1 Samuel took a small jar of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head. Then he kissed Saul and told him:
The Lord has chosen you to be the leader and ruler of his people. 2 When you leave me today, you'll meet two men near Rachel's tomb at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They'll tell you, “The donkeys you've been looking for have been found. Your father has forgotten about them, and now he's worrying about you! He's wondering how he can find you.”
3 Go on from there until you reach the big oak tree at Tabor, where you'll meet three men on their way to worship God at Bethel. One of them will be leading three young goats, another will be carrying three round loaves of bread, and the last one will be carrying a clay jar of wine. 4 After they greet you, they'll give you two loaves of bread.
5 Next, go to Gibeah, where the Philistines have an army camp. As you're going into the town, you'll meet a group of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They'll be going along prophesying while others are walking in front of them, playing small harps, small drums, and flutes.
6 The Spirit of the Lord will suddenly take control of you. You'll become a different person and start prophesying right along with them. 7 After these things happen, do whatever you think is right! God will help you.
8 Then go to Gilgal. I'll come a little later, so wait for me. It may even take a week for me to get there, but when I come, I'll offer sacrifices to please the Lord and to ask for his blessings. I'll also tell you what to do next.
Saul Goes Back Home
9 As Saul turned around to leave Samuel, God made Saul feel like a different person. That same day, everything happened just as Samuel had said. 10 When Saul arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. The Spirit of God suddenly took control of him, and right there in the middle of the group he began prophesying.
11 Some people who had known Saul for a long time saw that he was speaking and behaving like a prophet. They said to each other, “What's happened? How can Saul be a prophet?”
12 “Why not?” one of them answered. “Saul has as much right to be a prophet as anyone else!” That's why everyone started saying, “How can Saul be a prophet?”
13 After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the place of worship.
14 Later, Saul's uncle asked him, “Where have you been?”
Saul answered, “Looking for the donkeys. We couldn't find them, so we went to talk with Samuel.”
15 “And what did he tell you?” Saul's uncle asked.
16 Saul answered, “He told us the donkeys had been found.” But Saul didn't mention that Samuel had chosen him to be king.
The Lord Shows Israel that Saul Will Be King
17 Samuel sent messengers to tell the Israelites to come to Mizpah and meet with the Lord. 18 When everyone had arrived, Samuel said:
The Lord God of Israel told me to remind you that he had rescued you from the Egyptians and from the other nations that abused you.
19 God has rescued you from your troubles and hard times. But you have rejected your God and have asked for a king. Now each tribe and clan must come near the place of worship so the Lord can choose a king.
20 Samuel brought each tribe, one after the other, to the altar, and the Lord chose the Benjamin tribe. 21 Next, Samuel brought each clan of Benjamin there, and the Lord chose the Matri clan. Finally, Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found.
22 The people prayed, “Our Lord, is Saul here?”
“Yes,” the Lord answered, “he is hiding behind the baggage.”
23 The people ran and got Saul and brought him into the middle of the crowd. He was more than a head taller than anyone else. 24 “Look closely at the man the Lord has chosen!” Samuel told the crowd. “There is no one like him!”
The crowd shouted, “Long live the king!”
25 Samuel explained the rights and duties of a king and wrote them all in a book. He put the book in one of the shrines where the Lord was worshiped. Then Samuel sent everyone home.
26 God had encouraged some young men to become followers of Saul, and when he returned to his hometown of Gibeah, they went with him. 27 But some worthless fools said, “How can someone like Saul rescue us from our enemies?” They did not want Saul to be their king, and so they didn't bring him any gifts. But Saul kept calm.
1 ǃGāb ge ǃgû, ob ge Samuela ǀkheraǁnui-i xaparoba ū tsî ǁî-e Sauli danas ai ǂnâǂui tsî ǁoa bi tsî ge mî: “ǃKhūb ge ǁîb di ǁaes, Israels ǂama gao-aose go ǀnau tsi. Sats ge ǁîna ǂgaeǂgui tsî khākhoen ǃoagu nî ǁkhauba. 2 Nētsēts ga tita xu a ǃgû, ots ge Raxels di ǀhobas tawa, Benjaminni ǀkharib ǃnâ Selsaxs tawa ǀgam khoekha nî ǀhao-ū. ǁÎkha ge nî mîba tsi dâukidi hîats goro ôadi go hōhe tsîb sa îba dâukidi xa ǂâiǂhansenǀû tsî sats xa ǂâiǂhansen tsî ra dîsa: ‘Tare-e ta nî dī, î ta ti ôaba hō?’ 3 Tsî ǁnāpa xuts ga ǃkharu, ots ge Tabors tawa mâ aikehais tawa nî sī. ǁNāpats ge ǃnona khoegu, Eloba gu nî ǀgoreǀîse Betels ǃoa garuga nî ǀhao-ū; ǀguiba ǃnona pirirona ūhâse, ǀguiba ǃnona perega tani hâse tsî nauba ǃgapas ǂauxûi-e tani hâse. 4 ǁÎgu ge tawede tsi tsî ǀgam perekha nî mā tsi, ots ge ǁîkha nî ū. 5 ǁNās khaoǃgâts ge Elob ǃhommi Gibeas tawa hâb tawa, Filisteǁîn di toroǃkhamaogu hâpa nî sī. ǃĀs ǃnâts ga sī, ots ge ǀguipa hâ kēbo-aogu ǀkha nî ǀhao. ǁÎgu ge ǀgapib ai hâ altarsa xu nî ǁgôaxa, harpdi, ǃkhomǃkharurudi, ǂnunigu tsî lirdi ai ra ǀkhōse tsî gu ge ǂnā tsî nî kēbo. 6 Ob ge ǃKhūb gagaba ǀgaisase sats ǃnâ nî sîsen, tsîts ge ǁîgu ǀkha ǂnā tsî kēbo tsî nî ǀkhara khoe kai. 7 Nē saodi xats ga hāǂamhe, o ǂhanu a tits ra ǂâi xū-i hoa-e dī, Elob sats ǀkha hâ xuige. 8 Tsîts ge ti aiǃâ Gilgals ǁga nî ǃgû; tsî tita ge ega, khauǁguibadi tsî ǂkhîbagusǁguibade ta nî ǁguibase nî sī. Hû tsēdets ge ǁnāpa nî ǃâu, tita sī tsî tare-ets nî dīsa nî ǂanǂan tsis kōse.”
9 Tsî Samuela xub nî ǃgûgab ra dabasen hîab ge Eloba Sauli ǂgaoba ge ǀkharaǀkhara tsî di ge nē saodi hoade ǁnātsē ge ī. 10 Gibeas tawa kha ge Sauli tsî ǃgāb âb tsîkha a sī, o gu ge ǀguipa hâ kēbo-aoga ǁîkha ge ǃgûǃoa. Ob ge Elob gagaba ǀgaisase Sauli ǃnâ ge sîsen tsîb ge ǁîgu ǀkha ǂnā tsî gere kēbo. 11 ǁÎba ge ǀnai ǂan in hoan ge nēsin ge mû bio gere dîgu: “Tare-e kha Kisi ôab ǀkha go ī? Sauli tsîna kha go kēbo-ao kai?” 12 Ob ge ǁnāpa gere hâ aoba ge dî: “Tsî nē kēbo-aogu hoaga mâpa xu ra hā?” ǁNā-amagas ge nē mîsa ge ǂkhoamî kai “Sauli tsîna kha a kēbo-ao?” ti ra mîsa. 13 Sauli ge kēbo-aogu ǀkha ǂnā tsîb ge kēbotoa, o ǀgoreǀîǃkhaib ǃoa ge ǃgû.
14 Sauli di ǁnaob ge ǁîb tsî ǃgāb âb tsîkha ge dî: “Mâǀî kho ge ǃgû hâ i?”
Ob ge Saula ge ǃeream: “Dâukide khom ge ôa hâ i, xawe khom ge xū-e hō tama i, o khom ge Samueli tawa ge sī.”
15 Ob ge Sauli ǁnaoba ge mî: “Mîba te re tare-eb go Samuela a mîba kho ǃkhaisa.”
16 “ǁÎb ge dâukidi ge hōhe ǃkhaisa go mîba khom” tib ge Saula ge ǃeream, xaweb ge ǁîb nî gao-ao kai ǃkhais, Samueli ge mîba bis xa xū-i xare-e khom tama ge i.
Sauli ge gao-aose ra ǁgaumâihe
17 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Samuela, ǁaesa ǃKhūb tawan nî ǀhaose Mispas ǁga ǂgai 18 tsî ǁîn ǃoa ge mî: “Nētib ge ǃKhūb Israeli di Eloba ra mî: ‘Tita ge sado Egipteba xu ge ǂgaeǂguiǂui tsî Egipteǁîn di ǀgaiba xu tsî ta ge sado gere ǁgâiǀā gaosigu hoaga xu ge huiǂui du. 19 Tita ge sado ge hoa tsūǀkhāgu tsî ǁgâiǀāga xu a huiǂui ta, xawe du ge tita, sadu Elota nēsi go aoxū, gao-ao-e mā da ti du go mîs ǀkha. Hā ǁnâi, î du ǃKhūb di ais aiǃâ hā mâ sadu ǃhaode ǃoa tsî sadu ǀaokhoeǃnande ǃoa.’ ”
20 Samueli ge Israels ǃhaodi hoade ǀgū kaio, os ge Benjaminni ǃhaosa ǃKhūb xa ge ǁgauǂuihe. 21 Tsî Benjaminni ǃhaosab ge ǀaokhoeǃnande ǃoa hā kaio, os ge Matrib ǀaokhoeǃnansa ǃKhūb xa ge ǁgauǂuihe. ǁÎsa xub ge Sauli, Kisi ôaba ge ǁgauǂuihe tsî Matrib ǀaokhoegu ge ôa bi gu ge xawe hō bi tama ge i. 22 On ge ǃKhūba ge dî: “ǀNî khoeba noxopa nî hā?”
Ob ge ǃKhūba ge ǃeream: “ǁÎb ge ǀnai nēpa hâ; ǁîb ge ǀhaoǀhaosa xūn ǃgâb ai sâusen hâ.”
23 On ge ǃkhoe tsî ǁnāpa xu sī Saula ū tsî ǁaes ǁaegu hā ge mâ kai bi. ǁÎb ge danas âb ǀkha gaxusib ǃnâ ǁaes din hoana gere ǃnā. 24 Ob ge Samuela ǁaes hoas ǃoa ge mî: “Mû du ra, tari-eb go ǃKhūba ǁhûiǂui ǃkhaisa? ǁÎb khami ī khoeb ge ǁaes hoaragas ǃnâ a ǀkhai.”
Os ge ǁaes hoasa dâ tsî ge mî: “Ab gao-aoba ǂomxase ûi re.”
25 Samueli ge gao-aob di ǂhanub tsî ǁgui-aidi tsîna ǁaesa ǂanǂan, ǁîna ǂkhanis ǃnâ xoamâi tsî ǃKhūb aiǃâ ge ǁgui. ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Samuela ǁaes hoasa ge ǃgû kai, mâ-i hoa-e ǁî-i oms ǁga. 26 Sauli on ge Gibeas ǃoa, oms âb ǁga ge oa. ǀNî ǁkhoaǂgaoxa khoegu, Elob xa ǂgaoǂgaoǃnâhe hâgu ge ǁîb ǀkha ge ǃgû. 27 Xawe ǀnî ǂkhabaǂâixan ge ge dî: “Mâ ǀgaus aib nē khoeba nî huiǂui da?” ǁÎn ge Saula ǃharaxū tsî ǀkhaexū-i xare-e hā-ūba bi tama ge i, xaweb ge Saula nēn ǀkha ǁae tama ge i.
