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1 Samuel chapter 10

English Standard Version

1Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, "Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince over his heritage. 2When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by Rachel 's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, "What shall I do about my son?"’ 3Then you shall go on from there farther and come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand. 5After that you shall come to Gibeath-elohim, where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. 6Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you. 8Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do."
9When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. 10When they came to Gibeah, behold, a group of prophets met him, and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, "What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?" 12And a man of the place answered, "And who is their father?" Therefore it became a proverb, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" 13When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.
14Saul 's uncle said to him and to his servant, "Where did you go?" And he said, "To seek the donkeys. And when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel." 15And Saul 's uncle said, "Please tell me what Samuel said to you." 16And Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found." But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything.
17Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. 18And he said to the people of Israel, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands."
20Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. 22So they inquired again of the Lord, "Is there a man still to come?" and the Lord said, "Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage." 23Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"
25Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. 27But some worthless fellows said, "How can this man save us?" And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
New International Version

1Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, "Has not the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance? 2When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried about you. He is asking, "What shall I do about my son?" ’
3"Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. 4They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.
5"After that you will go to Gibeah of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. 6The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. 7Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
8"Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do."
9As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. 10When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. 11When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, "What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"
12A man who lived there answered, "And who is their father?" So it became a saying: "Is Saul also among the prophets?" 13After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place.
14Now Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, "Where have you been?" "Looking for the donkeys," he said. "But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel."
15Saul’s uncle said, "Tell me what Samuel said to you."
16Saul replied, "He assured us that the donkeys had been found." But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
17Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah 18and said to them, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ 19But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans."
20When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken. Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found.
22So they inquired further of the Lord, "Has the man come here yet?" And the Lord said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies."
23They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others.
24Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." Then the people shouted, "Long live the king!"
25Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.
26Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. 27But some scoundrels said, "How can this fellow save us?" They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.
New American Standard Bible

1Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, 'Has the Lord not anointed you as ruler over His inheritance? 2When you leave me today, then you will find two men close to Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. Now behold, your father has stopped talking about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, 'What am I to do about my son?'?’ 3Then you will go on further from there, and you will come as far as the oak of Tabor, and there three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you: one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine. 4And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hand. 5Afterward you will come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is; and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre in front of them, and they will be prophesying. 6Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be changed into a different man. 7And it shall be when these signs come to you, do for yourself what the occasion requires, because God is with you. 8And you shall go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will be coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and inform you of what you should do.'
9Then it happened, when he turned his back to leave Samuel, that God changed his heart; and all those signs came about on that day. 10When they came there to the hill, behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, so that he prophesied among them. 11And it came about, when all who previously knew him saw that he was indeed prophesying with the prophets, that the people said to one another, 'What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?' 12And a man from there responded and said, 'And who is their father?' Therefore it became a saying: 'Is Saul also among the prophets?' 13When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.
14Now Saul’s uncle said to him and his servant, 'Where did you go?' And he said, 'To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.' 15Saul’s uncle said, 'Please tell me what Samuel said to you.' 16So Saul said to his uncle, 'He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.' But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had mentioned.
17Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah; 18and he said to the sons of Israel, 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your catastrophes and your distresses; yet you have said, ‘No, but put a king over us!’ Now then, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your groups of thousands.'
20So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel forward; and the tribe of Benjamin was selected by lot. 21Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin forward by its families, and the Matrite family was selected by lot. And Saul the son of Kish was selected by lot; but when they looked for him, he could not be found. 22Therefore they inquired further of the Lord: 'Has the man come here yet?' And the Lord said, 'Behold, he is hiding himself among the baggage.' 23So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24Samuel said to all the people, 'Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people.' So all the people shouted and said, 'Long live the king!'
25Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book, and placed it before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house. 26Saul also went to his house in Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him. 27But certain useless men said, 'How can this one save us?' And they despised him and did not bring him a gift. But he kept silent about it.
Christian Standard Bible

1Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it out on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, "Hasn’t the Lord anointed you ruler over his inheritance? 2Today when you leave me, you’ll find two men at Rachel’s Grave at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you went looking for have been found, and now your father has stopped being concerned about the donkeys and is worried about you, asking: What should I do about my son?’
3"You will proceed from there until you come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one bringing three goats, one bringing three loaves of bread, and one bringing a clay jar of wine. 4They will ask how you are and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from them.
5"After that you will come to Gibeah of God where there are Philistine garrisons. When you arrive at the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place prophesying. They will be preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres. 6The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully on you, you will prophesy with them, and you will be transformed. 7When these signs have happened to you, do whatever your circumstances require because God is with you. 8Afterward, go ahead of me to Gilgal. I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice fellowship offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what to do."
9When Saul turned around to leave Samuel, God changed his heart, and all the signs came about that day. 10When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully on him, and he prophesied along with them.
11Everyone who knew him previously and saw him prophesy with the prophets asked each other, "What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"
12Then a man who was from there asked, "And who is their father?" As a result, "Is Saul also among the prophets?" became a popular saying. 13Then Saul finished prophesying and went to the high place.
14Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, "Where did you go?" "To look for the donkeys," Saul answered. "When we saw they weren’t there, we went to Samuel."
15"Tell me," Saul’s uncle asked, "what did Samuel say to you?"
16Saul told him, "He assured us the donkeys had been found." However, Saul did not tell him what Samuel had said about the matter of kingship.
17Samuel summoned the people to the Lord at Mizpah 18and said to the Israelites, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions. You said to him, ‘You must set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans."
20Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected. 21Then he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by its clans, and the Matrite clan was selected. Finally, Saul son of Kish was selected. But when they searched for him, they could not find him.
22They again inquired of the Lord, "Has the man come here yet?" The Lord replied, "There he is, hidden among the supplies."
23They ran and got him from there. When he stood among the people, he stood a head taller than anyone else.
24Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the one the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among the entire population." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"
25Samuel proclaimed to the people the rights of kingship. He wrote them on a scroll, which he placed in the presence of the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people home.
26Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and brave men whose hearts God had touched went with him. 27But some wicked men said, "How can this guy save us?" They despised him and did not bring him a gift, but Saul said nothing.
New Living Translation

1Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said, 'I am doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession. 2When you leave me today, you will see two men beside Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah, on the border of Benjamin. They will tell you that the donkeys have been found and that your father has stopped worrying about them and is now worried about you. He is asking, ‘Have you seen my son?’
3When you get to the oak of Tabor, you will see three men coming toward you who are on their way to worship God at Bethel. One will be bringing three young goats, another will have three loaves of bread, and the third will be carrying a wineskin full of wine. 4They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept.
5When you arrive at Gibeah of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is located, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. 6At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. 7After these signs take place, do what must be done, for God is with you. 8Then go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. You must wait for seven days until I arrive and give you further instructions.'
9As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day. 10When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy. 11When those who knew Saul heard about it, they exclaimed, 'What? Is even Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?'
12And one of those standing there said, 'Can anyone become a prophet, no matter who his father is?' So that is the origin of the saying 'Is even Saul a prophet?'
13When Saul had finished prophesying, he went up to the place of worship.
14Where have you been?' Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant. 'We were looking for the donkeys,' Saul replied, 'but we couldn’t find them. So we went to Samuel to ask him where they were.'
15Oh? And what did he say?' his uncle asked.
16He told us that the donkeys had already been found,' Saul replied. But Saul didn’t tell his uncle what Samuel said about the kingdom.
17Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before the Lord at Mizpah. 18And he said, 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has declared: I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you. 19But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and clans.'
20So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. 21Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared!
22So they asked the Lord, 'Where is he?' And the Lord replied, 'He is hiding among the baggage.' 23So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.
24Then Samuel said to all the people, 'This is the man the Lord has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!' And all the people shouted, 'Long live the king!'
25Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were. He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people home again.
26When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him.
27But there were some scoundrels who complained, 'How can this man save us?' And they scorned him and refused to bring him gifts. But Saul ignored them. [Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the people of Gad and Reuben who lived east of the Jordan River. He gouged out the right eye of each of the Israelites living there, and he didn’t allow anyone to come and rescue them. In fact, of all the Israelites east of the Jordan, there wasn’t a single one whose right eye Nahash had not gouged out. But there were 7,000 men who had escaped from the Ammonites, and they had settled in Jabesh-gilead.]
King James Version

1Then 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? 2When 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?
3Then 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 Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine: 4And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands. 5After 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: 6And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.
7And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee. 8And 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. 9And 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. 10And 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. 11And 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?
12And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? 13And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.
14And 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. 15And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you. 16And 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.
17And Samuel called the people together unto the Lord to Mizpeh; 18And 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: 19And 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.
20And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. 21When 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. 22Therefore 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.
23And 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. 24And 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.
25Then 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. 26And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched. 27But 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.
New King James Version

1Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “ Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance? 2When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’ 3Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 4And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands. 5After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying. 6Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you. 8You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do.”
9So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. 10When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12Then a man from there answered and said, “But who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “ Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.
14Then Saul’s uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?” So he said, “To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.”
15And Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, please, what Samuel said to you.”
16So Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel had said.
17Then Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah, 18and said to the children of Israel, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.’ 19But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.”
20And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found.
22Therefore they inquired of the Lord further, “Has the man come here yet?” And the Lord answered, “There he is, hidden among the equipment.”
23So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.
24And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?” So all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king!”
25Then Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty, 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. 26And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. 27But some rebels said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

What does 1 Samuel chapter 10 mean?

Israel has demanded a king so they could be like other nations around them (1 Samuel 8:19–20). God instructed Samuel to be ready for the arrival of Saul (1 Samuel 9:15–17). Samuel met Saul when he was looking for missing animals and treated him as an honored guest. Before Saul can leave town the next morning, Samuel said it was time to reveal God's word (1 Samuel 9:27).

Samuel takes out a flask of oil and anoints Saul by pouring it on his head and then kisses him. The old prophet tells Saul that the Lord has anointed him to be the king of Israel. Saul will reign over them and save from their enemies (1 Samuel 10:1).

Samuel describes three signs for Saul to recognize as he travels back home to Gibeah from Samuel's town of Ramah. First, Saul will meet two men at the landmark of Rachel's tomb at Zelzah (Genesis 35:19–20). These men will tell Saul that the donkeys have been found and now his father is worried about Saul. Second, Saul will meet three men at the landmark of the oak of Tabor near Bethel (Genesis 13:18). One will have three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and the third a skin of wine. They will give Saul two bread loaves (1 Samuel 10:2–4).

The third sign will be even more astounding. Saul will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place at Gibeath-elohim ("the hill of God"). These prophets will be carrying musical instruments, including a harp, lyre, flute, and tambourine. When Saul meets them, God's Spirit will rush on him, and Saul will join this group in prophesying. He will be like a different man (1 Samuel 10:5–6).

Samuel gives Saul some instructions: when these things happen, do whatever you find in front of you to do because God will be with you. Samuel also tells Saul to go down to Gilgal and wait for seven days for Samuel to arrive there to perform sacrifices and offerings. At that time, Samuel would show Saul what to do next (1 Samuel 10:7–8).

Everything happens that day just as Samuel said, including Saul's prophesying with the group of musical prophets. Since this is near Saul's home, the people who know him and see him prophesying wonder why Saul is among the prophets. When Saul finally makes it home, his uncle asks where he and his servant have been for so long. Saul tells them about the donkeys and meeting Samuel. The uncle asks what Samuel said, but Saul only speaks about the donkeys (1 Samuel 10:9–16).

Samuel eventually calls for the people of Israel to gather at Mizpah for the purpose of selecting their first king. Before he begins, Samuel once more tells them that their choice to have a human king is a rejection of the Lord as their King. Still God has allowed them to make this choice (1 Samuel 10:17–19).

To make it clear that the Lord has chosen the king, he will be selected from among all the people of the nation by drawing lots. This method would imply that no human agency was involved in making the decision. After the people divide themselves up by tribes and clans, the lot falls in the favor of the tribe of Benjamin. The next round falls in favor of the clan of Matri and then the family of Kish. Finally, Saul's name is revealed by lot to be the next king of Israel. But when this is announced, Saul is nowhere to be found (1 Samuel 10:20–21).

The Lord reveals that Saul is hiding. He must be brought back to face the people. Samuel emphasizes that the Lord has chosen Saul. He also says there is nobody else like Saul among the people; as it happens, he is noticeably taller than everyone. The crowd shouts back their approval by saying "Long live the king!" (1 Samuel 10:22–24).

Samuel explains to the people the rights and duties of kingship and then writes them down in a book. The book is laid before the Lord, perhaps in a sanctuary. Samuel sends everyone home. Saul also travels back home, but not alone. He is accompanied by a group of valiant men whose hearts have been touched by God. Another group, worthless men, refuse to give Saul gifts and can't imagine he can be successful against Israel's enemies (1 Samuel 10:25–27).
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