And Samuel took a little vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said: Behold, the Lord hath anointed thee to be prince over his inheritance, and thou shalt deliver his people out of the hands of their enemies, that are round about them. And this shall be a sign unto thee, that God hath anointed thee to be prince.

Tulit autem Samuel lenticulam olei, et effudit super caput ejus: et deosculatus est eum, et ait: Ecce unxit te Dominus super hæreditatem suam in principem, et liberabis populum suum de manibus inimicorum ejus qui in circuitu ejus sunt. Et hoc tibi signum, quia unxit te Deus in principem.

And now Samuel took out his phial of oil, and poured it out over Saul’s head; then he kissed him, and said, Hereby the Lord anoints thee to be the leader of his chosen people; thine it shall be to deliver them from the enemies that hedge them round. Wouldst thou have proof that this unction comes from the Lord? Listen, then;

When thou shalt depart from me this day, thou shalt find two men by the sepulchre of Rachel in the borders of Benjamin to the south, and they shall say to thee: The asses are found which thou wentest to seek: and thy father thinking no more of the asses is concerned for you, and saith: What shall I do for my son?

Cum abieris hodie a me, invenies duos viros juxta sepulchrum Rachel in finibus Benjamin, in meridie: dicentque tibi: Inventæ sunt asinæ ad quas ieras perquirendas: et intermissis pater tuus asinis, sollicitus est pro vobis, et dicit: Quid faciam de filio meo?

When thou leavest me to-day, and hast gone southward as far as Rachel’s tomb, on the frontiers of Benjamin, thou wilt meet two men bringing thee news that the lost asses thou art looking for have been found; that thy father has forgotten them in his anxiety, and only asks how he is to find his son.

And when thou shalt depart from thence, and go farther on, and shalt come to the oak of Thabor, there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine.

Cumque abieris inde, et ultra transieris, et veneris ad quercum Thabor, invenient te ibi tres viri ascendentes ad Deum in Bethel, unus portans tres hædos, et alius tres tortas panis, et alius portans lagenam vini.

Then, passing further on thy way, thou wilt reach the oak of Thabor, and fall in with three men on pilgrimage to Bethel; one with three goats, one with three loaves of bread, one with a flagon of wine;

And they will salute thee, and will give thee two loaves, and thou shalt take them at their hand.

Cumque te salutaverint, dabunt tibi duos panes, et accipies de manu eorum.

from these thou wilt have greeting, and two of their loaves for a gift.

After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is: and when thou shalt be come there into the city, thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place, with a psaltery and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp before them, and they shall be prophesying.

Post hæc venies in collem Dei, ubi est statio Philisthinorum: et cum ingressus fueris ibi urbem, obvium habebis gregem prophetarum descendentium de excelso, et ante eos psalterium, et tympanum, et tibiam, et citharam, ipsosque prophetantes.

So at last thou wilt come to the Hill of God, where the Philistines have set a garrison; and here, upon entering the city, thou wilt meet a company of prophets coming down from the sacred height. With harp and tambour, flute and zither at their head, they will be uttering words of prophecy;

And the Spirit of the Lord shall come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be changed into another man.

Et insiliet in te spiritus Domini, et prophetabis cum eis, et mutaberis in virum alium.

and with that the spirit of the Lord will fall upon thee, making thee prophesy with the rest, and turning thee into a new man.

When therefore these signs shall happen to thee, do whatsoever thy hand shall find, for the Lord is with thee.

Quando ergo evenerint signa hæc omnia tibi, fac quæcumque invenerit manus tua, quia Dominus tecum est.

When all these signs have been granted, go about the work that lies before thee; the Lord is at thy side.

And thou shalt go down before me to Galgal, (for I will come down to thee,) that thou mayest offer an oblation, and sacrifice victims of peace: seven days shalt thou wait, till I come to thee, and I will shew thee what thou art to do.

Et descendes ante me in Galgala (ego quippe descendam ad te), ut offeras oblationem, et immoles victimas pacificas: septem diebus expectabis, donec veniam ad te, et ostendam tibi quid facias.

At need, betake thyself to Galgal, where I will come to meet thee, to present there thy burnt-sacrifice and thy welcome-offering; wait for me seven days, till I come and give thee thy orders.

So when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave unto him another heart, and all these things came to pass that day.

Itaque cum avertisset humerum suum ut abiret a Samuele, immutavit ei Deus cor aliud, et venerunt omnia signa hæc in die illa.

So parted Saul from Samuel, and as he went on his way, the Lord gave him a new heart. All the signs he looked for were fulfilled that day,

And they came to the foresaid hill, and behold a company of prophets met him: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he prophesied in the midst of them.

Veneruntque ad prædictum collem, et ecce cuneus prophetarum obvius ei: et insiluit super eum spiritus Domini, et prophetavit in medio eorum.

and when at last he came to the Hill, there was a company of prophets on its way towards him; whereupon the spirit of the Lord fell on him, and he prophesied with the rest.

And all that had known him yesterday and the day before, seeing that he was with the prophets, and prophesied, said to each other: What is this that hath happened to the son of Cis? Is Saul also among the prophets?

Videntes autem omnes qui noverant eum heri et nudiustertius quod esset cum prophetis, et prophetaret, dixerunt ad invicem: Quænam res accidit filio Cis? num et Saul inter prophetas?

None that had known him hitherto but marvelled, upon seeing him prophesy in the company of the others, what had befallen the son of Cis; Is Saul, too, they asked, among the prophets?

And one answered another, saying: And who is their father? therefore it became a proverb: Is Saul also among the prophets?

Responditque alius ad alterum, dicens: Et quis pater eorum? Propterea versum est in proverbium: Num et Saul inter prophetas?

Why, said one to another, who can tell the parentage of any of them? (This was how the saying grew up, Is Saul, too, among the prophets?)

And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.

Cessavit autem prophetare, et venit ad excelsum.

His trance over, Saul went on, back to the hill-country.

And Saul’s uncle said to him, and to his servant: Whither went you? They answered: To seek the asses: and not finding them we went to Samuel.

Dixitque patruus Saul ad eum, et ad puerum ejus: Quo abistis? Qui responderunt: Quærere asinas: quas cum non reperissemus, venimus ad Samuelem.

There was an uncle of his, that asked where they had been, and was not content with their story of consulting Samuel about the strayed asses.

And his uncle said to him: Tell me what Samuel said to thee.

Et dixit ei patruus suus: Indica mihi quid dixerit tibi Samuel.

Tell me, said he, what message did the prophet give thee?

And Saul said to his uncle: He told us that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom of which Samuel had spoken to him, he told him not.

Et ait Saul ad patruum suum: Indicavit nobis quia inventæ essent asinæ. De sermone autem regni non indicavit ei quem locutus fuerat ei Samuel.

Why, answered Saul, he told me the asses were found. But of the kingship promised him he said no word.

And Samuel called together the people to the Lord in Maspha:

Et convocavit Samuel populum ad Dominum in Maspha:

And now Samuel bade the whole people gather in the divine presence at Maspha,

And he said to the children of Israel: Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all the kings who afflicted you.

et ait ad filios Israël: Hæc dicit Dominus Deus Israël: Ego eduxi Israël de Ægypto, et erui vos de manu Ægyptiorum, et de manu omnium regum qui affligebant vos.

and this message he gave them from the Lord God of Israel: It was I that rescued you from Egypt, I that protected you from the clutches of these and of all your oppressors.

But you this day have rejected your God, who only hath saved you out of all your evils and your tribulations: and you have said: Nay: but set a king over us. Now therefore stand before the Lord by your tribes, and by your families.

Vos autem hodie projecistis Deum vestrum, qui solus salvavit vos de universis malis et tribulationibus vestris: et dixistis: Nequaquam: sed regem constitue super nos. Nunc ergo state coram Domino per tribus vestras, et per familias.

And now you have cast away your God, your only shield against so many misfortunes and afflictions; A king, you say, appoint a king to reign over us! Come then, present yourselves before the Lord, tribe by tribe, clan by clan.

And Samuel brought to him all the tribes of Israel, and the lot fell on the tribe of Benjamin.

Et applicuit Samuel omnes tribus Israël, et cecidit sors tribus Benjamin.

Then Samuel brought forward all the tribes of Israel by name, and the lot fell on Benjamin;

And he brought the tribe of Benjamin and the kindreds thereof, and the lot fell upon the kindred of Metri, and it came to Saul the son of Cis. They sought him therefore and he was not found.

Et applicuit tribum Benjamin et cognationes ejus, et cecidit cognatio Metri: et pervenit usque ad Saul filium Cis. Quæsierunt ergo eum, et non est inventus.

brought forward all the families of Benjamin by name, and the lot fell on Matri’s; and in the end he reached Saul, the son of Cis. When they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found; was he on his way to Maspha?

And after this they consulted the Lord whether he would come thither. And the Lord answered: Behold he is hidden at home.

Et consuluerunt post hæc Dominum utrumnam venturus esset illuc. Responditque Dominus: Ecce absconditus est domi.

They asked the Lord, and the answer came that Saul was there, hiding in his tent.

And they ran and fetched him thence: and he stood in the midst of the people, and he was higher than any of the people from the shoulders and upward.

Cucurrerunt itaque et tulerunt eum inde: stetitque in medio populi, et altior fuit universo populo ab humero et sursum.

Whereupon they ran to fetch him, and before long he stood in their midst, a head and shoulders taller than any of them.

And Samuel said to all the people: Surely you see him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people. And all the people cried and said: God save the king.

Et ait Samuel ad omnem populum: Certe videtis quem elegit Dominus, quoniam non sit similis illi in omni populo. Et clamavit omnis populus, et ait: Vivat rex.

The Lord’s chosen! cried Samuel. Look at him, and see if he has his like in Israel! And all the people shouted, Long live the king!

And Samuel told the people the law of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord: and Samuel sent away all the people, every one to his own house.

Locutus est autem Samuel ad populum legem regni, et scripsit in libro, et reposuit coram Domino: et dimisit Samuel omnem populum, singulos in domum suam.

And now Samuel proclaimed to the people what the king’s rights were; wrote it down, too, in a book, which he laid up in the Lord’s presence; then he bade them disperse to their homes.

Saul also departed to his own house in Gabaa: and there went with him a part of the army, whose hearts God had touched.

Sed et Saul abiit in domum suam in Gabaa: et abiit cum eo pars exercitus, quorum tetigerat Deus corda.

Saul went back to Gabaa, and with him went some of the fighting men, whom God so inspired.

But the children of Belial said: Shall this fellow be able to save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents, but he dissembled as though he heard not.

Filii vero Belial dixerunt: Num salvare nos poterit iste? Et despexerunt eum, et non attulerunt ei munera: ille vero dissimulabat se audire.

There were others, graceless folk, who asked contemptuously whether such a man as this could bring them victory; and no gift would they offer him. But Saul made as if he could not hear their mutterings.