1 Samuel 16
Evangelical Heritage Version
David Is Chosen as King
16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I see a king for myself among his sons.”
2 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.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do. You are to anoint for me the person that I point out to you.”
4 So Samuel did what the Lord had told him to do and went to Bethlehem. Trembling with fear, the elders of the city came to meet him. They said, “Do you come in peace?”
5 He said, “Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” He consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they had come, he looked at Eliab and said, “Certainly this is the Lord’s anointed.”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at how tall he is, because I have rejected him. For the Lord does not look at things the way man does. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”
9 Then Jesse had Shammah pass by. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”
10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11 Samuel said to Jesse, “Is that all of the young men?”
Jesse said, “There still is the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him, for we cannot sit down to eat until he comes.”
12 He sent for him and brought him in. David had red hair[a] and striking eyes, and was good-looking. The Lord said, “Get up! Anoint him, because this is the one.”
13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed on David with power from that day forward. After that Samuel set out and returned to Ramah.
David and Saul Meet
14 The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil[b] spirit from the Lord tormented him.
15 So Saul’s servants said to him, “Please listen to us. An evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Our lord, please command your servants who are here with you to seek out a man who is skilled at playing the lyre. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play the lyre,[c] and you will feel better.”
17 So Saul said to his servants, “Find a man who can play well and bring him to me.”
18 Then one of the young attendants replied, “As a matter of fact, I have seen a son of Jesse from Bethlehem who is a skillful player. He is a strong, brave man, fit for war. He shows good judgment in what he says and is a handsome man. And the Lord is with him.”
19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”
20 Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat, and he sent them with his son David to Saul. 21 David came to Saul and stood before him. Saul loved him, and David became his armor bearer. 22 So Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Permit David to remain and serve me, for I am very pleased with him.” 23 Whenever the spirit from God came over Saul, David would take the lyre in his hand and play. So Saul would be soothed and feel better, and the evil spirit would depart from him.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 16:12 Or a reddish complexion. The Hebrew word simply means red-colored.
- 1 Samuel 16:14 Or harmful. God permitted an evil spirit to afflict Saul as he permitted Satan to attack Job.
- 1 Samuel 16:16 Literally play the lyre by hand. By hand may be a technical term for David’s style of playing, that is, he played without a pick or striker. Most translations omit the term by hand.
1 Samuel 16
English Standard Version
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 in Saul's Service
14 (V)Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, (W)and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. 15 And Saul's servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord now command your servants (X)who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will (Y)play it, and you will be well.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” 18 One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, (Z)a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, (AA)and the Lord is with him.” 19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, (AB)who is with the sheep.” 20 (AC)And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. 21 And David came to Saul (AD)and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. 22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 And (AE)whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre (AF)and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 16:11 Or smallest
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
