Study Desk

"He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to gather in his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

"He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.

"And he will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his high officials and his servants.

"He will also take your male servants and your female servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and use them for his work.

"He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.

And the LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice and appoint a king for them." So Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Go, every man to his city."

He had a son whose name was Saul, a young and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome man than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.

Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, had wandered off. So Kish said to his son Saul, "Now take with you one of the servants and arise, go search for the donkeys."

When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, "Come, and let's return, or else my father will stop being concerned about the donkeys and will become anxious about us."

Then Saul said to his servant, "But look, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is gone from our sacks and there is no gift to bring to the man of God. What do we have?"

Then Saul said to his servant, "Good idea; come, let's go." So they went to the city where the man of God was.

Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, who were about thirty men.

Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on Saul's head, kissed him, and said, "Has the LORD not anointed you as ruler over His inheritance?

Then it happened, when he turned his back to leave Samuel, that God changed his heart; and all those signs came about on that day.

Now Saul's uncle said to him and his servant, "Where did you go?" And he said, "To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel."

So Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found." But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had mentioned.

So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.

Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book, and placed it before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house.

Saul also went to his house in Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him.

He then took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, "Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, the same shall be done to his oxen." Then the dread of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out as one person.