Samuel took a vial of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head, anointing him, and then kissed him. Samuel: The Eternal One of Israel has anointed you as ruler over His possession, over all Israel. [You will be king over the people of the Eternal One, and you will deliver them from the enemies that surround them now. And this will be the sign to you that I am speaking truth, and God has anointed you king over what is His]:[a] 2 when you leave me today, you will meet two men not far from Rachel’s tomb, in Benjamin’s territory at Zelzah. These men will tell you, “The donkeys you sought have been found. Your father has stopped worrying about them, and now he is worried about you. He asks, ‘But what about my son?’” 3 When you leave them behind and reach the oak of Tabor, you will meet three men going to sacrifice to God at Bethel. One will have three young goats; one will have three loaves of bread; another will have a skin full of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves of bread. Take them, and go on. 5 When you leave them behind and reach the Philistine garrison at the hill of God (Gibeath-elohim), just as you come into the city, you will meet a group of prophets returning from the high place. Musicians leading them will be playing harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres; and the prophets will be caught up in prophetic ecstasy. 6 Then the Spirit of the Eternal One will overtake you, you will be caught up in the same prophetic spirit as these prophets, and you will be changed into a different person. 7 When these signs come to pass, do what you think is best. The True God is with you. 8 Go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I will come to present peace sacrifices and burnt offerings. Wait for seven days, and I will show you what to do. 9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, the True God transformed his heart. As a result, all that Samuel had predicted came to pass that day. 10 When Saul came up to the hill of God, he met a band of prophets;and as Samuel had said, the Spirit of God overtook him, and he was caught up in their propheticecstasy. 11 Then the people who knew him saw that he began to prophesy with the prophets. People (among themselves): What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul one of the prophets now? Local Citizen: 12 And who is their father? This is one way the saying, “Is Saul one of the prophets?” originated. 13 When Saul finished prophesying, he went to a high place to a local shrine. 14 When Saul returned home, his uncle asked him and his servant where they had been. Saul: We went to look for the donkeys. When we couldn’t find them, we spoke with the seer, Samuel. Uncle: 15 What did Samuel tell you? Saul: 16 He told us that the donkeys had been found. But Saul did not tell him anything about the kingdom or anything else Samuel had said. |
Daily Prayer > Old Testament >
