1 One day he said, “Samuel, I've rejected Saul, and I refuse to let him be king any longer. Stop feeling sad about him. Put some olive oil in a small container and go visit a man named Jesse, who lives in Bethlehem. I've chosen one of his sons to be my king.”
2 Samuel answered, “If I do that, Saul will find out and have me killed.”
“Take a calf with you,” the Lord replied. “Tell everyone that you've come to offer it as a sacrifice to me, 3 then invite Jesse to the sacrifice. When I show you which one of his sons I have chosen, pour the olive oil on his head.”
4 Samuel did what the Lord told him and went to Bethlehem. The town leaders went to meet him, but they were terribly afraid and asked, “Is this a friendly visit?”
5 “Yes, it is!” Samuel answered. “I've come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Get yourselves ready to take part in the sacrifice and come with me.” Samuel also invited Jesse and his sons to come to the sacrifice, and he got them ready to take part.
6 When Jesse and his sons arrived, Samuel noticed Jesse's oldest son, Eliab. “He has to be the one the Lord has chosen,” Samuel said to himself.
7 But the Lord told him, “Samuel, don't think Eliab is the one just because he's tall and handsome. He isn't the one I've chosen. People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts.”
8 Jesse told his son Abinadab to go over to Samuel, but Samuel said, “No, the Lord hasn't chosen him.”
9 Next, Jesse sent his son Shammah to him, and Samuel said, “The Lord hasn't chosen him either.”
10 One by one, Jesse told all seven of his sons to go over to Samuel. Finally, Samuel said, “Jesse, the Lord hasn't chosen any of these young men. 11 Do you have any other sons?”
“Yes,” Jesse answered. “My youngest son David is out taking care of the sheep.”
“Send for him!” Samuel said. “We won't start the ceremony until he gets here.”
12 Jesse sent for David. He was a healthy, good-looking boy with a sparkle in his eyes. As soon as David came, the Lord told Samuel, “He's the one! Get up and pour the olive oil on his head.”
13 Samuel poured the oil on David's head while his brothers watched. At that moment, the Spirit of the Lord took control of David and stayed with him from then on.
Samuel returned home to Ramah.
David Plays the Harp for Saul
14 The Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord was terrifying him. 15 “It's an evil spirit from God that's frightening you,” Saul's officials told him. 16 “Your Majesty, let us go and look for someone who is good at playing the harp. He can play for you whenever the evil spirit from God bothers you, and you'll feel better.”
17 “All right,” Saul answered. “Find me someone who is good at playing the harp and bring him here.”
18 “A man named Jesse who lives in Bethlehem has a son who can play the harp,” one official said. “He's a brave warrior, he's good-looking, he can speak well, and the Lord is with him.”
19 Saul sent a message to Jesse: “Tell your son David to leave your sheep and come here to me.”
20 Jesse loaded a donkey with bread and a goatskin full of wine, then he told David to take the donkey and a young goat to Saul. 21 David went to Saul and started working for him. Saul liked him so much that he put David in charge of carrying his weapons. 22 Not long after this, Saul sent another message to Jesse: “I really like David. Please let him stay with me.”
23 Whenever the evil spirit from God bothered Saul, David would play his harp. Saul would relax and feel better, and the evil spirit would go away.
Davidi ge gao-aose ra ǀnauǂgāhe
1 ǀGuitsēb ge ǃKhūba Samueli ǃoa ge mî: “Mâǁaeb kōsets kha Sauli ǃaroma nî tsûaǂgao? Tita ge ǁîba ge ǂhara Israelǁaes ǂamab gao-ao tidese. ǁNâba ǀkheraǁnui-i ǀkha ǀoaǀoa, îts Betlehems ǃoa ǃgû. Tita ge Isaib ǃoa ra sî tsi, ǁîb ôagu di ǀguiba ta go gao-aose ǁhûiǂuibasen amaga.”
2 Ob ge Samuela ge dî: “Mâti ta ǁnāsa dī ǁkhā? Sauli ga ǁnâu ob ge nî ǃgam te.”
Ob ge ǃKhūba ge ǃeream: “Tsâusa ū, î ǃgû îts ‘ǃKhūba ta ǁguibasa nî dībase ta ge go hā’ ti mî. 3 Îts Isaiba ǁguibas ǃoa ǁkhau, o ta ge tita tare-ets nî dī ǃkhaisa nî ǂanǂan tsi. ǁNāb tita nî mîba tsiba gao-aose ǀnauba te re.”
4 Samueli ge ǃKhūb go mîba bi khami dī tsî Betlehems ǁga ge ǃgû. O gu ge ǃās ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ǀkhū rase ǃgûǃoa bi tsî ge dî: “ǂKhîb ǃnâts go hā?”
5 Ob ge ǁîba ge ǃeream: “Ā, ǂkhîb ǃnâ ta ge go hā. Tita ge ǃKhūba ta ǁguibasa nî dībase go ǀkhī. ǃAnuǃanusen, î go ǁguibas ǃoa sao te.” Tsîb ge Isaib tsî ǀgôagu âb tsîna ǃanuǃanu tsî ǁguibas ǃoa ge ǁkhau.
6 Hā gu ge ob ge Samuela Isaib ôagu di ǀguib, Eliaba kō tsî “Amase nēb, ǃKhūb di ais aiǃâ mâb ge ǁîb go ǁhûiǂuibasenna” ti ge ǂâi. 7 Xaweb ge ǃKhūba ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “Tā mâtib ra mûsens tsî mâtikōseb a gaxus ai kō. Tita ǁîba ǁhûiǂui tama xuige, khoen ra ǀgoraǃgâ khami ta ǀgoraǃgâ tama amaga. Khoen ge ǃaugasi īsib ai ra kō, xawe tita ge ǂgaoba ra kō.”
8 Ob ge Isaiba ǁîb ôab, Abinadaba ǂgai tsî Samueli tawa ge hā-ū. Xaweb ge Samuela “ǃKhūb ge ǁîb ona ǁhûiǂuibasen tama hâ” ti ge mî. 9 Ob ge Isaiba ǁîb ôab, Sammaba ge hā-ū. Ob ge Samuela “ǃKhūb ge ǁîb ona ǁhûiǂuibasen tama hâ” ti ge mî. 10 ǁNātib ge Isaiba hûgu ǁîb ôagu diga Samueli aiǃâ ge ǃgûǃkharu kai. Ob ge Samuela Isaib ǃoa “ǃKhūb ge nēgu di ǀguib xaweba ǁhûiǂuibasen tama hâ” ti ge mî. 11 Ob ge Samuela Isaiba ge dî: “Sa ôagu hoaga nēga?”
Ob ge Isaiba ge ǃeream: “Hoagu xa ǂkhammi ge ǃgau hâ, xaweb ge gūna ra ǃûi.”
Ob ge Samuela ge mî: “Sî, îb sī ǂgaihe, ǁîb hā tama hîa ge ǂû ge nîga ǂnûǀhao tide xuige.” 12 Ob ge Isaiba khoe-e sî tsî Davida sī ge ǂgai kai tsîb ge ge hā-ūhe. ǁÎb ge ǀapa īsib tsî îxa mûra ge ūhâ i tsîb ge anusase gere mûsen. Ob ge ǃKhūba Samueli ǃoa ge mî: “Khâi, î ǀnau bi, nēb ge a ǁî xuige.” 13 Ob ge Samuela ǀkheraǁnui-i hâǃnâ ǁnâba ū tsî Davida ǃgâsagu ra mû hîa ge ǀnau. Tsîb ge ǃKhūb di gagaba ǁnā tsēsa xu ǀgaisase Davidi ǃnâ gere sîsen. ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Samuela Ramas ǁga ge oa.
Davidi Sauli ǃoabas ǃnâ
14 ǃKhūb di gagab ge Saula xu ge bē tsî i ge ǂkhaba gaga-i ǃKhūb xa ge sîhe-e ǁîba hoaǁae gere ǃaoǃao. 15 O gu ge ǂamkhoegu âba ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “ǂKhaba gaga-i Elob xa go sîhe-i ge satsa ra ǃhuriǃhuriǃnâ-e. 16 ǃGôahesatse, mîmā gere, î ge harpsa ǃgâise a ǀkhō ǁkhā ao-e ôa. Tsî ǂkhaba gagas ga hāǂam tsi, ob ge ǁîba harpsa nî ǀkhō, tsîts ge ǃgâise nî tsâ.”
17 Ob ge Saula ǁîga ge mîmā: “ǃGâise a ǀkhō ǁkhā khoeba ôa, î hā-ūba te re.”
18 Ob ge ǂamkhoegu di ǀguiba ge mî: “Isaib, Betlehems dib ge ǃgâise a ǀkhō ǁkhā ǀgôaba ūhâ. ǁÎb ge ǁkhoaǂgaoxa ǁē-ao tsî ǃgâi toroǃkhamaoba. ǁÎb ge ǃhoaǁkhābeb, ǁkhāti îsase ra mûsenna. ǃKhūb ge ǁîb ǀkha hâ.”
19 Ob ge Saula sîsabega Isaib ǃoa sî tsî ge haisi: “Sa ôab Davidi, gūna ra ǃûiba sîba te re.” 20 Ob ge Isaiba pere-i tsî ǃgapas ǂauxûi-i tsî piriro-i tsîna dâukib ai ǃnao tsî Davidi ǀkha Saula ge sîba. 21 Davidi ge Sauli tawa hā tsî ǁîb di ǃoabas ǃnâ ge ǂgâ. Sauli ge Davida kaise ge ǀnam i tsîb ge ǁîb ǁâtani-aose ge dī bi. 22 Tsîb ge Saula Isaiba ge haisiba: “Ab Davida tita sîsenba re, ǁîb xa ta a ǃgâibahe xuige.” 23 Tsî ǂkhaba gagas ga Sauli ai a hā, ob ge Davida harpsa ū tsî gere ǀkhō. Os ge ǂkhaba gagasa gere bēxū bi tsîb ge sâ tsî ǃgâise gere tsâ.
