1 Samuel 16:1-23
16 And Jehovah said to Samuel “How long will you keep mourning over Saul, when I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go, I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I have picked out a king among his sons.”
2 And Samuel said “How am I to go? Saul would hear of it and kill me.” And Jehovah said “You are to take with you a heifer calf, and say ‘I have come to sacrifice to Jehovah,’
3 and invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what to do; and you are to anoint for me the one I tell you to.”
4 And Samuel did what Jehovah had said, and came to Bethlehem; and the elders of the city came to meet him in alarm, and said “Your coming means that all is well?”
5 and he said “It does; I have come to sacrifice to Jehovah; hallow yourselves and hold festival with me today”; and he hallowed Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 * And when they came in and he saw Eliab, he thought “It must be Jehovah’s warden, his anointed”;
7 but Jehovah said to Samuel “Do not look at his appearance and his tallness, for I have rejected him; for it is not what man sees, for man sees by the eyes but Jehovah sees by the heart.”
8 And Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel; and he said “Jehovah has not chosen this one either.”
9 And Jesse had Shammah pass; and he said “Jehovah has not chosen this one either.”
10 And Jesse had all seven of his sons pass before Samuel; and Samuel said to Jesse “Jehovah has not chosen these.”
11 * And Samuel said to Jesse “Is this all there are of the boys?” and he said “There still remains the youngest: he is out shepherding.” And Samuel said to Jesse “Send and get him; for we will not sit down till he is here.”
12 And he sent and brought him—a ruddy, handsome-eyed, good-looking youth—and Jehovah said “There, anoint him: this is the one.”
13 And Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the spirit of Jehovah seized upon David from that day on. And Samuel went off to Ramah.
14 And the spirit of Jehovah had gone away from Saul, and a bad spirit from Jehovah used to overwhelm him.
15 And Saul’s officers said to him “There is a bad divine spirit overwhelming you;
16 say the word, sir,—your servants are before you,—have them look up a man expert as a lyre-player, and when there is a bad divine spirit on you he shall play his music and you will be better.”
17 And Saul said to his officers “Pick me out a man who plays well and bring him to me.”
18 And one of the henchmen answered “I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is expert at playing, and a man of energy and a fighter, and discreet in word, and a fine figure, and Jehovah is with him.”
19 And Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said “Send me your son David, the one who is with the sheep”;
20 * and Jesse took a load of bread and a bag of wine and one kid and sent them to Saul by his son David.
21 And David came to Saul and presented himself before him, and Saul took a great liking to him and had him as squire.
22 And Saul sent word to Jesse “Let David be in my service, because I like him.”
23 And when there was a divine spirit on Saul David would take his lyre and play his music, and Saul would be easier and better, and the bad spirit would go away from him.
Footnotes
^ 16:6 Codd.* It must be that Jehovah’s anointed is in his presence
^ 16:11 Or we shall not
^ 16:20 (load of bread) Unc.; susp.
