1 فأخَذَ صَموئيلُ قارورَةَ الزَّيتِ وصَبَّها على رأسِ شاوُلَ وقبَّلَهُ وقالَ: «الرّبُّ مسَحَكَ رئيسا على شعبِهِ إِسرائيلَ. 2 فَبعدَ أنْ تُفارِقَني اليومَ يَستقبِلُكَ رَجُلانِ عِندَ قبرِ راحيلَ، في صَلصَحَ بأرضِ بنيامينَ، فيقولانِ لكَ: وُجِدَتِ الحميرُ الّتي خرَجتَ تَطلُبُها، وأبوكَ لم يَعُدْ يَهتَمُّ بِها، بل بِكَ ويقولُ: ما أصابَ إبني؟ 3 وحينَ تـتقدَّمُ مِنْ هُناكَ إلى بلُّوطَةِ تابورَ تُصادِفُ ثَلاثَةَ رِجالٍ صاعِدينَ إلى بَيتِ اللهِ في بَيتِ إيلِ، ومعَ أحدِهِم ثَلاثَةُ جِداءٍ، ومعَ الآخَرِ ثَلاثَةُ أرغِفةٍ مِنَ الخُبزِ، ومعَ الثَّالِثِ زِقُّ خمرٍ. 4 فيُسلِّمونَ علَيكَ ويُعطونَكَ رَغيفَينِ، فتأخُذُهُما مِنهُم. 5 ثُمَّ تَجيءُ إلى جَبعَةِ اللهِ، حيثُ مُعسكَرُ الفلِسطيِّينَ، فتُصادِفُ عِندَ دُخولِكَ المدينةَ جماعةً مِنَ الأنبِياءِ نازِلينَ مِنَ التَّلَّةِ، وقُدَّامَهُم رَبابٌ ودُفوفٌ ومَزاميرُ وكنَّاراتٌ وهُم يتَنبَّأونَ. 6 فيحِلُّ علَيكَ روحُ الرّبِّ، وتـتَنبَّأُ معَهُم وتَصيرُ رَجُلا آخَرَ. 7 فإذا تَمَّت لكَ هذِهِ الدَّلائِلُ، فافعَلْ ما في قُدرَتِكَ، لأنَّ اللهَ معَكَ. 8 وانزِلْ أمامي إلى الجِلجالِ، فأتبَعَكَ لأقدِّمَ مُحرقاتٍ وذبائِحَ سلامةٍ. فانتَظِرْ هُناكَ سَبعَةَ أيّامٍ حتّى أجيءَ وأُخبِرَكَ بِما تفعَلُ».
9 فلمَّا أدارَ شاوُلُ ظَهرَهُ لِـيَنصَرِفَ مِنْ عِندِ صَموئيلَ، بَدَّلَ اللهُ قلبَهُ، وتَمَّت لَه تِلكَ الدَّلائِلُ كُلُّها في ذلِكَ اليومِ، 10 ومِنها أنَّه حينَ جاءَ إلى جَبعةَ استَقبَلَهُ جماعةٌ مِنَ الأنبِياءِ، فحَلَّ علَيهِ روحُ اللهِ فتَنبَّأَ بَينَهُم. 11 فلمَّا رأى جميعُ الّذينَ عرَفوهُ أنَّهُ يَتَنبَّأُ معَ الأنبِياءِ، قالَ بَعضُهُم لِبَعضٍ: «ما جَرى لابنِ قَيسَ؟ أشاوُلُ أيضا مِنَ الأنبـياءِ؟» 12 فأجابَهُم رَجُلٌ: «ولكِنْ، هؤلاءِ الأنبِياءُ مَنْ أبوهُم؟» لِذلِكَ يقولُ المَثَلُ: «أشاوُلُ أيضا مِنَ الأنبـياءِ؟» 13 ولمَّا انتَهى شاوُلُ مِنَ التَنَبُّوءِ جاءَ إلى المذبحِ على التَّلَّةِ.
14 ورَآهُ عَمُّهُ، فقالَ لَه ولِخادِمِهِ: «أينَ ذَهبتُما؟» فقالا: «ذَهَبنا في طَلَبِ الحميرِ، فلمَّا لم نَجِدْها جِئْنا إلى صَموئيلَ». 15 فقالَ العَمُّ لهُما: «ما قالَ لكُما صَموئيلُ؟» 16 فأجابَهُ شاوُلُ: «أخبَرَنا أنَّ الحميرَ وُجِدَت». ولم يُخبِرْ عَمَّهُ بِما قالَ لَه صَموئيلُ وكيفَ مسَحهُ مَلِكا.
شاول ينادى به ملكا
17 ودَعا صَموئيلُ الشَّعبَ إلى الإجتِماعِ أمامَ الرّبِّ في المِصفاةِ 18 وقالَ لهُم: «هذا ما قالَ الرّبُّ إلهُ إِسرائيلَ: أنا الّذي أخرَجَكُم مِنْ مِصْرَ وأنقَذَكُم مِنْ أيدي المِصْريِّينَ، ومِنْ أيدي جميعِ المَمالِكِ الّتي ظَلَمَتكُم. 19 وأنتُمُ اليومَ رفَضتُم إلهَكُمُ الّذي خلَّصَكُم مِنْ جميعِ بَلاياكُم وضيقِكُم وقُلتُم لَه: أقِمْ علَينا مَلِكا. فتَقدَّموا الآنَ أمامَ الرّبِّ على حسَبِ أسباطِكُم وعشائِرِكُم».
20 ثُمَّ قدَّمَ صَموئيلُ جميعَ أسباطِ إِسرائيلَ، وألقى القُرعَةَ فأصابَت سِبْطَ بنيامينَ. 21 قَدَّمَ سِبْطَ بنيامينَ بِــعشائِرِها، فأصابَتِ القُرعةُ عَشيرَةَ مَطْري. وقدَّمَ عَشيرَةَ مَطْري بِرِجالِها، فأصابَتِ القُرعةُ شاوُلَ بنَ قَيسَ. فبحَثوا عَنهُ فلم يَجدوهُ. 22 فسألوا الرّبَّ أيضا: «هل يَجيءُ شاوُلُ إلى هُنا؟» فقالَ الرّبُّ: «هَا هوَ مُختَبِـئٌ بَينَ الأمتِعةِ». 23 فأسرَعوا وأخَذوهُ مِنْ هُناكَ، فلمَّا وقَفَ بَينَ الشَّعبِ زادَهُم طُولا مِنْ كَتِفِهِ فما فَوقُ. 24 فقالَ لهُم صَموئيلُ: «أرأيتُم أنَّ الّذي اختارَهُ الرّبُّ لا مَثيلَ لَه فيكُم جميعا؟» فهَتَفوا كُلُّهُم وقالوا: «يَحيَ المَلِكُ».
25 فأخبَرَ صَموئيلُ الشَّعبَ بِـحُقوقِ المَلكِ، ودوَّنَها في كتابٍ وضَعَهُ أمامَ الرّبِّ. ثُمَّ صرَفَ الجميعَ، كُلَّ واحدٍ إلى مَنزِلِه. 26 وكذلِكَ رجَعَ شاوُلُ إلى بَيتِهِ في جَبعَةَ، ومعَهُ رِجالٌ أشِدَّاءُ ألهَمَ اللهُ قلوبَهُم. 27 وأمَّا رُعاعُ القَومِ فقالوا: «كيفَ يُخَلِّصُنا هذا الرَّجُلُ؟» واحتَقَروهُ ولم يُقَدِّموا إليهِ الهَدايا.
1 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? 2 When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel’s sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son? 3 Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Beth-el, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine: 4 And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands. 5 After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy: 6 And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. 7 And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee. 8 And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.
9 ¶ And it was so , that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. 10 And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? 12 And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? 13 And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.
14 ¶ And Saul’s uncle said unto him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses: and when we saw that they were no where, we came to Samuel. 15 And Saul’s uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you. 16 And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not.
17 ¶ And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh; 18 And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: 19 And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay , but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands. 20 And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. 21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 Therefore they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff. 23 And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king. 25 Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.
26 ¶ And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched. 27 But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.
