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1 Samuel 9:1-27 — Samuel Anoints Saul

1Sam.9.1-27

¹There was a man from Benjamin whose name was Kish son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, son of a Benjamite, a man of standing . ²He had a son whose name was Saul, a fine young man; among the Israelites there was no one better than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than all the people. ³Now the donkeys belonging to Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you, get up, and go look for the donkeys.” ⁴He passed through the hill country of Ephraim and through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. They passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of Benjamin, but they did not find them. ⁵When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us return, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.” ⁶But he said to him, “Look now, there is a man of God in this city, and the man is highly honored. Everything he says surely comes true. Let us go there now; perhaps he will tell us the way we should go.” ⁷Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? The bread in our bags is gone, and we have no gift to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” ⁸The servant answered Saul again and said, “Look, I have in my hand a quarter shekel of silver . I will give it to the man of God, and he will tell us our way.” ⁹(Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the one now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.) ¹⁰Saul said to his servant, “Your word is good. Come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was. ¹¹As they were going up the ascent to the city, they found some young women coming out to draw water, and they said to them, “Is the seer here?” ¹²They answered them, "Yes, he is; look, he is just ahead of you. Hurry now, because today he has come to the city, since the people have a sacrifice today at the high place. ¹³As soon as you enter the city, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat, because the people will not eat until he comes, for he blesses the sacrifice; afterward the invited guests eat. So go up now, for at this time you will find him." ¹⁴So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, behold, Samuel was coming out toward them, going up to the high place. ¹⁵Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel: ¹⁶“About this time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him as leader over my people Israel. He will save my people from the hand of the Philistines, for I have looked upon my people, because their cry has come to me.” ¹⁷When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you. This is the one who shall govern my people.” ¹⁸Then Saul approached Samuel within the gate and said, “Please tell me where the seer's house is.” ¹⁹Samuel answered Saul, "I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, and you shall eat with me today. In the morning I will send you on your way, and I will tell you all that is in your heart. ²⁰As for the donkeys that were lost to you three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's house?" ²¹Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?” ²²Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and he gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, about thirty men. ²³Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion that I gave you, the one I told you to set aside.” ²⁴So the cook lifted up the leg and what was on it and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Look, what has been kept back is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you for the appointed time, when I said, 'I have invited the people.'” So Saul ate with Samuel that day. ²⁵Then they came down from the high place into the city, and he spoke with Saul on the roof. ²⁶They rose early; at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, and I will send you on your way.” So Saul got up, and the two of them, he and Samuel, went outside. ²⁷As they were going down toward the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” So he went on. “But you, stand here now, and I will let you hear the word of God.”

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4/11/2026

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