1 Samuel 16:1–12

And the Lord said unto Samuel, ^aHow long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing ^bI have rejected him from reigning over Israel? ^cfill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for ^dI have provided me a king among his sons. ²And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, ^eI am come to sacrifice to the Lord. ³And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and ^fI will shew thee what thou shalt do: and ^gthou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. ⁴And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the town ^htrembled at his coming, and said, ⁱComest thou peaceably? ⁵And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord: ^ksanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. ⁶And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and ^lsaid, Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him. ⁷But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on ^mhis countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the ⁿheart. ⁸Then Jesse called ^oAbinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this. ⁹Then Jesse made ^oShammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the Lord chosen this. ¹⁰Again, Jesse made ^pseven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The Lord hath not chosen these. ¹¹And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, ^pThere remaineth yet the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, ^qSend and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. ¹²And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ^rruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And ^sthe Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.