1And YHWH says to Samuel, “Until when are you mourning for Saul, and I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go, I send you to Jesse the Beth-Lehemite, for I have seen among his sons a king for Myself.”

2And Samuel says, “How do I go? When Saul has heard, then he has slain me.” And YHWH says, “You take a heifer of the herd in your hand, and have said, I have come to sacrifice to YHWH;

3and you have called for Jesse in the sacrifice, and I cause you to know that which you do, and you have anointed for Me him of whom I speak to you.”

4And Samuel does that which YHWH has spoken, and comes to Beth-Lehem, and [the] elderly of the city tremble to meet him, and [one] says, “Is your coming peace?”

5And he says, “Peace; I have come to sacrifice to YHWH, sanctify yourselves, and you have come in with me to the sacrifice”; and he sanctifies Jesse and his sons, and calls them to the sacrifice.

6And it comes to pass, in their coming in, that he sees Eliab and says, “Surely His anointed [is] here before YHWH.”

7And YHWH says to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance, and at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him; for [it is] not as man sees—for man looks at the eyes, and YHWH looks at the heart.”

8And Jesse calls to Abinadab, and causes him to pass by before Samuel; and he says, “Indeed, YHWH has not fixed on this [one].”

9And Jesse causes Shammah to pass by, and he says, “Indeed, YHWH has not fixed on this [one].”

10And Jesse causes seven of his sons to pass by before Samuel, and Samuel says to Jesse, “YHWH has not fixed on these.”

11And Samuel says to Jesse, “Are the young men finished?” And he says, “Yet the youngest has been left; and behold, he delights himself among the flock”; and Samuel says to Jesse, “Send and take him, for we do not turn around until his coming in here.”

12And he sends, and brings him in, and he [is] ruddy, with beautiful eyes, and of good appearance; and YHWH says, “Rise, anoint him, for this [is] he.”

13And Samuel takes the horn of oil, and anoints him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of YHWH prospers over David from that day and onward; and Samuel rises and goes to Ramath.

14And the Spirit of YHWH turned aside from Saul, and a spirit of sadness from YHWH terrified him;

15and the servants of Saul say to him, “Now behold, a spirit of sadness [from] God is terrifying you;

16now let our lord command your servants before you [that] they seek a skillful man playing on a harp, and it has come to pass, in the spirit of sadness [from] God being on you, that he has played with his hand and [it is] well with you.”

17And Saul says to his servants, “Now provide for me a man playing well—then you have brought [him] to me.”

18And one of the servants answers and says, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-Lehemite, skillful in playing, and a mighty, virtuous man, and a man of battle, and intelligent in word, and a man of form, and YHWH [is] with him.”

19And Saul sends messengers to Jesse and says, “Send to me your son David, who [is] with the flock.”

20And Jesse takes a donkey, bread, and a bottle of wine, and one kid of the goats, and sends [them] by the hand of his son David to Saul.

21And David comes to Saul, and stands before him, and he loves him greatly; and he is a bearer of his weapons.

22And Saul sends to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found grace in my eyes.”

23And it has come to pass, in the spirit of [sadness from] God being on Saul, that David has taken the harp, and played with his hand, and Saul has refreshment and gladness, and the spirit of sadness has turned aside from off him.