¹وكان رجل من بنيامين اسمه قيس بن ابيئيل بن صرور بن بكورة بن افيح ابن رجل بنياميني جبار بأس.

¹And there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjaminite, a mighty man of wealth.

²وكان له ابن اسمه شاول شاب وحسن ولم يكن رجل في بني اسرائيل احسن منه. من كتفه فما فوق كان اطول من كل الشعب.

²And he had a son whose name was Saul, choice and comely; and there was not among the children of Israel a comelier person than he; from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.

³فضلّت اتن قيس ابي شاول. فقال قيس لشاول ابنه خذ معك واحدا من الغلمان وقم اذهب فتش على الاتن.

³And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost; and Kish said to Saul his son, Take, I pray, one of the young men with thee, and arise, go seek the asses.

⁴فعبر في جبل افرايم ثم عبر في ارض شليشة فلم يجدها. ثم عبرا في ارض شعليم فلم توجد. ثم عبرا في ارض بنيامين فلم يجداها.

⁴And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they found [them] not; and they passed through the land of Shaalim, and they were not there; and they passed through the land of Benjamin, and they found [them] not.

⁵ولما دخلا ارض صوف قال شاول لغلامه الذي معه تعال نرجع لئلا يترك ابي الاتن ويهتم بنا.

⁵They had come to the land of Zuph when Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come and let us return; lest my father give up the asses, and be anxious about us.

⁶فقال له هوذا رجل الله في هذه المدينة والرجل مكرّم. كل ما يقوله يصير. لنذهب الآن الى هناك لعله يخبرنا عن طريقنا التي نسلك فيها.

⁶And he said to him, Behold now, a man of God is in this city, and the man is held in honour; all that he says comes surely to pass. Let us now go thither: perhaps he will shew us the way that we should go.

⁷فقال شاول للغلام هوذا نذهب فماذا نقدم للرجل. لان الخبز قد نفذ من اوعيتنا وليس من هدية نقدمها لرجل الله. ماذا معنا.

⁷And Saul said to his servant, But if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and we have no present to give to the man of God: what have we?

⁸فعاد الغلام واجاب شاول وقال هوذا يوجد بيدي ربع شاقل فضة فاعطيه لرجل الله فيخبرنا عن طريقنا.

⁸And 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.

⁹سابقا في اسرائيل هكذا كان يقول الرجل عند ذهابه ليسأل الله. هلم نذهب الى الرائي. لان النبي اليوم كان يدعى سابقا الرائي.

⁹(In former time in Israel, when a man went to ask counsel of God, he said, Come and let us go to the seer; for he that is now called a Prophet was in former time called a Seer.)

¹⁰فقال شاول لغلامه كلامك حسن. هلم نذهب. فذهبا الى المدينة التي فيها رجل الله

¹⁰And Saul said to his servant, Well said: come, let us go. So they went to the city where the man of God was.

¹¹وفيما هما صاعدان في مطلع المدينة صادفا فتيات خارجات لاستقاء الماء. فقالا لهنّ أهنا الرائي.

¹¹As they went up the ascent to the city, they met maidens going forth to draw water; and they said to them, Is the seer here?

¹²فاجبنهما وقلن نعم. هوذا هو امامكما. اسرعا الآن. لانه جاء اليوم الى المدينة لانه اليوم ذبيحة للشعب على المرتفعة.

¹²And they answered them and said, He is; behold, he is before thee: make haste now, for he came to-day to the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place.

¹³عند دخولكما المدينة للوقت تجدانه قبل صعوده الى المرتفعة لياكل. لان الشعب لا ياكل حتى يأتي لانه يبارك الذبيحة. بعد ذلك يأكل المدعوون. فالآن اصعدا لانكما في مثل اليوم تجدانه.

¹³As soon as ye come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat; for the people eat not until he has come, because he blesses the sacrifice; afterwards they eat that are invited. And now go up; for this very day shall ye find him.

¹⁴فصعدا الى المدينة. وفيما هما آتيان في وسط المدينة اذا بصموئيل خارج للقائهما ليصعد الى المرتفعة

¹⁴And they went up into the city. As they were coming into the midst of the city, behold, Samuel was coming out towards them, to go up to the high place.

¹⁵والرب كشف اذن صموئيل قبل مجيء شاول بيوم قائلا

¹⁵Now Jehovah had apprised Samuel one day before Saul came, saying,

¹⁶غدا في مثل الآن ارسل اليك رجلا من ارض بنيامين. فامسحه رئيسا لشعبي اسرائيل فيخلص شعبي من يد الفلسطينيين لاني نظرت الى شعبي لان صراخهم قد جاء اليّ.

¹⁶To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him prince over my people Israel; and he will save my people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.

¹⁷فلما رأى صموئيل شاول اجابه الرب هوذا الرجل الذي كلمتك عنه. هذا يضبط شعبي.

¹⁷And as Samuel saw Saul, Jehovah answered him, Behold the man of whom I spoke to thee! this man shall rule over my people.

¹⁸فتقدم شاول الى صموئيل في وسط الباب وقال اطلب اليك اخبرني اين بيت الرائي.

¹⁸And Saul drew near to Samuel in the midst of the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is.

¹⁹فاجاب صموئيل شاول وقال انا الرائي. اصعدا امامي الى المرتفعة فتاكلا معي اليوم ثم اطلقك صباحا واخبرك بكل ما في قلبك.

¹⁹And Samuel answered Saul and said, I am the seer: go up before me to the high place, and ye shall eat with me to-day; and to-morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thy heart.

²⁰واما الاتن الضّالة لك منذ ثلاثة ايام فلا تضع قلبك عليها لانها قد وجدت. ولمن كل شهي اسرائيل. أليس لك ولكل بيت ابيك.

²⁰And as for the asses that thou didst lose three days ago, set not thy heart on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel [set]? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house?

²¹فاجاب شاول وقال اما انا بنياميني من اصغر اسباط اسرائيل وعشيرتي اصغر كل عشائر اسباط بنيامين. فلماذا تكلمني بمثل هذا الكلام.

²¹And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjaminite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? and why dost thou speak such words to me?

²²فاخذ صموئيل شاول وغلامه وادخلهما الى المنسك واعطاهما مكانا في راس المدعوين وهم نحو ثلاثين رجلا.

²²And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the chamber, and gave them a place at the head of them that were invited; and they were about thirty persons.

²³وقال صموئيل للطباخ هات النصيب الذي اعطيتك اياه الذي قلت لك عنه ضعه عندك

²³And Samuel said to the cook, Bring the portion that I gave thee, of which I said to thee, Set it by thee.

²⁴فرفع الطباخ الساق مع ما عليها وجعلها امام شاول. فقال هوذا ما أبقي. ضعه امامك وكل. لانه الى هذا الميعاد محفوظ لك من حين قلت دعوت الشعب. فاكل شاول مع صموئيل في ذلك اليوم

²⁴And the cook took up the shoulder, and what was on it, and set [it] before Saul. And he said, Behold that which has been reserved! set it before thee, eat; for against the set time has it been kept for thee, since I said, I will invite the people. So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

²⁵ولما نزلوا من المرتفعة الى المدينة تكلم مع شاول على السطح.

²⁵And they came down from the high place into the city, and he spoke with Saul upon the roof.

²⁶وبكروا وكان عند طلوع الفجر ان صموئيل دعا شاول عن السطح قائلا قم فاصرفك فقام شاول وخرجا كلاهما هو وصموئيل الى خارج.

²⁶And they arose early; and when it was about the dawning of the day, Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, Arise, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, into the street.

²⁷وفيما هما نازلان بطرف المدينة قال صموئيل لشاول قل للغلام ان يعبر قدامنا. فعبر. واما انت فقف الآن فاسمعك كلام الله

²⁷As they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Tell the servant to pass on before us (and he passed on), but stand thou still now, that I may cause thee to hear the word of God.