1 Then Samuel took a jar of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head, kissed him, and said, “The Lord anoints you as ruler of his people Israel. You will rule his people and protect them from all their enemies. And this is the proof to you that the Lord has chosen you to be the ruler of his people: 2 When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They will tell you that the donkeys you were looking for have been found, so that your father isn't worried any more about them but about you, and he keeps asking, ‘What shall I do about my son?’ 3 You will go on from there until you come to the sacred tree at Tabor, where you will meet three men on their way to offer a sacrifice to God at Bethel. One of them will be leading three young goats, another one will be carrying three loaves of bread, and the third one will have a leather bag full of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept. 5 Then you will go to the Hill of God in Gibeah, where there is a Philistine camp. At the entrance to the town you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the altar on the hill, playing harps, drums, flutes, and lyres. They will be dancing and shouting. 6 Suddenly the spirit of the Lord will take control of you, and you will join in their religious dancing and shouting and will become a different person. 7 When these things happen, do whatever God leads you to do. 8 You will go ahead of me to Gilgal, where I will meet you and offer burnt sacrifices and fellowship sacrifices. Wait there seven days until I come and tell you what to do.”
9 When Saul turned to leave Samuel, God gave Saul a new nature. And everything Samuel had told him happened that day. 10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Suddenly the spirit of God took control of him, and he joined in their ecstatic dancing and shouting. 11 People who had known him before saw him doing this and asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Has Saul become a prophet?” 12 A man who lived there asked, “How about these other prophets—who do you think their fathers are?” This is how the saying originated, “Has even Saul become a prophet?” 13 When Saul finished his ecstatic dancing and shouting, he went to the altar on the hill.
14 Saul's uncle saw him and the servant, and he asked them, “Where have you been?”
“Looking for the donkeys,” Saul answered. “When we couldn't find them, we went to see Samuel.”
15 “And what did he tell you?” Saul's uncle asked.
16 “He told us that the animals had been found,” Saul answered—but he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about his becoming king.
Saul Is Acclaimed as King
17 Samuel called the people together for a religious gathering at Mizpah 18 and said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I brought you out of Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and all the other peoples who were oppressing you. 19 I am your God, the one who rescues you from all your troubles and difficulties, but today you have rejected me and have asked me to give you a king. Very well, then, gather yourselves before the Lord by tribes and by clans.’”
20 Then Samuel had each tribe come forward, and the Lord picked the tribe of Benjamin. 21 Then Samuel had the families of the tribe of Benjamin come forward, and the family of Matri was picked out. Then the men of the family of Matri came forward, and Saul son of Kish was picked out. They looked for him, but when they could not find him, 22 they asked the Lord, “Is there still someone else?”
The Lord answered, “Saul is over there, hiding behind the supplies.”
23 So they ran and brought Saul out to the people, and they could see that he was a foot taller than anyone else. 24 Samuel said to the people, “Here is the man the Lord has chosen! There is no one else among us like him.”
All the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25 Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of a king, and then wrote them in a book, which he deposited in a holy place. Then he sent everyone home. 26 Saul also went back home to Gibeah. Some powerful men, whose hearts God had touched, went with him. 27 But some worthless people said, “How can this fellow do us any good?” They despised Saul and did not bring him any gifts.
1 Bituŋ Samuweli ye tulukaboo sika, a ye tuloo boŋ Sawulu kuŋo to, a ye a sumbu. A ko, “Saayiŋ Yaawe* ye ite le tomboŋ, ka i ke a la moolu Banisirayilankoolu la maralilaa ti. 2 Niŋ i niŋ n talaata bii, i niŋ kee fula be beŋ na Raheli la kaburoo daala, meŋ be Selisa, Benjamini tundoo naanewo to. Ì be a fo la i ye le ko, ‘Faloolu la kuwo meŋ ye ali fintindi, ì ye ì je le. Aduŋ saayiŋ i faamaa ye i foño le ka i miira faloolu la kuwo la, ite la kuwo le ye a jaakali. A be ñininkaaroo la, “M maŋ a loŋ, n diŋo be ñaadii le? Aduŋ m maŋ a loŋ, m be meŋ ke la.” ’
3 “Niŋ i bota jee, i be taa le fo Tabori yiri baa to. I niŋ kee saba le be beŋ na, ì ka taa sadaaboo la Alla ye Beteli. Doo be tara la baariŋ saba le samba kaŋ, doo mbuuru kuŋ saba, bituŋ doo sufuroo meŋ be faariŋ wayinoo* la. 4 Ì be i kontoŋ na le, ì ye mbuuru kuŋ fula dii i la. Aduŋ niŋ ì ye a dii i la, i ñanta a muta la le.
5 “Niŋ wo bota a la, i be taa Kibeya le, Alla batudulaa be daameŋ aniŋ Filisitinkoolu la kelediŋolu la daakaa dulaa. Janniŋ i ka futa saatewo la, i niŋ Alla la annabiyomu jamaa le be beŋ na, ì ka bo naŋ batudulaa to, ì niŋ kontiŋo, tambuuroo, footaŋo aniŋ kooraa, ì be ì kosi kaŋ. Ì be tara la Alla batoo kaŋ ne ko moolu mennu te ì faŋ bulu. 6 Yaawe la Nooroo be jii la i kaŋ niŋ semboo le la, aduŋ i la kuwo be yelema la le, i niŋ ì ye ke kiliŋ ti ka Alla batu. 7 Niŋ ñiŋ taamanseeroolu bee keta i la, feŋ-wo-feŋ beteyaata i fee, i si wo ke, kaatu Alla be i fee le.”
8 Samuweli ko Sawulu ye ko, “Tambi n ñaato Kilikali. M be i tara la jee le. M be jani sadaa* aniŋ kayira sabatindiraŋ sadaa bo la le, bari i ñanta m batu la jee le fo tili woorowula. Niŋ n naata i yaa, n si a fo i ye, i ñanta meŋ ke la.”
Sawulu la muruŋo
9 Kabiriŋ Sawulu ye a koo dii ka Samuweli tu jee, Alla ye Sawulu sondomoo yelemandi, aduŋ wo luŋo ñiŋ taamanseeroolu bee keta le. 10 Kabiriŋ ì futata Kibeya, Sawulu niŋ annabiyomu jamaa benta. Alla la Nooroo jiita a kaŋ niŋ semboo la, aduŋ a niŋ ì keta kiliŋo ti, ì be Alla batu kaŋ ko moolu mennu te ì faŋ bulu.
11 Kabiriŋ moolu mennu ye a loŋ kotooke ye a je, a niŋ annabiyomoolu keta kiliŋo ti, ì ye ñoo ñininkaa ko, “Muŋ kuu le keta Kisi dinkewo la? Fo Sawulu fanaa be annabiyomoolu kono le baŋ?” 12 Kewo meŋ be sabatiriŋ jee ye ì ñininkaa ko, “Ali ye a miira, jumaa le mu itolu faamaa ti?” Bituŋ a naata ke kuma kotoomaa ti moolu daa kono, “Fo Sawulu fanaa be annabiyomoolu kono le baŋ?” 13 Kabiriŋ Sawulu ye i foño Alla batoo la ko moo meŋ te a faŋ bulu, a taata batudulaa to.
14 Sawulu faandiŋ naata Sawulu niŋ a la dookuulaa ñininkaa, “Ali taata mintoo le?”
A ko, “Ǹ taata faloolu le ñini. Bari biriŋ ŋà a je ko, m̀ maŋ ì je noo, ǹ taata Samuweli yaa.”
15 A faandiŋ ko, “A fo n ye, Samuweli ye meŋ fo ali ye.”
16 Sawulu ye a jaabi ko, “A ye a koyindi ǹ ye le ko, ì ye faloolu je le.” Bari a maŋ a fo a faandiŋ ye, Samuweli ye meŋ fo mansayaa la kuwo to.
Ì ye Sawulu tomboŋ ka ke mansa ti
17 Samuweli ye Banisirayilankoolu bendi Yaawe ñaatiliŋo la Misipa, 18 a ko ì ye ko, “Yaawe Banisirayilankoolu la Alla ye ñiŋ ne fo ko: Nte le ye alitolu, Banisirayilankoolu bondi Misira kono, aduŋ nte le ye ali bondi Misira la maroo kono, aniŋ mansamarali banku koteŋolu, mennu tarata ali batandi kaŋ. 19 Bari saayiŋ ali ye ali koo dii ali la Alla la le, meŋ ye ali tankandi ali la bataalu niŋ koleyaa kuwolu kono. Ali ko, ‘Hanii, mansa ke ǹ ñaato.’ Bituŋ saayiŋ ali ali faŋolu bendi Yaawe ñaatiliŋo la niŋ kaabiiloolu, aniŋ lasiloolu la.”
20 Kabiriŋ Samuweli ye Banisirayila lasiloolu bee samba naŋ ñaato, ì ye alikuuroo* ke, a ye Benjamini lasiloo le yitandi. 21 Bituŋ Samuweli ye Benjamini lasiloo dimbaayaalu samba ñaato, aduŋ Matiri dimbaayaa le yitandita. Biriŋ wo keta, kewolu mennu be Matiri dimbaayaa kono naata ñaato, aduŋ Kisi dinkewo Sawulu le yitandita. Ì ye a ñini, bari kabiriŋ ì maŋ a je, 22 ì tententa ka Yaawe ñininkaa ko, “Keendiŋo maŋ naa jaŋ foloo baŋ?” Bituŋ Yaawe ko, “Haa, a ye a faŋo maabo bakaasoolu le kono.”
23 Ì borita ì ye a fintindi naŋ. Kabiriŋ a loota moolu kono, ate le jaŋayaata moolu bee ti. 24 Samuweli ko moolu bee ye ko, “Ali kewo juubee, Yaawe ye meŋ tomboŋ. Moo-wo-moo le niŋ a maŋ kiliŋ moolu bee kono.” Bituŋ moolu wuurita ko, “Allamaa mansa mee la.”
25 Samuweli ye mansayaa la luwaalu keñaa fo moolu ye. A ye ì safee kitaaboo kono, a ye a maabo Yaawe Batudulaa to. Bituŋ Samuweli ye moolu bula, ì seyita ì la suwolu kono. 26 Sawulu fanaa seyita a la suwo kono Kibeya. Kewolu mennu bambanta, aduŋ Alla la kuwo faata ì la, wolu le niŋ a taata. 27 Bari moo kenseŋo doolu ko, “Ñiŋ be ntolu tankandi la ñaadii le?” Ì jututa a la, aduŋ ì maŋ soorifeŋ samba a ye naŋ. Bari Sawulu tuta deyiriŋ ne.
