David Anointed King

16 The Lord said to Samuel, ^(A)“How long will you grieve over Saul, since ^(B)I have rejected him from being king over Israel? ^(C)Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, ^(D)for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” ² And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ^(E)‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. ^(F)And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” ⁴ Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city ^(G)came to meet him trembling and said, ^(H)“Do you come peaceably?” ⁵ And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. ^(I)Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶ When they came, he looked on ^(J)Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.” ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, ^(K)“Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, ^(L)but the Lord looks on the heart.” ⁸ Then Jesse called ^(M)Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” ⁹ Then Jesse made ^(N)Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” ¹⁰ And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” ¹¹ Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, ^(O)“There remains yet the youngest,^[a] but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, ^(P)“Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” ¹² And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ^(Q)ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, ^(R)“Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” ¹³ Then Samuel took ^(S)the horn of oil ^(T)and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. ^(U)And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

David Anointed King of Israel

5 Then all the tribes of Israel ^(A)came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, ^(B)we are your bone and flesh. ² In times past, when Saul was king over us, ^(C)it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, ^(D)‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince^[a] over Israel.’” ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, ^(E)and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron ^(F)before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and ^(G)he reigned forty years. ^5 (H)At Hebron he reigned over Judah ^(I)seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.^[b]

⁴ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, ⁵ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^(A)Would you build me a house to dwell in? ⁶ I have not lived in a house ^(B)since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about ^(C)in a tent for my dwelling. ⁷ In all places where ^(D)I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with ^(E)any of the judges^[a] of Israel, whom I commanded ^(F)to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ ⁸ Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, ^(G)I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince^[b] over my people Israel. ^9 (H)And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel ^(I)and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place ^(J)and be disturbed no more. ^(K)And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, ^11 (L)from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And ^(M)I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that ^(N)the Lord will make you a house. ^12 (O)When your days are fulfilled and ^(P)you lie down with your fathers, ^(Q)I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 (R)He shall build a house for my name, and ^(S)I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 (T)I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, ^(U)I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, ^15 (V)but my steadfast love will not depart from him, ^(W)as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. ^16 (X)And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.^{[c] (Y)}Your throne shall be established forever.’” ¹⁷ In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.