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.
Currently Selected:
1 Samuel 16: FBV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
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
David Chosen to Be King
1The Lord asked Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul now that I have rejected him as king of Israel? Fill a flask with olive oil and go. I’m sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem because I’ve selected one of his sons to be king.”
2“How can I go?” Samuel asked. “When Saul hears about it, he’ll kill me.”
The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice. I will reveal to you what you should do, and you will anoint for me the one I point out to you.”
4Samuel did what the Lord told him. When he came to Bethlehem, the leaders of the city, trembling with fear, greeted him and said, “May peace be with you.”
5“Greetings,” he replied, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Perform the ceremonies to make yourselves holy, and come with me to the sacrifice.” He performed the ceremonies for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6When they came, he saw Eliab and thought, “Certainly, here in the Lord’s presence is his anointed king.”
7But the Lord told Samuel, “Don’t look at his appearance or how tall he is, because I have rejected him. God does not see as humans see.#16:7 Greek; Masoretic Text “Not that which humans see.” Humans look at outward appearances, but the Lord looks into the heart.”
8Then Jesse called Abinadab and brought him to Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”
9Then Jesse had Shammah come to Samuel. “The Lord has not chosen this one either,” Samuel said. 10So Jesse brought seven ⌞more⌟ of his sons to Samuel, but Samuel told Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen ⌞any of⌟ these. 11Are these all the sons you have?”
“There’s still the youngest one,” Jesse answered. “He’s tending the sheep.”
Samuel told Jesse, “Send someone to get him. We won’t continue until he gets here.”
12So Jesse sent for him. He had a healthy complexion, attractive eyes, and a handsome appearance. The Lord said, “Go ahead, anoint him. He is the one.” 13Samuel took the flask of olive oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers. The Lord’s Spirit came over David and stayed with him from that day on. Then Samuel left for Ramah.
David Plays the Lyre for Saul
14Now, the Lord’s Spirit had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. 15Saul’s officials told him, “An evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16Your Majesty, why don’t you command us to look for a man who can play the lyre well? When the evil spirit from God comes to you, he’ll strum a tune, and you’ll feel better.”
17Saul told his officials, “Please find me a man who can play well and bring him to me.”
18One of the officials said, “I know one of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem who can play well. He’s a courageous man and a warrior. He has a way with words, he is handsome, and the Lord is with him.”
19Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”
20Jesse took six bushels of bread, a full wineskin, and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul. 21David came to Saul and served him. Saul loved him very much and made David his armorbearer. 22Saul sent ⌞this message⌟ to Jesse, “Please let David stay with me because I have grown fond of him.”
23Whenever God’s spirit came to Saul, David took the lyre and strummed a tune. Saul got relief ⌞from his terror⌟ and felt better, and the evil spirit left him.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.