16:1 And YHWH (יהוה) said unto Shemuel (שׁמוּאל), How long wilt thou mourn for Sha'ul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Yisrael? fill thine keren (horn) with shemen (oil), and go, I will send thee to Yishai the Beit-Lachmi: for I have provided me a king among his sons.
16:2 And Shemuel (שׁמוּאל) said, How can I go? if Sha'ul hear [it], he will kill me. And YHWH (יהוה) said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to YHWH (יהוה).
16:3 And call Yishai to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt meshachehu (anoint him) unto me [him] whom I name unto thee.
16:4 And Shemuel (שׁמוּאל) did that which YHWH (יהוה) spake, and came to Beit Lechem. And the Zekenim the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?
16:5 And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto YHWH (יהוה): sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Yishai and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
16:6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eli'av, and said, Surely YHWH (יהוה)'S anointed [is] before him.
16:7 But YHWH (יהוה) said unto Shemuel (שׁמוּאל):
Do not look at his appearance, or at his physical stature,; because I have rejected him: for [YHWH (יהוה) seeth] not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but YHWH (יהוה) looks on the heart.
16:8 Then Yishai called Avinadav, and made him pass before Shemuel (שׁמוּאל). And he said, Neither hath YHWH (יהוה) chosen this.
16:9 Then Yishai made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath YHWH (יהוה) chosen this.
16:10 Again, Yishai made seven of his sons to pass before Shemuel (שׁמוּאל). And Shemuel (שׁמוּאל) said unto Yishai, YHWH (יהוה) hath not chosen these.
16:11 And Shemuel (שׁמוּאל) said unto Yishai,
Are here all [thy] children? And he said, There remaineth yet the katan (youngest), and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Shemuel (שׁמוּאל) said unto Yishai, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
16:12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he [was] ruddy, [and] withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And YHWH (יהוה) said, Arise, meshachehu (anoint him) him: for this [is] he.
16:13 Then Shemuel (שׁמוּאל) took the keren (horn) shemen (oil), and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Ruach YHWH (יהוה) came upon David from that day forward. So Shemuel (שׁמוּאל) rose up, and went to Ramah.
16:14 But the Ruach YHWH (יהוה) departed from Sha'ul, and an evil spirit from YHWH (יהוה) troubled him.
16:15 And Sha'ul's avadim said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from Elohim (אלהים) troubleth thee.
16:16 Let our master now command thy avadim, [which are] before thee, to seek out a man, [who is] a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from Elohim (אלהים) is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.
16:17 And Sha'ul said unto his avadim, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring [him] to me.
16:18 Then answered one of the avadim, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Yishai the Beit-Lachmi, [that is] cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and YHWH (יהוה) [is] with him.
16:19 Wherefore Sha'ul sent messengers unto Yishai, and said, Send me David thy son, which [is] with the sheep.
16:20 And Yishai took an ass [laden] with lechem, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent [them] by David his son unto Sha'ul.
16:21 And David came to Sha'ul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer.
16:22 And Sha'ul sent to Yishai, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight.
16:23 And it came to pass, when the [evil] spirit from Elohim (אלהים) was upon Sha'ul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Sha'ul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.