¹There was a man from Benjamin, and his name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjaminite man, a mighty man of valor.

²And he had a son whose name was Saul, a young man and good; and there was no man among the children of Israel better than he. From his shoulder and upward he was taller than all the people.

³The female donkeys perished to Kish, the father of Saul, and Kish said to Saul his son, "Take with you one from the boys, and rise, go, search for the female donkeys."

⁴He passed through the hill country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them; then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and there was none; and he passed through the land of the Benjaminites, but they did not find them.

⁵They came to the land of Zuph, and Saul said to his boy who was with him, "Come, let us turn back, or else my father will cease from the female donkeys and be worried about us."

⁶And he said to him, "Look, there is a man of God in this city, and the man is honored; everything he speaks surely comes true. Now let us go there; perhaps he will tell us about our journey on which we have gone."

⁷And Saul said to his boy, "Look, if we go, what can we bring the man? For the food has run out of our vessels, and there is no gift to bring to the man of God. What do we have?"

⁸Again the boy answered Saul and said, "Look, a fourth part of a shekel of silver is found in my hand; I will give it to the man of God, and he will tell us our way."

⁹Before this, in Israel, this is what a man said when he went to inquire of God: “Come, let us go to the seer.” For the prophet of today was called, formerly, the seer.

¹⁰Saul said to his boy, “Your word is good; come, let us go.” They went to the city where the man of God was.

¹¹They were going up the ascent of the city when they found girls coming out to draw water, and they said to them, “Is the seer here?”

¹²They answered them and said, “He is. Look, he is right before you. Hurry now, for today he has come to the city, for there is a sacrifice for the people today at the high place.

¹³As you enter the city, you will find him just before he goes up to the high place to eat; for the people will not eat until he comes, for he blesses the sacrifice; after that those called will eat. So go up, for today you will find him.”

¹⁴They went up to the city. As they were coming into the middle of the city, look, Samuel was coming out to meet them, to go up to the high place.

¹⁵Now Yahweh had uncovered Samuel's ear one day before Saul came, saying:

¹⁶“At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. You shall anoint him ruler over my people Israel, and he will deliver my people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have seen my people, because their cry of distress has come to me.”

¹⁷When Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh answered him, “Look, here is the man I spoke to you of; this one will restrain my people.”

¹⁸Saul brought to Samuel in the middle of the gate, and said, "Tell to me, where is the house of the seer?"

¹⁹Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Go up ahead of me to the high place, and you will eat with me today; and in the morning I will send you off, and all that is in your heart I will tell you.

²⁰As for the female donkeys that have been lost to you these three days, do not set your heart on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all the house of your father?”

²¹Saul answered and said, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my clan is the least of all the clans of the tribes of Benjamin? Why have you spoken to me a word like this?”

²²Samuel took Saul and his boy, and brought them into the hall, and gave them a place at the head of those called—they were about thirty men.

²³Samuel said to the butcher, “Give the portion that I gave you, the one I spoke of to you: ‘Put it with you.’”

²⁴The butcher lifted up the thigh and what was on it and set it before Saul, and said, “Look, what has been left; set it before you and eat; for it was kept for you for the appointed time, saying, ‘I have called the people.’” So Saul ate with Samuel on that day.

²⁵They came down from the high place to the city, and he spoke with Saul on the roof.

²⁶At the dawn, it happened as the rising early, that Samuel called to Saul on the top, saying, "Rise, and I will send you." And Saul rose, and their two went forth, he and Samuel, to the outside.

²⁷They came down in the end of the city, and Samuel said to Saul, "Say to the boy, and let him pass over to our face" — and he passed over — "and you, stand as the day, and I will heard you the word of God."