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
Samuel Anoints David to Be Israel’s King
1The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you be filled with sorrow because of Saul? I have refused to have him as king over Israel. Fill your animal horn with olive oil and go on your way. I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
2But Samuel said, “How can I go? Suppose Saul hears about it. Then he’ll kill me.”
The Lord said, “Take a young cow with you. Tell the elders of Bethlehem, ‘I’ve come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice. Then I will show you what to do. You must anoint for me the one I point out to you.”
4Samuel did what the Lord said. He arrived at Bethlehem. The elders of the town met him. They were trembling with fear. They asked, “Have you come in peace?”
5Samuel replied, “Yes, I’ve come in peace. I’ve come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Set yourselves apart to him and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he set Jesse and his sons apart to the Lord. He invited them to the sacrifice.
6When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab. He thought, “This has to be the one the Lord wants me to anoint for him.”
7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider how handsome or tall he is. I have not chosen him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outside of a person. But the Lord looks at what is in the heart.”
8Then Jesse called for Abinadab. He had him walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen him either.” 9Then Jesse had Shammah walk by. But Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen him either.” 10Jesse had seven of his sons walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said to him, “The Lord hasn’t chosen any of them.” 11So he asked Jesse, “Are these the only sons you have?”
“No,” Jesse answered. “My youngest son is taking care of the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send for him. We won’t sit down to eat until he arrives.”
12So Jesse sent for his son and had him brought in. He looked very healthy. He had a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the Lord said, “Get up and anoint him. This is the one.”
13So Samuel got the animal horn that was filled with olive oil. He anointed David in front of his brothers. From that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David. Samuel went back to Ramah.
David Serves Saul
14The Spirit of the Lord had left Saul. And an evil spirit sent by the Lord terrified him.
15Saul’s attendants said to him, “An evil spirit sent by God is terrifying you. 16Give us an order to look for someone who can play the harp. He will play it when the evil spirit sent by God comes on you. Then you will feel better.”
17So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays the harp well. Bring him to me.”
18One of the servants said, “I’ve seen someone who knows how to play the harp. He is a son of Jesse from Bethlehem. He’s a brave man. He would make a good soldier. He’s a good speaker. He’s very handsome. And the Lord is with him.”
19Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse. He said, “Send me your son David, the one who takes care of your sheep.” 20So Jesse got some bread and a bottle of wine. The bottle was made out of animal skin. He also got a young goat. He loaded everything on the back of a donkey. He sent all of it to Saul with his son David.
21David went to Saul and began to serve him. Saul liked him very much. David became one of the men who carried Saul’s armor. 22Saul sent a message to Jesse. Saul said, “Let David stay here. I want him to serve me. I’m pleased with him.”
23When the evil spirit sent by God would come on Saul, David would get his harp and play it. That would help Saul. He would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.
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