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He will take the ten-percent tax of your crops and vineyards and give it to his officers and servants.

He will take the ten-percent tax of your flocks, and you will become his servants.

Adonai said to Sh'mu'el, "Do what they ask, and set up a king for them." So Sh'mu'el told the men of Isra'el, "Each of you, return to his city."

Once the donkeys belonging to Kish Sha'ul's father got lost. Kish said to his son Sha'ul, "Please take one of the servants with you, go out, and look for the donkeys."

On reaching the territory of Tzuf, Sha'ul said to his servant with him, "Come, let's go back; otherwise my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us."

His servant replied, "Here now, there's a man of God in this city, a man who is highly respected, and everything he says proves true. Let's go to him; maybe he can tell us something about where we should go."

"But look," Sha'ul said to his servant, "if we go to the man, what can we bring him? We've used up all the bread in our packs, and there's nothing for us to give the man of God — what do we have left?"

"Well said," Sha'ul answered his servant. "Come on, let's go." So they went to the city where the man of God was.

Sh'mu'el took Sha'ul and his servant, brought them into the room and had them sit in the place reserved for the most important of the invited guests, who numbered about thirty persons.

Then Sh'mu'el took a flask of oil he had prepared and poured it on Sha'ul's head. He kissed him and said, " Adonai has anointed you to be prince over his inheritance.

As it happened, as soon as he had turned his back to leave Sh'mu'el, God gave him another heart; and all those signs took place that day.

Sha'ul's uncle said to him and his servant, "Where did you go?" He answered, "To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they hadn't been found, we went to Sh'mu'el."

Sha'ul answered his uncle, "He told us that the donkeys had been found," but said nothing to him about the matter of his being made king.

Sh'mu'el told the people what kinds of rulings should be made in the kingdom, then wrote it on a scroll and set it down before Adonai . After that, he sent all the people away, everyone to his own home.

True, there were some scoundrels who said, "How can this man save us?" They showed him no respect and brought him no gift, but he held his peace.

he seized a pair of oxen and cut them in pieces; then he sent them throughout the territory of Isra'el with messengers saying, "Anyone who doesn't come and follow Sha'ul and Sh'mu'el, this is what will be done to his oxen!" The fear of Adonai fell on the people, and they came out with united hearts.

So here I am; now is the time to witness against me before Adonai and before his anointed king. Does any of you think I have taken your ox or donkey, defrauded or oppressed you, or accepted a bribe to deprive you of justice? Tell me, and I will restore it to you."

He said, " Adonai is witness against you, and his anointed king is witness against you today, that you have found nothing in my hands?" They replied, "He is witness."

For the sake of his great reputation, Adonai will not abandon his people; because it has pleased Adonai to make you a people for himself.

Sha'ul was — years old when he began his reign, and he had ruled Isra'el for two years,