1 Samuel 16
1 2
3 4 5
6 7 8
9 10 11
12 13 14
15 16 17
18 19
20 21 22 23
24 25 26
27 28 29
30 31
1 And the LORD said unto
Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from
reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to
Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
2 And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul
hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee,
and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.
3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I
will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom
I name unto thee.
4 And Samuel did that which the LORD
spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming,
and said, Comest thou peaceably?
5 And 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, Surely the LORD’S anointed is
before him.
7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not
on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him:
for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward
appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him
pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And
he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.
10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to
pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.
11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here
all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and,
behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him:
for we will not sit down till he come hither.
12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he
was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to
look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and
anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon
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.
15 And Saul’s servants said unto him,
Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
16 Let our lord now command thy servants, which
are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an
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 be well.
17 And Saul said unto his servants,
Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.
18 Then answered one of the servants, and
said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is
cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in
matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.
19 Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto
Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.
20 And Jesse took an ass laden with
bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son
unto Saul.
21 And David came to Saul, and stood
before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer.
22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let
David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.
23 And it came to pass, when the evil
spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his
hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from
him.
Return to Bible Index Page
|