Samuel Anoints David

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul,^(A) since I have rejected him as king over Israel?^(B) Fill your horn with oil^(C) and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem^(D) because I have selected for myself a king from his sons.”

² Samuel asked, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!”

The Lord answered, “Take a young cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’^{(E) 3} Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do.^(F) You are to anoint for me the one I indicate to you.”^(G)

⁴ Samuel did what the Lord directed and went to Bethlehem.^(H) When the elders of the town met him, they trembled^[a] and asked, “Do^[b] you come in peace?” ^(I)

⁵ “In peace,” he replied. “I’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves^(J) and come with me to the sacrifice.”^[c] Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. ⁶ When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab^(K) and said, “Certainly the Lord’s anointed one is here before him.”

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees,^[d] for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”^(L)

⁸ Jesse called Abinadab^(M) and presented him to Samuel. “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either,” Samuel said. ⁹ Then Jesse presented Shammah,^(N) but Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either.” ¹⁰ After Jesse presented seven of his sons to him, Samuel told Jesse, “The Lord hasn’t chosen any of these.” ¹¹ Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,”^(O) he answered, “but right now he’s tending the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse, “Send for him. We won’t sit down to eat until he gets here.” ¹² So Jesse sent for him. He had beautiful eyes and a healthy,^[e] handsome appearance.^(P)

Then the Lord said, “Anoint him, for he is the one.”^{(Q) 13} So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him^(R) in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David from that day forward.^(S) Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.

The Nativity of the Messiah

¹⁸ The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged^[a] to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit.^{(A) 19} So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man,^(B) and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.^(C)

²⁰ But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.^{(D) 21} She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus,^(E) because he will save his people from their sins.”^(F)

²² Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

which is translated “God is with us.”^(G)

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her^{(H) 25} but did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son.^[c] And he named him Jesus.^(I)

Boasting Only in the Lord

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, consider your calling: Not many were wise from a human perspective,^[a] not many powerful,^(A) not many of noble birth. ²⁷ Instead, God has chosen^(B) what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen what is weak in the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God has chosen what is insignificant and despised in the world^(C)—what is viewed as nothing—to bring to nothing what is viewed as something, ²⁹ so that no one^[b] may boast in his presence.^{(D) 30} It is from him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom from God for us—our righteousness,^(E) sanctification,^(F) and redemption^(G)— ³¹ in order that, as it is written:^(H) Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.^[c](I)