in the midst of the city, and said to him, Tell me, I pray thee, which is the house of the Seer, Samuel in reply said to Saul, I am he. Go up before me to the Bama, and dine with me to-day. And in the morning I will 20 dismiss thee, and tell thee all that is in thy heart. But with respect to thy asses which were lost three days ago, give thyself no concern about them, for they are found. Now for whom are the best things of Israel? Are they not for thee and thy father's 21 house? Whereupon Saul answered and said, Am not I a Jeminite, a small sceptre of a community of Israel, and that community the smallest of the whole sceptre of Benjamin? Why 22 therefore hast thou spoken to me in this manner? Then Samuel

took Saul, and his servant, and conducted them to the place of entertainment, and seated them at the head of those who were 23 invited, who were about seventy men. And Samuel said to the

cook, Bring me the portion which I gave thee, and which I 24 ordered thee to lay by. Now the cook had boiled the shoulder, and when he set it before Saul, Samuel said to Saul, Behold what was reserved, Set it before thee and eat. Because for a testimony it was laid by for thee, in preference to the rest, help 25 thyself to it. So Saul dined, and went down that day with Samuel from the Bama to the city, and a bed being spread for 26 him on the house top, he went to sleep. And Samuel went up to him early in the morning, and called Saul on the house top and said, Arise, and I will dismiss thee. Thereupon he arose and went out, he and Samuel, till they were out of the city. 27 And as they were going down to the border of the city, Sa

muel said to Saul, Order thy servant to go on before us; but X. stand thou still, and hear the word of God. Then Samuel

took a vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said to him, Hath not the Lord anointed thee to be ruler over his people Israel? Thou therefore shalt rule over the people of the Lord, and save them out of the hand of their enemies. And this shall be to thee the sign that the Lord hath anointed 2 thee to be ruler over his heritage-Soon as thou shalt depart from me to-day, thou wilt meet two men at Rachel's tomb, on mount Benjamin, coming in haste, and they will say to thee, The asses which you went to seek, are found; and behold thy father hath left off caring for the asses, and is anxiously con3 cerned for you, saying, What shall I do for my son? And when thou shalt go thence, and from that place come to the Oaks of Thabor, thou wilt there meet three men going up to God to Baithel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three bas4 kets of bread, and the other carrying a flagon of wine. And they will salute thee courteously, and give thee two of the best 5 loaves, which thou shalt receive at their hand. And after that thou shalt go to the mount of God, where there is a garrison of the Philistines under Nasib the Philistine; And when you there enter the city, thou wilt meet a choir of prophets coming down from the Bama, with nablas, and tympanums, and pipes, 6 and kinaras before them, and they will be prophesying; and the

Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy 7 with them, and be changed into another man. Now when these signs are come to thee; do thou as the occasion may require; 8 for God is with thee. But when thou shalt go down to Galgal, behold I will go down to thee, to offer a burnt offering and peace offerings. Thou shalt wait seven days till I come to thee. And 9 I will let thee know what thou art to do. Accordingly, soon as he turned his back to depart from Samuel, God gave him 10 another heart; and all the signs came to pass that day. And when he went thence to the mount, behold a choir of prophets met him, and a Spirit of God came upon him, and he pro11 phesied in the midst of them. Now they were all acquainted with him heretofore, and when they saw him among the prophets, the people said one to another, What is this which hath happened to the son of Kis? Is Saul also among the prophets? 12 And some of them in reply, said, Who is his father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? 13 And when he had done prophesying, and came to the mount,

his uncle said to him and his servant, Where have you been 14 travelling? And they said, To seek the asses. And when we

saw that they were not to be found, we went to Samuel. 15 Whereupon his uncle said to Saul, Tell me, I pray thee, what 16 did Samuel say to thee? And Saul said to his uncle, He told me that the asses were found. But the matter relating to the kingdom he did not tell him.

17 Then Samuel summoned all the people before the Lord, 18 to Massepha, and said to the children of Israel, Thus hath the Lord the God of Israel spoken, saying, I brought the children of Israel up out of Egypt, and delivered them out of the hand of Pharao, king of Egypt, and out of the hand of all the 19 kingdoms which oppressed you. But you have this day rejected God, who is himself your Saviour from all your troubles, and your afflictions; and have said Nay, but thou shalt set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the 20 Lord by your tribes and by your communities. So Samuel pre

sented all the tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Benjamin was 21 chosen by lot. Then he presented the tribe of Benjamin by

communities, and the community of Mattari was chosen by lot. Then they presented the community of Mattari by indi

22 viduals, and Saul son of Kis, was chosen by lot. And when they sought for him, he could not be found. Whereupon Samuel again inquired of the Lord, whether he would come thi23 ther. And the Lord said, Behold he is hid among the baggage. So one ran and took him thence, and set him in the midst of the people, and he was taller than the people by the 24 shoulders and upwards. And Samuel said to all the people, Have you seen him whom the Lord hath chosen for himself, that there is none like him among you all? And when all the 25 people acknowledged him and said, God save the king; then Samuel told the people the prerogative of the king, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed all the people, and they went away, every man to his 26 place. And Saul went to his house at Gabaa, and there went with Saul a band of men, whose hearts the Lord had touched. 27 But turbulent men said, How can this man save us? And they despised him, and did not bring him gifts.

XI.

About a month after this Nahas, the Ammanite, came up and encamped against Jabis Galaad, and all the men of Jabis Galaad said to Nahas, the Ammanite, Make a covenant with us, 2 and we will serve thee. Thereupon Nahas the Ammanite said to them, On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and make you a reproach to Is3 rael. And the men of Jabis said to him, Grant us seven days that we may send messengers to all the borders of Israel; and if there 4 be none to deliver us, we will come out to thee. Now when the messengers came to Gabaa, to Saul, and delivered this message in the hearing of the people, all the people raised their 5 voice, and wept. And behold Saul came, at noon, out of the field. And Saul said, Why are the people weeping? And 6 when they told him the words of the men of Jabis, a Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and his anger was greatly inflamed against them, and taking two heifers, he cut them in pieces, 7 and sent them to all the borders of Israel, by the hands of messengers, saying, So shall be done to every man's cattle who goeth not out after Saul and after Samuel. And a dread of the Lord came on all the people of Israel, and they came out as one 8 man. And when he had reviewed them at Bezek, in the Bama, the men of Israel, six hundred thousand, and the men of Juda,

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