I Samuel 16 · שמואל א

And the Lord said to Shemu᾽el, How long wilt thou mourn for Sha᾽ul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Yisra᾽el? fill thy horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Yishay, the Bet-hallaĥmite: for I have provided for me a king among his sons,

And Shemu᾽el said, How can I go? if Sha᾽ul hears it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord.

And call Yishay to the sacrifice, and I will make known to thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint to me him whom I name to thee.

And Shemu᾽el did that which the Lord spoke, and came to Bet-leĥem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou in peace?

And he said, In peace: I am come to sacrifice to the Lord: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Yishay and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.

And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eli᾽av, and said, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.

But the Lord said to Shemu᾽el, Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for it is not as a man sees; for a man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

Then Yishay called Avinadav, and made him pass before Shemu᾽el. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this.

Then Yishay made Shamma pass by. And he said, Neither has the Lord chosen this.

And Yishay made seven of his sons to pass before Shemu᾽el. And Shemu᾽el said to Yishay, The Lord has not chosen these.

And Shemu᾽el said to Yishay, Are these all thy children? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, and he is tending the sheep. Then Shemu᾽el said to Yishay, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he comes here.

And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with fine eyes, and good looking. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

Then Shemu᾽el 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 onwards. So Shemu᾽el rose up, and went to Rama.

But the spirit of the Lord departed from Sha᾽ul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.

And Sha᾽ul’s servants said to him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting thee.

Let our lord now command thy servants, who are before thee, to seek out a man, who knows how to play on the lyre: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he will play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.

And Sha᾽ul said to his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.

Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Yishay the Bet-hallaĥmite, that knows how to play, and a fine warrior, and a man of war, and prudent in speech, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him.

So Sha᾽ul sent messengers to Yishay, and said, Send me David thy son, who is with the sheep.

And Yishay took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son to Sha᾽ul.

And David came to Sha᾽ul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer.

And Sha᾽ul sent to Yishay, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he has found favour in my eyes.

And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Sha᾽ul, that David took a lyre, and played with his hand: so Sha᾽ul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.