Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head, kissing him as he said, "Has not the LORD anointed you leader over his inheritance?"
Samuel continued, "When 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 went to look for have been found, and now your father has stopped worrying about them. He is asking, "What shall I do about my son?"'
"From there you will go on until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men will meet you there, going up to God at Bethel—one carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and the third a skin of wine. They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread; accept them.
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, playing lyres, tambourines, flutes, and harps, and prophesying.
The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them, transformed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
Go ahead to Gilgal. I will come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I arrive and tell you what you are to do."
As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed his heart, and that day all the signs were fulfilled.
When they arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met Saul, and the Spirit of God came upon him in power. He joined them in prophesying.
When those who had known him before saw him prophesying, they asked one another, "What is happening to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"
A man who lived there asked, "And who is their father?" This became a saying: "Is Saul also among the prophets?"
After Saul finished prophesying, he went to the high place.
Saul's uncle asked him and his servant, "Where have you been?" Saul replied, "Looking for the donkeys. But when we did not find them, we went to Samuel."
His uncle said, "Tell me what Samuel said to you." Saul answered, "He assured us that the donkeys had been found." But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
Then Samuel summoned all Israel to the LORD at Mizpah and said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought Israel up out of Egypt and delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.
"But now you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and distresses. You said, "No, set a king over us." So present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans.'"
When Samuel brought all the tribes near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. Then he brought forward the clan of Matri, and finally Saul son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he was hiding among the baggage.
They inquired of the LORD again, "Has the man come here yet?" The LORD said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the baggage."
They ran and brought him out, and he stood among the people, a head taller than any of the others.
Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." The people shouted, "Long live the king!"
Samuel then explained the regulations of the kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the LORD. Afterward, he dismissed the people, each to his own home.
Saul went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. But some troublemakers said, "How can this fellow save us?" They despised him and offered him no gifts. Saul remained silent.