¹Yahweh said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn over Saul, when I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Beth-lechemite, for I have seen a king for myself among his sons."

²Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear and kill me." And Yahweh said, "Take a heifer of the cattle in your hand and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh.'

³And you will call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will make known to you what you are to do; you will anoint for me the one I tell you."

⁴Samuel did what Yahweh had spoken, and came to Beth-lechem; and the elders of the city trembled to meet him, and said, "Is your coming in wholeness?"

⁵He said, "Wholeness! I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Set yourselves apart and come with me to the sacrifice." And he set Jesse and his sons apart, and called them to the sacrifice.

⁶It happened when they came that he saw Eliab, and said, "Surely his anointed is before Yahweh."

⁷Yahweh said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his lofty height, for I have rejected him. For it is not as the man sees; for the man sees what meets the eyes, but Yahweh sees into the heart."

⁸Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel; and he said, "Yahweh has not chosen this one either."

⁹Jesse had Shammah pass by; and he said, "Yahweh has not chosen this one either."

¹⁰Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel; and Samuel said to Jesse, "Yahweh has not chosen among these."

¹¹Samuel said to Jesse, "Are the boys finished?" And he said, "There still remains the young one; and look, he is shepherding the flock." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and fetch him; for we will not go around until he comes here."

¹²He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a good appearance. And Yahweh said, "Rise, anoint him, for this is he."

¹³Samuel took the horn of the oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the breath of Yahweh rushed upon David from that day onward. Then Samuel rose and went to Ramah.

¹⁴The breath of Yahweh turned away from Saul, and an evil breath from Yahweh tormented him.

¹⁵Saul's servants said to him, "Look, please, an evil breath of God is tormenting you.

¹⁶Let our lord please say it; your servants before you will seek a man who knows how to play the lyre. And it will be, when an evil breath of God is upon you, that he will play with his hand, and it will be good for you."

¹⁷Saul said to his servants, "Look out for me, please, a man who does well at playing, and bring him to me."

¹⁸One of the youths answered and said, "Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lechemite who knows how to play, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, discerning in word, and a man of fine figure; and Yahweh is with him."

¹⁹Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me David your son, who is with the flock."

²⁰Jesse took a donkey, bread, a skin of wine, and one kid of the she-goats, and sent them by the hand of David his son to Saul.

²¹David came to Saul and stood before him; and he loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer.

²²Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David please stand before me, for he has found favor in my eyes."

²³Whenever a breath of God came upon Saul, David would take the lyre and play with his hand; then there was relief for Saul, and it was good for him, and the evil breath would turn away from him.