Samuel

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 Samuel brought to him all the tribes of Israel, and the lot fell on the tribe of Benjamin.

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.

And taking both the oxen, he cut them in pieces, and sent them into all the coasts of Israel, by messengers, saying: Whosoever shall not come forth, and follow Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen. And the fear of the Lord fell upon the people, and they went out as one man.

And the people said to Samuel: Who is he that said: Shall Saul reign over us? Bring the men, and we will kill them.

And Samuel said to the people: Come, and let us go to Galgal, and let us renew the kingdom there.

And Samuel said to all Israel: Behold I have hearkened to your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you.

And Samuel said to the people: It is the Lord who made Moses and Aaron, and brought our fathers out of the land of Egypt.

And the Lord sent Jerobaal, and Badan, and Jephte, and Samuel, and delivered you from the hand of your enemies round about, and you dwelt securely.

And Samuel cried unto the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day.

And all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. And all the people said to Samuel: Pray for thy servants to the Lord thy God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for a king.

And Samuel said to the people: Fear not, you have done all this evil: but yet depart not from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.

And he waited seven days, according to the appointment of Samuel, and Samuel came not to Galgal, and the people slipt away from him.

And when he had made an end of offering the holocaust, behold Samuel came: and Saul went forth to meet him and salute him.

And Samuel said to him: What hast thou done? Saul answered: Because I saw that the people slipt from me, and thou wast not come according to the days appointed, and the Philistines were gathered together in Machmas,

And Samuel said to Saul: Thou hast done foolishly, and hast not kept the commandments of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee. And if thou hadst not done thus, the Lord would now have established thy kingdom over Israel for ever:

And Samuel arose and went up from Galgal to Gabaa of Benjamin. And the rest of the people went up after Saul, to meet the people who fought against them, going from Galgal to Gabaa, in the hill of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people, that were found with him, about six hundred men.

And Samuel said to Saul: The Lord sent me to anoint thee king over his people Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the Lord:

And the word of the Lord came to Samuel,

It repenteth me that I have made Saul king: for he hath forsaken me, and hath not executed my commandments. And Samuel was grieved, and he cried unto the Lord all night.

And when Samuel rose early, to go to Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel that Saul was come to Carmel, and had erected for himself a triumphant arch, and returning had passed on, and gone down to Galgal. And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul was offering a holocaust to the Lord, out of the choicest of the spoils, which he had brought from Amalec.