Samuel Anoints David

1The Lorde sayd vnto Samuel: Howe long wilt thou mourne for Saul, seing I haue cast him away from raigning ouer Israel? Fill thyne horne with oyntment, and come, that I may send thee to Isai the Bethlemite: for I haue prouided me a king among his sonnes. 2And Samuel sayd: How can I go? For if Saul heare it, he will kill me. The Lord aunswered: Take an heyfer with thee, and saye: I am come to offer to the Lorde. 3And call Isai to the offering, and I will shewe thee what thou shalt do: And thou shalt annoynt vnto me him whom I name vnto thee. 4And so Samuel did as the Lord bade him, and came to Bethlehem: and the elders of the towne were astonyed at his comming, and saide: Commest thou peaceably? 5He aunswered: Yea, I am come to offer vnto the Lorde: Sanctifie your selues, and come with me to the offering. And he sanctified Isai and his sonnes, and bade them to the offering.

6And when they were come, he loked on Eliab, & saide: Surelye the Lordes annoynted is before him. 7But the Lorde sayde vnto Samuel: Loke not on his fashion, or on ye height of his stature, because I haue refused him: For God seeth not as man seeth. For man loketh on the outward appearaunce, but the Lorde beholdeth the heart. 8Then Isai called Abinadab, & made him come before Samuel, and he sayd: Neither hath the Lorde chosen this. 9Then Isai made Samma come, and he sayd: Neither yet hath the Lorde chosen him. 10Againe Isai made seuen of his sonnes to come before Samuel, and Samuel sayd vnto Isai: The Lorde hath chosen none of these. 11And Samuel sayde vnto Isai: Are heare all thy children? He sayde: There is, yet a litle one behind, that kepeth the sheepe. And Samuel said vnto Isai, Sende and fet him: for we will not syt downe, till he be come hyther.

12And he sent, and brought him in: And he was ruddie, and of an excellet beawtie, and wel fauoured in sight. And the Lorde said, Aryse & annoynt him: For this is he. 13Therefore Samuel toke the horne with the annoyntment, and annoynted him in the middes of his brethren. And the spirite of the Lorde came vpon Dauid from that daye forwarde: And Samuel rose vp, and went to Rama.

David Serves Saul

14But the spirite of the Lorde departed from Saul, and an euill spirite sent of the Lord vexed him. 15And Sauls seruauntes said vnto him: Beholde, an euill spirite sent of God vexeth thee. 16Let our Lorde therefore commaunde thy seruauntes (that are before thee) to seeke a man that is a cunnyng player with an harpe: that when the euill spirite of God commeth vpon thee, he may play with his hande, & thou shalt be eased. 17Saul sayd vnto his seruauntes: Prouide me a man then that can play well, and bring him to me. 18The aunswered one of his seruauntes and said: Beholde, I haue seene a sonne of Isai the Bethlehemite, that can play vpon instrumentes, and is strong, valiaunt, and a man of warre, and prudent in doing of feates, and well made, and the Lorde is with him. 19Wherefore Saul sent messengers vnto Isai, and said: Sende me Dauid thy sonne, which is with the sheepe. 20And Isai tooke an asse laden with bread, and a flacket of wine, and a kyd, and sent them by Dauid his sonne vnto Saul. 21And Dauid came to Saul, and stoode before him, and he loued him very well, & he was made his harnesse bearer. 22And Saul sent to Isai, saying: Let Dauid nowe remaine with me, for he hath founde fauour in my sight. 23And so when the euill spirite of God came vpon Saul, Dauid toke an harpe and played with his hand: and so Saul was refreshed, & did amende, and the euyll spirite departed from him.