1 There was a man from Benjamin named Kish son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of substance.
2 He had a son named Saul, a fine young man; not one of the children of Israel was finer than he. He stood head and shoulders above all the people.
3 The donkeys of Saul's father Kish had strayed, and Kish told his son Saul, "Take one of the young men with you and go off in search of the donkeys."
4 He crossed the hill country of Ephraim and crossed the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. They crossed the land of Shaalim, and they were not there. He crossed the land of the Benjaminites, and they did not find them.
5 When they reached the land of Zuph, Saul said to the young man with him, "Come on, let us go back, or my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us."
6 The young man said to him, "Listen, there is a man of God in this town, a man highly respected; everything he says comes true without fail. Let us go there now; maybe he will tell us which way to take."
7 Saul said to his young man, "Suppose we go, what can we bring the man? The bread in our bags is used up, and we have no present to bring the man of God. What do we have with us?"
8 The young man answered Saul again: "Here, I happen to have a quarter shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God, and he will tell us which way to go."
9 (In earlier times in Israel, anyone going to consult God would say, "Come, let us go to the seer," because the one called a prophet today used to be called a seer.)
10 Saul told his young man, "Good idea; come on, let us go." And they went to the town where the man of God was.
11 As they were climbing the slope to the town, they came upon some girls going out to draw water, and asked them, "Is the seer here?"
12 They answered, "He is. There, he is ahead of you. Hurry, because he came into town today; the people have a sacrifice today on the high place.
13 As you go into town you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not eat till he arrives, since he is the one who blesses the sacrifice; after that the guests eat. Go on up, then; right now you will find him."
14 So they went up to the town. Just as they came into the town, there was Samuel coming out toward them to go up to the high place.
15 One day before Saul came, the LORD had disclosed this to Samuel:
16 "At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him as leader over my people Israel; he will rescue my people from the Philistines' hand. For I have seen my people, because their cry has reached me."
17 As Samuel caught sight of Saul, the LORD said to him, "There is the man I told you about! He is the one who will keep my people in check."
18 Saul came up to Samuel in the middle of the gate and said, "Tell me, please, which is the seer's house?"
19 Samuel answered Saul, "I am the seer. Go up ahead of me to the high place. You are eating with me today; in the morning I will send you off, and I will tell you everything on your mind.
20 As for the donkeys that strayed three days ago, put them out of your mind; they have been found. And on whom is all Israel's desire set? Is it not on you and on all your father's house?"
21 Saul replied, "Am I not a Benjaminite, of the smallest of Israel's tribes, and my clan the most insignificant of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to me?"
22 Samuel took Saul and his young man, led them into the hall, and gave them the place at the head of the guests, who numbered about thirty.
23 Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion I handed you, the one I told you to put aside."
24 The cook lifted up the thigh and what went with it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, "See, what was kept back is set before you. Eat, for it was kept for you for this occasion, from the time I said, 'I have invited the people.'" So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 They came down from the high place to the town, and Samuel talked with Saul on the roof.
26 They got up early, and at the break of dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, "Get up, and I will send you on your way." Saul got up, and the two of them, he and Samuel, went outside.
27 As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the young man to go on ahead of us." When he had gone on, Samuel said, "But you stop here a moment, and I will let you hear the word of God."