Saul Is Made King of Israel
9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul's heart. All of those things happened that day.
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When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met Saul. Then the Spirit of God came on him with power. He prophesied along with them.
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Those who had known Saul before saw him prophesying with the prophets. They asked one another, "What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also one of the prophets?"
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A man who lived in Gibeah answered, "Yes, he is. In fact, he's their leader." That's why people say, "Is Saul also one of the prophets?"
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After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the high place to worship.
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Later, Saul's uncle spoke to him and his servant. He asked, "Where have you been?" "Looking for the donkeys," he said. "But we couldn't find them. So we went to Samuel."
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Saul's uncle said, "Tell me what Samuel said to you."
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Saul replied, "He told us the donkeys had been found." But Saul didn't tell his uncle that Samuel had said he would become king.
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Samuel sent a message to the people of Israel. He told them to meet with the LORD at Mizpah.
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He said to them, "The LORD is the God of Israel. He says, 'Israel, I brought you up out of Egypt. I saved you from their powerful hand. I also saved you from the powerful hand of all of the kingdoms that had beaten you down.'
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"But now you have turned your backs on your God. He saves you out of all of your trouble and suffering. In spite of that, you have said, 'We refuse to listen. Place a king over us.' "So now gather together to meet with the Lord. Do it tribe by tribe and family group by family group."