1 Samuel Chapter 16

1 Samuel Chapter 16
1 The Lord then said unto Samuel, How
long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I
have cast him away from reigning over
Israel? Fill thine horn with oil and come,
I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite:
for I have provided me a king
among his sons.
2 And Samuel said, How can I go? For
if Saul shall hear it, he will kill me.
Then the Lord answered, Take an heifer
with thee, and say, I am come to do
sacrifice to the Lord.
3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I
will show thee what thou shalt do, and
thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I
name unto thee.
4 So Samuel did that the Lord bade him,
and came to Beth-lehem, and the elders
of the town were astonied at his coming,
and said, Comest thou peaceably?
5 And he answered, Yea: I am come to
do sacrifice unto the Lord: sanctify
yourselves, and come with me to the
sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and
his sons, and called them to the
sacrifice.
6 And when they were come, he looked
on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord's
Anointed is before him.
7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look
not on his countenance, nor on the height
of his stature, because I have refused
him: for God seeth not as man seeth: for
man looketh on the outward appearance,
but the Lord beholdeth the heart.
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made
him come before Samuel. And he said,
Neither hath the Lord chosen this.
9 Then Jesse made Shammah come. And
he said, Neither yet hath the Lord chosen
him.
10 Again Jesse made his seven sons to
come before Samuel: and Samuel said
unto Jesse, The Lord hath chosen none of
these.
11 Finally, Samuel said unto Jesse, Are
there no more children but these?
And he said, There remaineth yet a little
one behind, that keepeth the sheep. Then
Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and set
him: for we will not sit down, till he be
come hither.
12 And he sent, and brought him in: and
he was ruddy, and of a good
countenance, and comely visage. And the
Lord said, Arise, and anoint him: for
this is he.
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and
anointed him in the midst of his brethren.
And the spirit of the Lord came upon
David, from that day forward: then
Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed
from Saul, and an evil spirit sent of the
Lord vexed him.
15 And Saul's servants said unto him,
Behold now, the evil spirit of God
vexeth thee.
16 Let our Lord therefore command thy
servants, that are before thee, to seek a
man that is a cunning player upon the
harp: that when the evil spirit of God
cometh upon thee, he may play with his
hand, and thou mayest be eased. 17 Saul
then said unto his servants, Provide me a
man, I pray you, that can play well, and
bring him to me.
18 Then answered one of his servants,
and said, Behold, I have seen a son of
Jesse, a Beth-lehemite, that can play, and
is strong, valiant and a man of war and
wise in matters, and a comely person,
and the Lord is with him. 19 Wherefore
Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and
said, Send me David thy son which is
with the sheep.
20 And Jesse took an ass laden with
bread and a flagon of wine and a kid,
and sent them by the hand of David his
son unto Saul.
21 And David came to Saul, and stood
before him: and he loved him very well,
and he was his armor bearer.
22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let
David now remain with me: for he hath
found favor in my sight.
23 And so when the evil spirit of God
came upon Saul, David took an harp and
played with his hand, and Saul was
refreshed, and was eased: for the evil
spirit departed from him.