1 Samuel 16

1 And the Lord said to Samuel: “How long will you mourn for Saul, though I have rejected him, so that he would not reign over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and approach, so that I may send you to Jesse of Bethlehem. For I have provided a king from among his sons for myself.”

And the LORD said to Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thy horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

2 And Samuel said: “How shall I go? For Saul will hear of it, and he will put me to death.” And the Lord said: “You shall take, by your hand, a calf from the herd. And you shall say, ‘I have arrived in order to immolate to the Lord.’

And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul shall hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.

3 And you shall call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will reveal to you what you should do. And you shall anoint whomever I will indicate to you.”

And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint to me him whom I name to thee.

4 Therefore, Samuel did just as the Lord told him. And he went to Bethlehem, and the elders of the city wondered. And meeting him, they said, “Is your arrival peaceful?”

And Samuel did that which the LORD spoke, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

5 And he said: “It is peaceful. I have arrived in order to immolate to the Lord. Be sanctified, and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and he called them to the sacrifice.

And he said, Peaceably: I have come to sacrifice to the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

6 And when they had entered, he saw Eliab, and he said, “Could he be the Christ in the sight of the Lord?”

And it came to pass, when they had come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him.

7 And the Lord said to Samuel: “You should not look with favor on his face, nor on the height of his stature. For I have rejected him. Neither do I judge by the appearance of a man. For man sees those things that are apparent, but the Lord beholds the heart.”

But the LORD said to Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

8 And Jesse called Abinadab, and he brought him before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”

Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.

9 Then Jesse brought Shammah. And he said about him, “And the Lord has not chosen this one.”

Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.

10 And so Jesse brought his seven sons before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.”

Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.

11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Could the sons now be completed?” But he responded, “There still remains a little one, and he pastures the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse: “Send and bring him. For we shall not recline to eat, until he arrives here.”

And Samuel said to Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and bring him: for we will not sit down till he hath come here.

12 Therefore, he sent and brought him. Now he was ruddy, and beautiful to behold, and with a stately face. And the Lord said, “Rise up, anoint him! For it is he.”

And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and also of a beautiful countenance, and a good appearance. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

13 Therefore, Samuel took the horn of oil, and he anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord was guiding David from that day and thereafter. And Samuel rose up, and he went away to Ramah.

Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day onward. So Samuel arose, and went to Ramah.

14 But the Spirit of the Lord withdrew from Saul, and a wicked spirit from the Lord disturbed him.

But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.

15 And the servants of Saul said to him: “Behold, an evil spirit from God disturbs you.

And Saul’s servants said to him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

16 May our lord order, and your servants, who are before you, will seek a man skillful in playing a stringed instrument, so that when the evil spirit from the Lord assails you, he may play with his hand, and you may bear it more easily.”

Let our lord now command thy servants, who are before thee, to seek a man, who is a skilful player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

17 And Saul said to his servants, “Then provide for me someone who can play well, and bring him to me.”

And Saul said to his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.

18 And one of the servants, responding, said: “Behold, I have seen the son of Jesse of Bethlehem, a skillful player, and very strong and robust, a man fit for war, and prudent in words, a handsome man. And the Lord is with him.”

Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is skilful in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a handsome person, and the LORD is with him.

19 Therefore, Saul sent messengers to Jesse, saying, “Send to me your son David, who is in the pastures.”

Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, Send to me David thy son, who is with the sheep.

20 And so, Jesse took a donkey laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid from one of the goats, and he sent them, by the hand of his son David, to Saul.

And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son to Saul.

21 And David went to Saul, and stood before him. And he loved him exceedingly, and he made him his armor bearer.

And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer.

22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying: “Let David remain before my sight. For he has found favor in my eyes.”

And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.

23 And so, whenever the evil spirit from the Lord assailed Saul, David took up his stringed instrument, and he struck it with his hand, and Saul was refreshed and uplifted. For the evil spirit withdrew from him.

And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.