Samuel Anoints David

1And YHWH said to Samuel, “Until when will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse the Beth-lehemite, for I have provided among his sons for Myself a king.”

2And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.”

And YHWH said, “Take a heifer of the herd with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to YHWH.’ 3And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for Me whom I speak to you.”

4And Samuel did what YHWH had spoken, and he came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come in peace?”

5And he said, “In peace to sacrifice to YHWH I have come. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.”

And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 6And it was in their coming that he saw Eliab and said, “Surely before YHWH is His anointed.”

7And YHWH said to Samuel, “Look not at his appearance, or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For it is not as the man sees—for the man looks at the eyes, and YHWH looks at the heart.”

8And Jesse called to Abinadab and made him pass before the face of Samuel. And he said, “Also this one YHWH has not chosen.”

9And Jesse made Shammah† pass over, and he said, “This one YHWH has not chosen.”

10And Jesse made seven of his sons pass over before the face of Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “YHWH has not chosen these.”

11And Samuel said to Jesse, “The young men are finished?”

And he said, “Yet there remains the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.”

And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes here.”

12And he sent and brought him in, and he was ruddy with bright eyes, and good in appearance. And YHWH said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”

13And Samuel took the horn of the oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of YHWH came upon David from that day and forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

David Serves Saul

14And the Spirit of YHWH departed from Saul, and a spirit of distress† from YHWH troubled him. 15And the servants of Saul said to him, “Behold, please, a spirit of distress from God is troubling you. 16Command, our master, please, your servants to seek out before you a skillful man, playing on the harp. And it shall be when the spirit of distress from God is upon you, that he shall play with his hand, and it will be well with you.”

17And Saul said to his servants, “Please provide for me a man playing well, and bring him to me.”

18And one of the servants answered and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, being skilled in playing and mighty of valor, and a man of war, and prudent in speech, and a man of good appearance, and YHWH is with him.”

19And Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and he said, “Send to me David your son, who is with the sheep.”

20And Jesse took a donkey with bread, and a skin of wine, and one kid of the goats, and he sent them by the hand of David his son to Saul. 21And David came to Saul and stood before his face, and he loved him greatly, and he became to him a bearer of weapons.

22And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David, please, stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23And it came to pass when the spirit from God is upon Saul, that David would take the harp and play with his hand for Saul, and he would become refreshed, and it was well with him, and the spirit of distress would depart from him.