16:1  THE LORD said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided for Myself a king among his sons.

16:2  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, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.

16:3  And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.

16:4  And Samuel did what the Lord said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, Have you come peaceably?

16:5  And he said, Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice.

16:6  When they had come, he looked on Eliab [the eldest son] and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him.

16:7  But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

16:8  Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. But Samuel said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one.

16:9  Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. Samuel said, Nor has the Lord chosen him.

16:10  Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not chosen any of these.

16:11  Then [he] said to Jesse, Are all your sons here? [Jesse] said, There is yet the youngest; he is tending the sheep. Samuel said to Jesse, Send for him; for we will not sit down to eat until he is here.

16:12  Jesse sent and brought him. David had a healthy reddish complexion and beautiful eyes, and was fine-looking. The Lord said [to Samuel], Arise, anoint him; this is he.

16:13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

16:14  But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented {and} troubled him.

16:15  Saul's servants said to him, Behold, an evil spirit from God torments you.

16:16  Let our lord now command your servants here before you to find a man who plays skillfully on the lyre; and when the evil spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.

16:17  Saul told his servants, Find me a man who plays well and bring him to me.

16:18  One of the young men said, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who plays skillfully, a valiant man, a man of war, prudent in speech {and} eloquent, an attractive person; and the Lord is with him.

16:19  So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.

16:20  And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a kid and sent them by David his son to Saul.

16:21  And David came to Saul and served him. Saul became very fond of him, and he became his armor-bearer.

16:22  Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David remain in my service, for he pleases me.

16:23  And when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took a lyre and played it; so Saul was refreshed and became well, and the evil spirit left him.