1 Samuel 16
16
1The Lord asked Samuel, “How long are you going to continue to mourn over Saul because I have rejected him as king of Israel? Fill your flask#16:1. “Flask”: literally, “horn.” with olive oil and go. I'm sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen a king for myself from among his sons.”
2“How can I go and do that?” Samuel asked. “Saul will hear about it and kill me!”
The Lord answered, “Take a young cow with you and say, ‘I've come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you have to do. Anoint for me the one I tell you to.”
4Samuel did what the Lord had told him to and went to Bethlehem. When the town elders met him, they were afraid and asked him, “Do you come in peace?”
5“Yes, I come in peace,” he replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He purified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6When they arrived and Samuel saw Eliab, he said to himself, “This has got to be the Lord's anointed!”
7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don't look at his outward appearance or how tall he is, because I have rejected him, for the Lord does not look as human beings do. Human beings only see with their eyes what's on the outside, but the Lord looks at the way people think deep inside.”
8Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him come before Samuel, who said, “The Lord hasn't chosen this one either.”
9Then Jesse had Shammah come forward. But Samuel said, “The Lord hasn't chosen this one either.”
10Jesse had seven of his sons come before Samuel, but Samuel told him, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.”
11So he asked Jesse, “Don't you have any more sons?”
“Well, there's still the youngest,” Jesse replied, “but he is out looking after the sheep.”
“Send for him and bring him here because we will not sit down and eat#16:11. “Sit down and eat”: literally, “surround.” This is usually thought to mean to surround a table before sitting down, but it could also mean to “surround” an altar, i.e. the beginning of the sacrificial rituals. until he gets here,” Samuel told Jesse.
12So Jesse sent for him and brought him in. He had a red complexion with beautiful eyes, and looked handsome. The Lord said, “Go and anoint him, for he's the one.”
13Samuel took the flask of olive oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came on David in power from that day on. Then Samuel left and returned to Ramah.
14The Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.#16:14. As in other parts of Scripture, God is sometimes presented as doing something he does not actually prevent. The removal of the Spirit of the Lord left Saul open to control by another spirit. The way the servants react shows that this was a common view of the time—God is given responsibility for Saul's problems. 15Saul's servants told him, “It's definitely an evil spirit from God that's tormenting you. 16Give us your servants here the order to find someone who is good at playing the harp so that when the evil spirit from God comes on you, he can play and you'll feel much better.”
17Saul gave the order to his servants, “Find me someone who is good at playing the harp and bring him to me.”
18One of the servants replied, “I know a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who is good at playing the harp. He is a brave man, a good fighter, well-spoken and handsome, and the Lord is with him.”
19Saul sent messengers to Jesse, telling him, “Send me your son David who takes care of the sheep.”
20So Jesse loaded a donkey with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul. 21David came to Saul and began working for him. Saul thought a great deal of him, and David became his armor-bearer.
22Saul sent a message to Jesse, saying, “Please allow David to continue working for me because I am pleased with him.”
23So whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take his harp and play, and Saul would gain relief and feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
1 Samuel 16
16
1 Samuel 16
1¶ And the Lord said unto 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 of Bethlehem for I have provided me a king among his sons.
2And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul understands it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take a heifer with thee and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord.
3And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do, and thou shalt anoint unto me the one whom I name unto thee.
4And Samuel did as the Lord said and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, Comest thou peaceably?
5And he said, Peaceably; I am come to sacrifice unto 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 it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab and said, Peradventure is the Lord’s anointed before him?
7And the Lord replied unto Samuel, Do not look on his countenance or on the height of his stature because I have refused him, for it is not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.
8Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one.
9Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one.
10Again, Jesse made his seven sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord has not chosen these.
11And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are all thy young men here? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, and, behold, he keeps the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send for him, for we will not sit down to the table until he comes here.
12And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and of a beautiful countenance and handsome. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he.
13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him from among his brethren; and the Spirit of the Lord prospered David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
14¶ But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.
15And Saul’s slaves said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubles thee.
16Let our lord now command thy slaves, which are before thee, to seek out a man who is a cunning player on a 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 have relief.
17And Saul said unto his slaves, Provide me now a man that can play well and bring him to me.
18Then one of the servants answered and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem, that is cunning in playing and a mighty valiant man and a man of war and prudent in speech and handsome, and the Lord is with him.
19Therefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse and said, Send me David, thy son, who is with the sheep.
20And Jesse took an ass laden with bread and a bottle of wine and a kid and sent them by David, his son, unto Saul.
21And David came to Saul and stood before him; and he loved him greatly, and he became his armourbearer.
22And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me, for he has found favour in my sight.
23And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp and played with his hand; so Saul was refreshed and was better, and the evil spirit departed from him.
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The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International