¹AND Yahvah said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and come; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I have found for myself a king among his sons. ²And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hear it, he will kill me. And Yahvah said to Samuel, Take a heifer with you, and say, I have come to sacrifice to Yahvah. ³And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you will do; and you will anoint to me him whom I name to you. ⁴And Samuel did as Yahvah had commanded him, and came to Bethlehem of Judah. And the elders of the town went out to meet him, and said, Is your coming peaceable? ⁵And he said, Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to Yahvah; sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶And when they came, he looked to Eliab, and said, Surely Yahvah's anointed is like him. ⁷But Yahvah said to Samuel, Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him; for I do not see as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but Yahvah looks on the heart. ⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Yahvah has not chosen this one. ⁹Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, Yahvah has not chosen this one. ¹⁰And Jesse made 7 of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, Yahvah has not chosen these. ¹¹And Samuel said to Jesse, Are these all the sons you have? And he said to him, There remains yet the youngest, and look, he is tending the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and bring him here; for I will not leave until he comes here. ¹²And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes, and very handsome. And Yahvah said to Samuel, Arise, anoint him, for this is he. ¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the middle of his brothers; and the Spirit of Yahvah came on David from that day forward. Then Samuel rose up and went to Ramtha to his house.

¹⁴But the Spirit of Yahvah departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from before Yahvah troubled him. ¹⁵And Saul's servants said to him, Look, your servants are before you; ¹⁶Let them seek out a man who can play well on the harp; and when the evil spirit is on you, he will play with his hands, and you will be well. ¹⁷And Saul said to his servants, Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me. ¹⁸Then one of the young men answered and said, Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skilful in playing and a mighty valiant man, a man of war and prudent in speech, a handsome man, and Yahvah is with him. ¹⁹Therefore, King Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, Send me David your son; he will be useful to me. ²⁰And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a kid of goats, and sent them by David his son to Saul. ²¹And David came to Saul, and stood before him; and he loved him greatly; and he became his armorbearer. ²²And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David attend me; for he has found favor in my sight. ²³And whenever the evil spirit from Yahvah was on Saul, David took a harp, and played on it; so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.