Samuel Goes to Bethlehem

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you ·continue to feel sorry [mourn; grieve] for Saul? I have rejected him as king of Israel. Fill your ·container [flask; ^Lhorn] with olive oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse who lives in Bethlehem, because I have ·chosen [selected; found myself] one of his sons to be king.”

² But Samuel said, “·If [^LHow can…?] I go, Saul will hear the news and will try to kill me.”

The Lord said, “Take a ·young calf [heifer] with you. Say, ‘I have come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice. Then I will tell you what to do. You must ·appoint [anoint] the one I ·show you [indicate; designate; name; ^Ltell you].”

⁴ Samuel did what the Lord told him to do. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of Bethlehem ·shook with fear [trembled]. They met him and asked, “Are you coming in peace?”

⁵ Samuel answered, “Yes, I come in peace. I have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. ·Set yourselves apart to the Lord [Consecrate/Purify/Sanctify yourselves] and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he ·set Jesse and his sons apart to the Lord, [consecrated/purified/sanctified Jesse and his sons] and he invited them to come to the sacrifice.

⁶ When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab, and he thought, “Surely, here stands before me the Lord’s ·appointed [anointed].”

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t look at ·how handsome Eliab is [his appearance] or ·how tall he is [his height], because I have ·not chosen [rejected] him. God does not see ·the same way [as] people see. People look at ·the outside of a person [appearances; the outward appearance], but the Lord looks ·at [on] the heart.”

⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and told him to ·pass by [walk in front of] Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this man either.” ⁹ Then Jesse had Shammah pass by. But Samuel said, “No, the Lord has not chosen this one.” ¹⁰ Jesse had seven of his sons ·pass by [presented to] Samuel. But Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.”

¹¹ Then he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”

Jesse answered, “I still have the youngest son. He is out taking care of the sheep.”

Samuel said, “Send for him. We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.”

¹² So Jesse sent and had his youngest son brought in. He was ·a fine boy, tanned [dark; ruddy], [^Lwith beautiful eyes] and handsome.

The Lord said to Samuel, “·Go [Rise], ·appoint [anoint] him, because he is the one.”

¹³ So Samuel took the ·container [flask; ^Lhorn] of olive oil and ·poured it on Jesse’s youngest son to appoint [anointed] him in front of his brothers. From that day on, the Lord’s Spirit ·worked in [came powerfully upon] David. Samuel then went back to Ramah.

David Serves Saul

¹⁴ But the Lord’s Spirit ·had left [departed from] Saul, and an ·evil [tormenting] spirit from the Lord ·troubled [terrorized; afflicted] him.

¹⁵ Saul’s servants said to him, “See, an ·evil [tormenting] spirit from God is ·troubling [terrorizing; afflicting] you. ¹⁶ Give ·us [^Lyour servants] the command to look for someone who can play the ·harp [lyre]. When the ·evil [tormenting] spirit from God ·troubles [terrorizes; afflicts] you, he will play, and you will ·feel better [be well].”

¹⁷ So Saul said to his servants, “Find someone who can play well and bring him to me.”

¹⁸ One of the servants said, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem play the ·harp [lyre]. He is brave and ·courageous [a warrior]. He ·is a good speaker [or has good judgment] and handsome, and the Lord is with him.”

¹⁹ Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse, saying, “Send me your son David, ·who is with the sheep [the shepherd].” ²⁰ So Jesse loaded a donkey with bread, a ·leather bag [wineskin] full of wine, and a young goat, and he sent them with his son David to Saul.

²¹ When David came to Saul, he ·began to serve him [entered his service; ^Lstood before him]. Saul ·liked David [loved David very much] and made him ·the officer who carried his armor [his armor bearer]. ²² Saul sent a message to Jesse, saying, “Let David ·stay and serve me [remain in my service] because ·I like him [I am pleased with him; ^Lhe has found grace/favor in my sight].”

²³ When the ·evil [tormenting] spirit from God ·troubled [terrorized; afflicted] Saul, David would take his ·harp [lyre] and play. Then the ·evil [tormenting] spirit would leave him, and Saul would feel ·better [refreshed; soothed].