1 Samuel 16

¹ And Yahweh said unto Samuel, "Till when are you mourning for Saul, and I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill your horn with oil, and go, I send you unto Jesse the Beth-Lehemite, for I have seen among his sons for Myself a king." ² And Samuel said, "How do I go? when Saul has heard, then he has slain me." And Yahweh said, "A heifer of the herd you do take in your hand, and have said, To sacrifice to Yahweh I have come; ³ and you have called for Jesse in the sacrifice, and I cause you to know that which you do do, and you have anointed to Me him of whom I speak unto you." ⁴ And Samuel does that which Yahweh has spoken, and comes in to Beth-Lehem, and the elders of the city tremble to meet him, and [one] said, "Is your coming peace?" ⁵ and he said, "Peace; to sacrifice to Yahweh I have come, sanctify yourselves, and you have come in with me to the sacrifice;" and he sanctifies Jesse and his sons, and calls them to the sacrifice. ⁶ And it comes to pass, in their coming in, that he sees Eliab, and said, "Surely, before Yahweh [is] His anointed." ⁷ And Yahweh said unto Samuel, "Look not unto his appearance, and unto the height of his stature, for I have rejected him; for [it is] not as man sees - for man looks at the eyes, and Yahweh looks at the heart." ⁸ And Jesse calls unto Abinadab, and causes him to pass by before Samuel; and he said, "Also on this Yahweh has not fixed." ⁹ And Jesse causes Shammah to pass by, and he said, "Also on this Yahweh has not fixed." ¹⁰ And Jesse causes seven of his sons to pass by before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "Yahweh has not fixed on these." ¹¹ And Samuel said unto Jesse, "Are the youngest men finished?" and he said, "Yet has been left the young; and lo, he delights himself among the flock"; and Samuel said unto Jesse, "Send and take him, for we do not turn round till his coming in hither." ¹² And he sends, and brings him in, and he [is] ruddy, with beauty of eyes, and of good appearance; and Yahweh said, "Rise, anoint him, for this [is] he." ¹³ And Samuel takes the horn of oil, and anoints him in the midst of his brethren, and prosper over David does the Spirit of Yahweh from that day and onwards; and Samuel rises and goes to Ramath. ¹⁴ And the Spirit of Yahweh turned aside from Saul, and a spirit of sadness from Yahweh terrified him; ¹⁵ and the servants of Saul say unto him, "Lo, we pray you, a spirit of sadness [from] Elohim is terrifying you; ¹⁶ let our lord command, we pray you, your servants before you, they seek a skilful man, playing on a harp, and it has come to pass, in the spirit of sadness [from] Elohim being upon you, that he has played with his hand, and [it is] well with you." ¹⁷ And Saul said unto his servants, "Provide, I pray you, for me a man playing well - then you have brought [him] in unto me." ¹⁸ And one of the servants answers and said, "Lo, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-Lehemite, skilful in playing, and a mighty virtuous man, and a man of battle, and intelligent in word, and a man of form, and Yahweh [is] with him." ¹⁹ And Saul sends messengers unto Jesse, and said, "Send unto me David your son, who [is] with the flock." ²⁰ And Jesse takes an ass, [with] bread, and a bottle of wine, and one kid of the goats, and sends by the hand of David his son unto Saul. ²¹ And David comes in unto Saul, and stands before him, and he loves him greatly; and he is a bearer of his weapons. ²² And Saul sends unto Jesse, saying, "Let David, I pray you, stand before me, for he has found grace in mine eyes." ²³ And it has come to pass, in the spirit of [sadness from] Elohim being on Saul, that David has taken the harp, and played with his hand, and Saul has refreshment and gladness, and the spirit of sadness has turned aside from off him.