14
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."
15
"Tell me, please," said Sha'ul's uncle, "what Sh'mu'el said to you."
16
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.
17
Sh'mu'el summoned the people to ADONAI in Mitzpah.
18
He said to the people of Isra'el, "Here is what ADONAI the God of Isra'el says: 'I brought Isra'el up from Egypt. I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.'
19
But today you have rejected your God, who himself saves you from all your disasters and distress. You have said to him, 'No! Put a king over us!' So now, present yourselves before ADONAI by your tribes and families."
20
So Sh'mu'el had all the tribes come forward, and the tribe of Binyamin was chosen.
21
He had the tribe of Binyamin come forward by families, and the family of the Matri was chosen, and Sha'ul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he couldn't be found.
22
They asked ADONAI, "Has the man come here?"ADONAI answered, "There he is, hiding, in among the equipment."
23
They ran and brought him from there, and when he stood among the people he was head and shoulders taller than anyone around.
24
Sh'mu'el said to all the people, "Do you see the man ADONAI has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?"Then all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"