1Efter nogen tid sagde Herren til Samuel: „Jeg har jo forkastet Saul som konge i Israel! Hvor længe endnu vil du gå og sørge over ham? Fyld hellere dit horn med olivenolie og gå til Betlehem. Dér skal du opsøge en mand ved navn Isaj, for jeg har udvalgt en af hans sønner til at være Israels nye konge.”2„Hvordan skal jeg kunne gøre det?” indvendte Samuel. „Hvis Saul får det at vide, slår han mig ihjel.” „Tag en kvie med dig,” svarede Herren, „og sig, at du er kommet for at ofre til Herren.3Så skal du invitere Isaj til at deltage i ofringen, og jeg vil vise dig, hvem af hans sønner du skal salve til konge.”4Samuel gjorde nu, som Herren havde sagt, og han ankom til Betlehem. Men byens ledere blev bange, da de så ham. „Er der noget galt?” spurgte de. „Hvad er grunden til dit besøg?”5Samuel svarede: „Der er ikke noget galt. Jeg er kommet for at ofre til Herren. Rens jer og kom så til offerfesten.” Samuel sørgede for at Isaj og hans sønner gennemgik renselsesritualet og indbød dem til ofringen.6Da de kom, og Samuel så Isajs søn Eliab, tænkte han: „Det må være ham!”7Men Herren svarede: „Nej, det er ikke ham! Bedøm ikke en mand efter hans udseende og højde. Mennesker bedømmer hinanden efter det ydre, men Herren ser på hjertet.”8Derefter præsenterede Isaj sin næste søn, Abinadab, for Samuel, men Herren sagde: „Det er heller ikke ham.”9Så præsenterede Isaj sin næste søn, Shamma, men Herren sagde: „Det er heller ikke ham.”10På samme måde gik det med de fire næste sønner. „Det er ikke nogen af de syv, Herren har udvalgt,” sagde Samuel til Isaj.11„Er det alle de sønner, du har?” „Nej. Der er en mere, den yngste, han vogter får ude på marken,” svarede Isaj. „Send straks bud efter ham,” befalede Samuel. „Vi sætter os ikke til bords, før han kommer.”12Så sendte Isaj bud efter David. Han var en rask og rødmosset dreng med et godt udseende og kønne øjne, og Herren sagde: „Det er ham, du skal salve til konge!”13Da hældte Samuel olivenolien ud over Davids hoved og salvede ham for øjnene af hans brødre, og Herrens Ånd kom over ham og blev over ham fra den dag af. Så vendte Samuel tilbage til Rama.
David kommer i tjeneste hos Saul
14Men Herrens Ånd havde forladt Saul, og i stedet blev han plaget af en ond ånd fra Herren.15-16„Det er en ond ånd fra Gud, som plager dig,” sagde Sauls tjenere. „Hvis du synes om det, vil vi finde en, der kan spille på lyre[1] for dig, når den onde ånd plager dig, så du falder til ro og får det bedre.”17„Ja, find en mand som er dygtig til at spille, og bring ham til mig,” svarede Saul.18En af tjenerne sagde: „Jeg kender en ung mand i Betlehem, en søn af Isaj. Han er ikke bare dygtig til at spille, han er også en modig kriger. Han taler kloge ord, og ser godt ud. Herren er med ham!”19Så sendte Saul bud til Isaj: „Send mig din søn, David, ham, som vogter dine får.”20Isaj læssede derpå et æsel med brød, en lædersæk med vin og et gedekid og sendte David af sted med denne gave til Saul.21Sådan gik det til, at David kom i tjeneste hos Saul, som kom til at holde af ham og gjorde ham til sin våbendrager.22Så sendte Saul igen bud til Isaj og sagde: „Lad David blive i min tjeneste, for jeg er godt tilfreds med ham.”23Når Saul blev plaget af den onde ånd fra Gud, tog David sin lyre og spillede for ham. Så forlod den onde ånd Saul, og han følte sig meget bedre tilpas.
1The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” (1.Sam 10,1; 1.Sam 15,23; 1.Sam 15,26; 1.Sam 15,35; Salm 78,70; Salm 89,19; Ap G 13,22)2And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ (1.Sam 9,12; 1.Sam 20,29)3And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” (1.Sam 9,16)4Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” (1.Sam 21,1; 1.Kong 2,13; 2.Kong 9,22)5And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. (Josva 3,5)6When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” (1.Sam 17,13)7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1.Kong 8,39; 1.Krøn 28,9; Salm 7,9; Salm 147,10; Jer 11,20; Jer 17,10; Jer 20,12; Ap G 1,24)8Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” (1.Sam 17,13)9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” (1.Sam 16,8)10And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”11Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest,[1] but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” (1.Sam 17,13; 2.Sam 7,8; 2.Sam 13,3; 1.Krøn 2,13; Salm 78,70)12And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” (1.Sam 9,17; 1.Sam 17,42)13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. (Dom 3,10; 1.Sam 10,1; 1.Sam 10,6; 1.Sam 10,10; 1.Sam 11,6; 1.Sam 16,1; Salm 89,20)
David in Saul’s Service
14Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. (Dom 9,23; Dom 16,20; 1.Sam 18,10; 1.Sam 18,12; 1.Sam 19,9; 1.Sam 28,15)15And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you.16Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” (1.Sam 16,21; 1.Sam 18,10; 1.Sam 19,9; 1.Kong 10,8; 2.Kong 3,15)17So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.”18One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” (1.Sam 3,19; 1.Sam 17,32; 1.Sam 17,34; 1.Sam 18,12; 1.Sam 18,14)19Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” (1.Sam 16,11; 1.Sam 17,15; 1.Sam 17,34)20And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. (1.Sam 17,18)21And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. (1.Sam 16,16)22And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.”23And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him. (1.Sam 16,14; 1.Sam 16,16)