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David Anointed King

16 Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “(A)How long will you be grieving over Saul? (B)I have rejected him from being king over Israel. (C)Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to (D)Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I (E)see among his sons a king for Me.” But Samuel said, “How can I go? Saul will hear of it and will kill me.” Then Yahweh said, “(F)Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh.’ And you shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and (G)I will make you know what you shall do; and (H)you shall anoint for Me the one whom I say to you.” So Samuel did what Yahweh said and came to (I)Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “(J)Do you come in peace?” And he said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. (K)Set yourselves apart as holy and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also set apart Jesse and his sons as holy and invited them to the sacrifice.

Now it happened, when they entered, he looked at (L)Eliab and thought, “Surely the anointed of Yahweh is before Him.” But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for [a]God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, (M)but Yahweh looks at the heart.” Then Jesse called (N)Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one either.” Next Jesse made [b](O)Shammah pass by. And he said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one either.” 10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “Yahweh has not chosen these.” 11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the young men?” And he said, “(P)There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is shepherding the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and [c]bring him, for we will not turn around until he comes here.” 12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with (Q)beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And Yahweh said, “(R)Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and (S)anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and (T)the Spirit of Yahweh [d]came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 16:7 As in Gr; Heb He does not see what man sees
  2. 1 Samuel 16:9 In 2 Sam 13:3, Shimeah; in 1 Chr 2:13, Shimea
  3. 1 Samuel 16:11 Lit take
  4. 1 Samuel 16:13 Lit succeeded, rushed upon

Samuel Goes to Bethlehem

16 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “(A)How long are you going to mourn for [a]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 (D)Jesse the Bethlehemite, because I have (E)chosen a king for Myself among his sons.” But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” But the Lord said, “(F)Take a heifer [b]with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ And you shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and (G)I will let you know what you shall do; and (H)you shall anoint for Me the one whom I [c]designate to you.” So Samuel did what the Lord told him, and he came to (I)Bethlehem. Then the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “(J)Do you come in peace?” And he said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. (K)Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they entered, he looked at (L)Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lords anointed is standing before Him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for [d]God does not see as man sees, since man looks at [e]the outward appearance, (M)but the Lord looks at the heart.” Then Jesse called (N)Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel. But he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.” Next Jesse had [f](O)Shammah pass by. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.” 10 So Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the boys?” And he said, “(P)The youngest is still left, but behold, he is tending the sheep.” So Samuel said to Jesse, “Send word and bring him; for we will not take our places at the table until he comes here.”

David Anointed

12 So he sent word and brought him in. Now he was [g]reddish, with (Q)beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “(R)Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and (S)anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and (T)the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel set out and went to Ramah.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 16:1 I.e., God’s rejection of Saul
  2. 1 Samuel 16:2 Lit by your hand
  3. 1 Samuel 16:3 Lit say to you
  4. 1 Samuel 16:7 As in LXX; MT, He does not see what man sees
  5. 1 Samuel 16:7 Lit the eyes; or what is before the eyes
  6. 1 Samuel 16:9 In 2 Sam 13:3, Shimeah; in 1 Chr 2:13, Shimea
  7. 1 Samuel 16:12 I.e., of reddish hair or skin