13
When his prophetic frenzy had ended, he went home.
14
Saul's uncle said to him and to the boy, "Where did you go?" And he replied, "To seek the donkeys; and when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel."
15
Saul's uncle said, "Tell me what Samuel said to you."
16
Saul said to his uncle, "He told us that the donkeys had been found." But about the matter of the kingship, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything.
17
Samuel summoned the people to the Lord at Mizpah
18
and said to them, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.'
19
But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said, "No! but set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans."
20
Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.
21
He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of the Matrites was taken by lot. Finally he brought the family of the Matrites near man by man, and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found.
22
So they inquired again of the Lord, "Did the man come here?" and the Lord said, "See, he has hidden himself among the baggage."
23
Then they ran and brought him from there. When he took his stand among the people, he was head and shoulders taller than any of them.
24
Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"