1 Samuel 9:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul 's father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, "Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys."

NIV: Now the donkeys belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, "Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys."

NASB: Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, had wandered off. So Kish said to his son Saul, 'Now take with you one of the servants and arise, go search for the donkeys.'

CSB: One day the donkeys of Saul’s father Kish wandered off. Kish said to his son Saul, "Take one of the servants with you and go look for the donkeys."

NLT: One day Kish’s donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, 'Take a servant with you, and go look for the donkeys.'

KJV: And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses.

NKJV: Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. And Kish said to his son Saul, “Please take one of the servants with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.”

First Samuel 9:1–14 begins the story of Saul, first king of Israel. Saul and his servant spend three days looking for lost donkeys before seeking help. They ask for the local seer—the original term for a "prophet"—and are sent to Samuel. Neither man realizes they are expected and that the Lord has special plans for Saul.

The story of Saul, first king of Israel, begins with him searching the Ephraim hill country for lost donkeys. He stops at Ramah to ask the prophet there for help. The seer, Samuel, has been told by God to expect a man to come at this time. Samuel will anoint this man as the prince of Israel. Samuel makes Saul the guest of honor at a sacrificial feast and then brings him home to sleep on his roof. As Saul is leaving town the next day, Samuel stops and says it is time to reveal the word of God to Saul.

The people of Israel have demanded a king (1 Samuel 8:4–5). Here, the Lord introduces Samuel to Saul, who would become the nation's first ruler (1 Samuel 10:24). Saul and his servant stop at Ramah looking for his family's donkeys. God has told Samuel to anoint Saul as the prince of Israel. After eating with Samuel as an honored guest, Saul prepares to leave, but Samuel has more to tell him (1 Samuel 10:1). Saul would quickly fall into disobedience (1 Samuel 15:10–11); David would eventually take his place (1 Samuel 16:12–13).

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.