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The next morning, very early,
Saul and his servant arose to go home, and Samuel went with them to the
end of the city. Then Samuel told the servant to go on before,
because he had a secret thing to say to Saul. When the servant was
gone, and Samuel and Saul were alone, Samuel took a bottle of oil, and
poured the oil upon Saul's head. Then he kissed Saul, and said,
"God has chosen thee to be king, to rule over His people
Israel;" and Samuel told Saul that he would soon meet a company of
prophets, and that God would give him power to prophesy too. Then
Samuel and Saul parted; Samuel went home, and Saul went on his way. And
now God gave great power and wisdom to Saul; he felt like a new man.
Very soon he met the prophets, as Samuel had said, and Saul went among
them, and began to prophesy too. Who taught Saul to prophesy?
God; He gave him wisdom and knowledge, to help and strengthen him in the
new work given him. All the people wondered very much to hear Saul
prophesy, and they said, "What is this? is Saul also among the
prophets?" Saul met
his uncle soon after, and the uncle asked him and his servant, "Where
have you been?" Saul said, "We went to seek my father's
asses, which were lost. And when we could not find them, we went to
the prophet Samuel, and he told us that they were found." Saul
did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingdom; he was
right not to boast of his new honors. Samuel
now called all the people together to Mizpeh. He said to them,
"You wish very much to have a king; God is not pleased with your
wish; because he was your king, your best friend, and you are ungrateful
and rebellious to ask for another. But God will let you have your
wish; call now all your tribes before the Lord, and He will choose a king
for you." Then Samuel
called the tribes one after another, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen;
then he called all the families of Benjamin, and the family of Kish was
chosen; and Saul was chosen out of that family, to be king of
Israel. Then the people said, "Where is Saul? He is our
king, bring him here." So they sought him, but could not find
him for a long time. Then the people asked God again, to tell them
if Saul was the right man, and God said "Yes," and He told them
that Saul had hid himself; so they looked in the place which God pointed
out, and there they found Saul; and they brought him to the people.
He was taller than any of them, and they all admired him very much.
Then Samuel said, "Do you see the king whom God has
chosen?" All the people shouted for joy, and said, "God
save the king."
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