1 Samuel 16:1–12

SAMUEL ANOINTS DAVID

16The Lord said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul,^f since I have rejected him as king over Israel?^g Fill your horn with oil^h and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehemⁱ because I have selected for myself a king from his sons.”

²Samuel asked, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!”

The Lord answered, “Take a young cow with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’^{j 3}Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do.^k You are to anoint for me the one I indicate to you.”^l

⁴Samuel did what the Lord directed and went to Bethlehem.^m When the elders of the town met him, they trembled^D and asked, “Do^E you come in peace?”ⁿ

⁵“In peace,” he replied. “I’ve come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves^o and come with me to the sacrifice.”^F Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. ⁶When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab^p and said, “Certainly the Lord’s anointed one is here before him.”

⁷But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees,^G for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”^q

⁸Jesse called Abinadab^r and presented him to Samuel. “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either,” Samuel said. ⁹Then Jesse presented Shammah,^s but Samuel said, “The Lord hasn’t chosen this one either.” ¹⁰After Jesse presented seven of his sons to him, Samuel told Jesse, “The Lord hasn’t chosen any of these.” ¹¹Samuel asked him, “Are these all the sons you have?”

“There is still the youngest,”^t he answered, “but right now he’s tending the sheep.” Samuel told Jesse, “Send for him. We won’t sit down to eat until he gets here.” ¹²So Jesse sent for him. He had beautiful eyes and a healthy,^H handsome appearance.^u

Then the Lord said, “Anoint him, for he is the one.”^v