us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go.

Then said Saul to his servant, But behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man; for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man. of GoD: what have we? And the servant answered Saul again and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of GOD, to tell us our way.

(Before-time in Israel, when a man went to enquire of GOD, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the Seer: for he that is now called a Prophet, was before time called a Seer.) Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of GoD was.

And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the Seer here? And they answered them, and said, He is, behold he is before you: make haste now; for he came to-day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to-day in the high place.

As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eát; for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice, and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get ye up, for about this time ye shall find him.

And they went up into the city; and when they were come into the city, behold Samuel came out against them for to go up to the high place.

Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Is

racl,

( 312 )
312)

racl, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked unto my people, because their cry is come unto me.

And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him,' Behold the man whom I spake to thee of this same shall reign over my people.

Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the Seer's house is.

And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the Seer: go up before me unto the high place, for ye shall eat with me to-day; and to-morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart.

And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set. not thy mind on them, for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house? and Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin ? wherefore then speakest thou so to me? And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them in to the parlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons.

:

And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee.

And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is left, set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time hath it been kept for thee, since I said I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with

Samuel that day.

And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul upon the top of the house.

And

And they arose early and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel abroad.

And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the setvant pass on before us (and he passed on), but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.

Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath anointed thee to be captain over his inhe ritance?

When thou art departed from me to-day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre, in the border of Benjamin, at Zelzah, and they will say unto thee, The asses, which thou wentest to seek, are found and lo thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?

Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine. And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.

After that thou shalt come to the hill of Gon, where is the garrison of the Philistines; and it shall come to pass when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place, with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp before them, and they shall prophesy.^^

VOL. II.

P

And

And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

And let it be when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion shall serve thee, for God is with thee.

And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal, and behold I will come down unto thee, to offer burntofferings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings : seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.

And it was so, that when Saul had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. `

And when they came thither to the hill, behold a company of prophets met him: and the Spirit of GoD came upon him, and he prophesied among

them.

And it came to pass when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? is Saul also among the prophets? And one of the same place answered, and said, But who is their father? therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.

And Saul's uncle said unto him, and to his servant, Whither went ye? and he said, To seek the asses: and when we saw that they were no where, we came to Samuel.

And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you.

And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that

the

the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not.

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

Saul, as his subsequent conduct shewed, was in his natural disposition like the kings Samuel had described to the Israelites; but he was distinguished by the height of his stature and the gracefulness of his person, which were sufficient recommendations to them, who wanted a king, to go in and out before them, to fight their battles.

Saul's going himself to seek his father's asses, shews the simplicity of manners which prevailed in those times. His ignorance in respect to Samuel. proves, that religion was then at a very low ebb, otherwise all Israel would have known the prophet of the LORD. The present which Saul meant to make him, was an offering of respect, to the chief magistrate; to whom it was customary to pay this kind of homage. other word of the same signification as PROPHET one who sees in visions what the LORD reveals. The LORD had made known secretly to Samuel Saul's coming; so we are to understand the expression, that the LORD told him in his ear.

SEER is an

Samuel, as an assurance to Saul that what he foreold would certainly come to pass, took him to a retired place, and there anointed him, saluting him with a kiss as a mark of honour and allegiance; the prophet then informed Saul of the nature and duty of the high office he was ordained to fill; that he was to consider himself as Captain over those who were called the LORD's inheritance, or God's peculiar people; and as ac