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¹ AND 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, and come; I will send you to Jesse the Beth-lehemite; for I have found for myself a king among his sons.² And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said to Samuel, Take a heifer with you, and say, I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.³ And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint to me him whom I name unto you.⁴ And Samuel did as the LORD had commanded him, and came to Bethlehem of Judah. And the elders of the town went out to meet him, and said, Is your coming peaceable?⁵ And he said, Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶ And when they were come, he looked to Eliab, and said, Surely the LORDS anointed is like him.⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him; for I do not see as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither has the LORD chosen this one.⁹ Then Jesse made 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 And Samuel said to Jesse, Are these all the sons you have? And he said to him, There remains yet the youngest, and, behold, he is tending the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and bring him here; for I will not leave till he comes here.¹² And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes, and very handsome. And the LORD said to Samuel, Arise, anoint him; for this is he.¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel rose up and went to Ramtha to his house.

¹⁴ But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from before the LORD troubled him.¹⁵ And Sauls servants said to him, Behold, your servants are before you;¹⁶ Let them seek out a man who can play well on the harp; and when the evil spirit is upon you, he will play with his hands, and you shall be well.¹⁷ And Saul said to his servants, Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.¹⁸ Then one of the young men answered and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, who is skilful in playing and a mighty valiant man, a man of war and prudent in speech, a handsome man, and the LORD is with him.¹⁹ Wherefore King Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, Send me David your son; he will be useful to me.²⁰ And Jesse took an ass laden with bread and a skin of wine and a kid of goats, and sent them by David his son to Saul.²¹ And David came to Saul, and stood before him; and he loved him greatly; and he became his armorbearer.²² And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David attend me; for he has found favor in my sight.²³ And whenever the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, David took a harp, and played on it; so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.