1 Samuel 16

New International Version

Samuel Anoints David

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn^(A) for Saul, since I have rejected^(B) him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil^(C) and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse^(D) of Bethlehem. I have chosen^(E) one of his sons to be king.”

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

The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show^(F) you what to do. You are to anoint^(G) for me the one I indicate.”

⁴Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem,^(H) the elders of the town trembled^(I) when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?^(J)”

⁵Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate^(K) yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab^(L) and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”

⁷But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance,^(M) but the Lord looks at the heart.”^(N)

⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab^(O) and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” ⁹Jesse then had Shammah^(P) pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” ¹⁰Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.” ¹¹So he asked Jesse, “Are these all^(Q) the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”^(R)

Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”

¹²So he^(S) sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome^(T) features.

Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”

¹³So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed^(U) him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord^(V) came powerfully upon David.^(W) Samuel then went to Ramah.

David in Saul’s Service

¹⁴Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed^(X) from Saul, and an evil^[a] spirit^(Y) from the Lord tormented him.^(Z)

¹⁵Saul’s attendants said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. ¹⁶Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre.^(AA) He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better.”

¹⁷So Saul said to his attendants, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.”

¹⁸One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse^(AB) of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior.^(AC) He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with^(AD) him.”

¹⁹Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.^(AE)” ²⁰So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread,^(AF) a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.

²¹David came to Saul and entered his service.^(AG) Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. ²²Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.”

²³Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit^(AH) would leave him.

Footnotes

1 Samuel 16:14 Or and a harmful; similarly in verses 15, 16 and 23

Job 33

New International Version

33 “But now, Job, listen^(A) to my words;
    pay attention to everything I say.^(B)
²I am about to open my mouth;
    my words are on the tip of my tongue.
³My words come from an upright heart;^(C)
    my lips sincerely speak what I know.^(D)
⁴The Spirit^(E) of God has made me;^(F)
    the breath of the Almighty^(G) gives me life.^(H)
⁵Answer me^(I) then, if you can;
    stand up^(J) and argue your case before me.^(K)
⁶I am the same as you in God’s sight;^(L)
    I too am a piece of clay.^(M)
⁷No fear of me should alarm you,
    nor should my hand be heavy on you.^(N)

⁸“But you have said in my hearing—
    I heard the very words—
⁹‘I am pure,^(O) I have done no wrong;^(P)
    I am clean and free from sin.^(Q)
¹⁰Yet God has found fault with me;
    he considers me his enemy.^(R)
¹¹He fastens my feet in shackles;^(S)
    he keeps close watch on all my paths.’^(T)

¹²“But I tell you, in this you are not right,
    for God is greater than any mortal.^(U)
¹³Why do you complain to him^(V)
    that he responds to no one’s words^[a]?^(W)
¹⁴For God does speak^(X)—now one way, now another^(Y)—
    though no one perceives it.^(Z)
¹⁵In a dream,^(AA) in a vision^(AB) of the night,^(AC)
    when deep sleep^(AD) falls on people
    as they slumber in their beds,
¹⁶he may speak^(AE) in their ears
    and terrify them^(AF) with warnings,^(AG)
¹⁷to turn them from wrongdoing
    and keep them from pride,^(AH)
¹⁸to preserve them from the pit,^(AI)
    their lives from perishing by the sword.^[b]^(AJ)

¹⁹“Or someone may be chastened^(AK) on a bed of pain^(AL)
    with constant distress in their bones,^(AM)
²⁰so that their body finds food^(AN) repulsive
    and their soul loathes the choicest meal.^(AO)
²¹Their flesh wastes away to nothing,
    and their bones,^(AP) once hidden, now stick out.^(AQ)
²²They draw near to the pit,^(AR)
    and their life to the messengers of death.^[c]^(AS)
²³Yet if there is an angel at their side,
    a messenger,^(AT) one out of a thousand,
    sent to tell them how to be upright,^(AU)
²⁴and he is gracious to that person and says to God,
    ‘Spare them from going down to the pit;^(AV)
    I have found a ransom for them^(AW)—
²⁵let their flesh be renewed^(AX) like a child’s;
    let them be restored as in the days of their youth’^(AY)—
²⁶then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,^(AZ)
    they will see God’s face and shout for joy;^(BA)
    he will restore them to full well-being.^(BB)
²⁷And they will go to others and say,
    ‘I have sinned,^(BC) I have perverted what is right,^(BD)
    but I did not get what I deserved.^(BE)
²⁸God has delivered^(BF) me from going down to the pit,^(BG)
    and I shall live to enjoy the light of life.’^(BH)

²⁹“God does all these things to a person^(BI)—
twice, even three times^(BJ)—
³⁰to turn them back^(BK) from the pit,^(BL)
that the light of life^(BM) may shine on them.^(BN)

³¹“Pay attention, Job, and listen^(BO) to me;^(BP)
    be silent,^(BQ) and I will speak.
³²If you have anything to say, answer me;^(BR)
    speak up, for I want to vindicate you.^(BS)
³³But if not, then listen to me;^(BT)
    be silent,^(BU) and I will teach you wisdom.^(BV)”

Footnotes

Job 33:13 Or that he does not answer for any of his actions
Job 33:18 Or from crossing the river
Job 33:22 Or to the place of the dead

Revelation 10

New International Version

The Angel and the Little Scroll

10 Then I saw another mighty angel^(A) coming down from heaven.^(B) He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow^(C) above his head; his face was like the sun,^(D) and his legs were like fiery pillars.^(E) ²He was holding a little scroll,^(F) which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land,^(G) ³and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion.^(H) When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders^(I) spoke. ⁴And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write;^(J) but I heard a voice from heaven^(K) say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down.”^(L)

⁵Then the angel I had seen standing on the sea and on the land^(M) raised his right hand to heaven.^(N) ⁶And he swore^(O) by him who lives for ever and ever,^(P) who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it,^(Q) and said, “There will be no more delay!^(R) ⁷But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet,^(S) the mystery^(T) of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.”^(U)

⁸Then the voice that I had heard from heaven^(V) spoke to me once more: “Go, take the scroll^(W) that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

⁹So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’^[a]”^(X) ¹⁰I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth,^(Y) but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. ¹¹Then I was told, “You must prophesy^(Z) again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”^(AA)