God

The day before Sha'ul arrived, ADONAI had given Sh'mu'el a revelation:

"Tomorrow at about this time I will send you a man from the territory of Binyamin. You are to anoint him prince over my people Isra'el. He will save my people from the power of the P'lishtim, because I have seen my people's situation, and their cry of distress has come to me."

When Sh'mu'el saw Sha'ul, ADONAI said to him, "Here is the man I told you about, the one who is going to govern my people."

As they were going down, at the edge of the city, Sh'mu'el said to Sha'ul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead"; so the servant went on. "But you, stand still now, because I want you to hear what God has said."

Then Sh'mu'el took a flask of oil he had prepared and poured it on Sha'ul's head. He kissed him and said, "ADONAI has anointed you to be prince over his inheritance.

Go on from there, and you will come to the Oak of Tavor. Three men will meet you there on their way up to God at Beit-El. One of them will be carrying three kids, another three loaves of bread and the third a skin of wine.

After that, you will come to Giv'ah of God, where the P'lishtim are garrisoned. On arrival at the city there, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by lutes, tambourines, flutes and lyres; and they will be prophesying.

Then the Spirit of ADONAI will fall on you; you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man!

When these signs come over you, just do whatever you feel like doing, because God is with you.

As it happened, as soon as he had turned his back to leave Sh'mu'el, God gave him another heart; and all those signs took place that day.

When they arrived at the hill, and there in front of him was a group of prophets, the Spirit of God fell on him and he prophesied along with them.

Sh'mu'el summoned the people to ADONAI in Mitzpah.

He said to the people of Isra'el, "Here is what ADONAI the God of Isra'el says: 'I brought Isra'el up from Egypt. I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.'

But today you have rejected your God, who himself saves you from all your disasters and distress. You have said to him, 'No! Put a king over us!' So now, present yourselves before ADONAI by your tribes and families."

They asked ADONAI, "Has the man come here?"ADONAI answered, "There he is, hiding, in among the equipment."

Sh'mu'el said to all the people, "Do you see the man ADONAI has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?"Then all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"

Sh'mu'el told the people what kinds of rulings should be made in the kingdom, then wrote it on a scroll and set it down before ADONAI. After that, he sent all the people away, everyone to his own home.

Sha'ul too went home to Giv'ah, accompanied by warriors whose hearts God had touched.

The Spirit of God fell on Sha'ul when he heard this; blazing furiously with anger,

he seized a pair of oxen and cut them in pieces; then he sent them throughout the territory of Isra'el with messengers saying, "Anyone who doesn't come and follow Sha'ul and Sh'mu'el, this is what will be done to his oxen!"The fear of ADONAI fell on the people, and they came out with united hearts.

But Sha'ul said, "No one will be put to death today, because today ADONAI has rescued Isra'el."

So all the people went to Gilgal; and there in Gilgal, before ADONAI, they made Sha'ul king. They presented sacrifices as peace offerings before ADONAI there, and there Sha'ul and all the people of Isra'el celebrated with great joy.

So here I am; now is the time to witness against me before ADONAI and before his anointed king. Does any of you think I have taken your ox or donkey, defrauded or oppressed you, or accepted a bribe to deprive you of justice? Tell me, and I will restore it to you."

He said, "ADONAI is witness against you, and his anointed king is witness against you today, that you have found nothing in my hands?" They replied, "He is witness."

Sh'mu'el said to the people, "It was ADONAI who appointed Moshe and Aharon and who brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt.