YAHWEH1 said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Talut2, seeing 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 a king from among his sons.”
2Samuel said, “How can I go? If Talut hears it, he will kill me.”
YAHWEH said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, I have come to sacrifice to YAHWEH. 3Call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do: and you shall anoint to me him whom I name to you.”
4Samuel did that which YAHWEH spoke, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Have you come in peace?”
5He said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to YAHWEH. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” He sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. 6It happened, when they had come, that he looked at Eliab, and said, “Surely this is YAHWEH’s anointed3.”
7But YAHWEH said to Samuel, “Do not look on his face, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for YAHWEH sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but YAHWEH looks at the heart.”
8Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has YAHWEH chosen him.” 9Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. He said, “Neither has YAHWEH chosen him.” 10Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, “YAHWEH has not chosen these.” 11Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your children here?”
He said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.”
12He sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy with bright eyes, and handsome to look at. YAHWEH said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one.”
13Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers: and the Spirit4 of YAHWEH came mightily on Dawud5 from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. 14Now the Spirit of YAHWEH departed from Talut, and an evil spirit from YAHWEH troubled him. 15Talut’s servants said to him, “See now, an evil spirit from God troubles you. 16Let our lord now command your servants who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp: and it shall happen, when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play with his hand, and you shall feel better.”
17Talut 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, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, and a mighty man of valour, and a man of war, and prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and YAHWEH is with him.”
19Therefore Talut sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me Dawud your son, who is with the sheep.”
20Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by Dawud his son to Talut. 21Dawud came to Talut, and stood before him: and Talut loved him very much; and Dawud became his armour-bearer. 22Talut sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let Dawud stand before me; for he has found favour in my sight.”
23It happened, when the evil spirit from God was on Talut, that Dawud took the harp, and played with his hand: so Talut was refreshed, and felt better, and the evil spirit departed from him.
- 16:1 YAHWEH, God’s personal Name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15: ‘God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”’ ↩︎
- 16:1 Talut, the Quranic Arabic version of the name of the first king of Israel. The Hebrew text reads Saul or Shaul. ↩︎
- 16:6 anointed, in Hebrew mashiah, which gives rise to the Arabic masih, and the English messiah. In ancient Israel, kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their divine appointment to office. All of these anointed individuals point ahead to the ultimate Anointed One or Messiah (AL-MASIH) whose coming God has promised in his holy word. Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
- 16:13 Spirit (of YAHWEH), or Holy Spirit, or Spirit of God; not an angel, created being, nor an impersonal force, but the uncreated, eternal essence of God himself. The Spirit was present and active at the creation of heaven and earth (see Genesis 1:2). He is also the one who moved the prophets to speak God’s Word to mankind (see 2 Peter 1:21). The Spirit also lives inside of every follower of ‘ISA AL-MASIH, empowering them to live in a way pleasing to God. ↩︎
- 16:13 Dawud, this Arabic name is derived from David (Hebrew) and means “Beloved.” ↩︎