8 *And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he amade his bsons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was ||Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in cBeer-sheba. 3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside dafter lucre, and etook bribes, and perverted judgment. 4 *Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto fRamah, 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now gmake us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing †displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. 7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for hthey have not rejected thee, but ithey have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 9 Now therefore ||hearken unto their voice: ||howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and jshew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

10 And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king. 11 And he said, kThis will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: lHe will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to mear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be nconfectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And ohe will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his †officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord pwill not hear you in that day.

19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; 20 That we also may be qlike all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, rHearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

9 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was aKish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, ||a Benjamite, a mighty man of ||power. 2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, ba choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: cfrom his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. 3 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. 4 And he passed through dmount Ephraim, and passed through the land of eShalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of fShalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. 5 And when they were come to the land of gZuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and htake thought for us. 6 And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city ia man of God, and he is an honourable man; jall that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go. 7 Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, kwhat shall we bring the man? for the bread †is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to ithe man of God: what †have we? 8 And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, †I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way. 9 (Beforetime in Israel, when a man lwent to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called ma Seer.) 10 Then said Saul to his servant, †Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was. 11 And as they went up †the hill to the city, they found nyoung maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here? 12 And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there is a ||sacrifice of the people to day in othe high place: 13 As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to othe high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about †this time ye shall find him. 14 And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place.

15 pNow the Lord had †told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, 16 To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and qthou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have rlooked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. 17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord ssaid unto him, tBehold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall †reign over my people. 18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer’s house is. 19 And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart. 20 And as for uthine asses that were lost †three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father’s house? 21 And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the wsmallest of the tribes of Israel? and xmy family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou †so to me? 22 And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the yparlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee. 24 And the cook took up zthe shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is ||left! set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time hath it been kept for thee since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day.

25 And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul upon athe top of the house. 26 And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. 27 And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still †a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.