Chapter 16

¹And the Lord said to Samuel. How It long wilt thou mourn for Saul, whom I have rejected from reigning over Israel? fill thy horn with oil, and come, that I may send thee to Isai the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. ²And Samuel said: How shall I go? for Saul will hear of it, and he will kill me. And the Lord said: Thou shalt take with thee a calf of the herd, and thou shalt say: I am come to sacrifice to the Lord. ³And thou shalt call Isai to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou art to do, and thou shalt anoint him whom I shall shew to thee. ⁴Then Samuel did as the Lord had said to him. And he came to Bethlehem, and the ancients of the city wondered, and meeting him, they said: Is thy coming hither peaceable? ⁵And he said: It is peaceable: I am come to offer sacrifice to the Lord, be ye sanctified, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Isai and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. ⁶And when they were come in, he saw Eliab, and said: Is the Lord's anointed before him? ⁷And the Lord said to Samuel: Look not on his countenance, nor on the height of his stature: because I have rejected him, nor do I judge according to the look of man: for man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart. ⁸And Isai called Abinadab, and brought him before Samuel. And he said: Neither hath the Lord chosen this. ⁹And Isai brought Samma, and he said of him: Neither hath the Lord chosen this. ¹⁰Isai therefore brought his seven sons before Samuel: and Samuel said to Isai: The Lord hath not chosen any one of these. ¹¹And Samuel said to Isai: Are here all thy sons? He answered: There remaineth yet a young one, who keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said to Isai: Send, and fetch him, for we will not sit down till he come hither. ¹²He sent therefore and brought him Now he was ruddy and beautiful to behold, and of a comely face. And the Lord said: Arise, and anoint him, for this is he. ¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward: and Samuel rose up, and went to Ramatha. ¹⁴But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. ¹⁵And the servants of Saul said to him: Behold now an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. ¹⁶Let our lord give orders, and thy servants who are before thee will seek out a man skilful in playing on the harp, that when the evil spirit from the Lord is upon thee, he may play with his hand, and thou mayest bear it more easily. ¹⁷And Saul said to his servants: Provide me then some man that can play well, and bring him to me. ¹⁸And one of the servants answering, said: Behold I have seen a son of Isai the Bethlehemite, a skilful player, and one of great strength, and a man fit for war, and prudent in his words, and a comely person: and the Lord is with him. ¹⁹Then Saul sent messengers to Isai, saying: Send me David thy son, who is in the pastures. ²⁰And Isai took an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid of the flock, and sent them by the hand of David his son to Saul. ²¹And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him exceedingly, and made him his armourbearer. ²²And Saul sent to Isai, saying: Let David stand before me: for he hath found favour in my sight. ²³So whensoever the evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul, David took his harp, and played with his hand, and Saul was refreshed, and was better, for the evil spirit departed from him.