1 Samuel 16

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Yahweh said to Samuel, 'How much longer do you mean to go on mourning over Saul, now that Imyself have rejected him as ruler of Israel? Fil your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse ofBethlehem, for I have found myself a king from among his sons.'	1 And 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.
2 Samuel replied, 'How can I go? When Saul hears of it he wil kill me.' Yahweh then said, 'Take a heiferwith you and say, "I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh."	2 And 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.
3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I shal reveal to you what you must do; and you wil anoint for me theone I indicate to you.'	3 And 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.
4 Samuel did what Yahweh ordered and went to Bethlehem. The elders of the town came trembling tomeet him and asked, 'Seer, is your coming favourable for us,'	4 Then 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?
5 'Yes,' he replied. 'I have come to sacrifice to Yahweh. Purify yourselves and come with me to thesacrifice.' He purified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.	5 And 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.
6 When they arrived, he looked at Eliab and thought, 'This must be Yahweh's anointed now before him,'	6 And when they were come in, he saw Eliab, and said: Is the Lord's anointed before him?
7 but Yahweh said to Samuel, 'Take no notice of his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him;God does not see as human beings see; they look at appearances but Yahweh looks at the heart.'	7 And 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.
8 Jesse then cal ed Abinadab and presented him to Samuel, who said, 'Yahweh has not chosen this oneeither.'	8 And Isai called Abinadab, and brought him before Samuel. And he said: Neither hath the Lord chosen this.
9 Jesse then presented Shammah, but Samuel said, 'Yahweh has not chosen this one either.'	9 And Isai brought Samma, and he said of him: Neither hath the Lord chosen this.
10 Jesse thus presented seven of his sons to Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, 'Yahweh has notchosen these.'	10 Isai therefore brought his seven sons before Samuel: and Samuel said to Isai: The Lord hath not chosen any one of these.
11 He then asked Jesse, 'Are these al the sons you have?' Jesse replied, 'There is stil one left, theyoungest; he is looking after the sheep.' Samuel then said to Jesse, 'Send for him, for we shal not sit down toeat until he arrives.'	11 And 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.
12 Jesse had him sent for; he had ruddy cheeks, with fine eyes and an attractive appearance. Yahwehsaid, 'Get up and anoint him: he is the one!'	12 He 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.
13 At this, Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him, surrounded by his brothers; and the spirit ofYahweh seized on David from that day onwards. Samuel, for his part, set off and went to Ramah.	13 Then 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.
14 Now the spirit of Yahweh had withdrawn from Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh afflicted him withterrors.	14 But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.
15 Saul's servants said to him, 'An evil spirit from God is undoubtedly the cause of your terrors.	15 And the servants of Saul said to him: Behold now an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
16 Let our lord give the order, and your servants who wait on you wil look for a skilled harpist; when theevil spirit from God comes over you, he wil play and it wil do you good.'	16 Let 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.
17 Saul said to his attendants, 'Find me, please, a man who plays wel , and bring him to me.'	17 And Saul said to his servants: Provide me then some man that can play well, and bring him to me.
18 One of the servants then spoke up and said, 'I have seen one of the sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite:he is a skil ed player, a brave man and a fighter, well spoken, good-looking and Yahweh is with him.'	18 And 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.
19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse with the order, 'Send me your son David (who is with the sheep).'	19 Then Saul sent messengers to Isai, saying: Send me David thy son, who is in the pastures.
20 Jesse took five loaves, a skin of wine and a kid, and sent them to Saul by his son David.	20 And 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.
21 David went to Saul and entered his service; Saul became very fond of him and David became hisarmour-bearer.	21 And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him exceedingly, and made him his armourbearer.
22 Saul then sent a message to Jesse, 'Let David stay in my service, since he has won my favour.'	22 And Saul sent to Isai, saying: Let David stand before me: for he hath found favour in my sight.
23 And whenever the spirit from God came over Saul, David would take a harp and play; Saul wouldthen be soothed; it would do him good, and the evil spirit would leave him.	23 So 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.