I Samuelis 16
1 Dixitque Dominus ad Samuelem: Usquequo tu luges Saul, cum ego proiecerim eum ne regnet super Israel? imple cornu tuum oleo, et veni, ut mittam te ad Isai Bethlehemitem: providi enim in filiis eius mihi regem.
Finally, Yahweh said to Samuel, “I have decided that I will not allow Saul to continue to be the king. So you should not [RHQ] keep feeling sad [about what he has done]. Put some olive oil in a small container and go to Bethlehem [to anoint someone with the oil, and appoint him to be king]. I am sending you there to a man named Jesse, because I have chosen one of his sons to be the king [of Israel].”
2 Et ait Samuel: Quo modo vadam? audiet enim Saul, et interficiet me. Et ait Dominus: Vitulum de armento tolles in manu tua, et dices: Ad immolandum Domino veni.
But Samuel said, “I am afraid [RHQ] to do that! If Saul hears about it, he will kill me!” Yahweh said, “Take a (heifer/young female cow) with you, and say to people that you have come to [kill it and] offer it as a sacrifice to me.
3 Et vocabis Isai ad victimam, et ego ostendam tibi quid facias, et unges quemcumque monstravero tibi.
“Invite Jesse to come to the sacrifice. [When he comes, ] I will show you what you should do. And I will show you which of his sons [I have chosen to be the king]. Then you should anoint that one [with the olive oil to be the king].”
4 Fecit ergo Samuel, sicut locutus est ei Dominus. Venitque in Bethlehem, et admirati sunt seniores civitatis, occurrentes ei, dixeruntque: Pacificusne est ingressus tuus?
Samuel did what Yahweh told him to do. He went to Bethlehem. When the town leaders came to him, they trembled, [because they were worried that Samuel had come to rebuke them about something]. One of them asked him, “Have you come [to speak] peacefully [to us]?”
5 Et ait: Pacificus: ad immolandum Domino veni, sanctificamini, et venite mecum ut immolem. Sanctificavit ergo Isai et filios eius, et vocavit eos ad sacrificium.
Samuel replied, “Yes. I have come peacefully, to make a sacrifice to Yahweh. [Perform the rituals to] make yourselves acceptable to Yahweh, and then come with me to where they will offer the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the ritual to make Jesse and his sons acceptable to God, and he also invited them to the sacrifice.
6 Cumque ingressi essent, vidit Eliab, et ait: Num coram Domino est Christus eius?
When they arrived there, Samuel looked at [Jesse’s oldest son] Eliab, and thought, “Surely this is the one whom Yahweh has appointed [to be king]!”
7 Et dixit Dominus ad Samuelem: Ne respicias vultum eius, neque altitudinem staturæ eius: quoniam abieci eum, nec iuxta intuitum hominis ego iudico: homo enim videt ea quæ parent, Dominus autem intuetur cor.
But Yahweh said to Samuel, “No, he is not the one whom I have chosen. Don’t pay attention to his being handsome and very tall, because I have not chosen him. I do not evaluate people as people do. You people evaluate people by their appearance, but I evaluate people by what is in their inner beings.”
8 Et vocavit Isai Abinadab, et adduxit eum coram Samuele. Qui dixit: Nec hunc elegit Dominus.
Then Jesse told [his next oldest son] Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. [But when he did that], Samuel said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one, either.”
9 Adduxit autem Isai Samma, de quo ait: Etiam hunc non elegit Dominus.
Then Jesse told [his next oldest son] Shammah to step forward. He stepped forward, but Samuel said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one, either.”
10 Adduxit itaque Isai septem filios suos coram Samuele: et ait Samuel ad Isai: Non elegit Dominus ex istis.
Similarly, Jesse told his other four sons to walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “Yahweh has not chosen any of these sons of yours.”
11 Dixitque Samuel ad Isai: Numquid iam completi sunt filii? Qui respondit: Adhuc reliquus est parvulus, et pascit oves. Et ait Samuel ad Isai: Mitte, et adduc eum: nec enim discumbemus prius quam huc ille veniat.
Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Do you have any other sons?” Jesse replied, “My youngest son [is not here]; he is out [in the fields] taking care of the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send someone to bring him here! We will not sit down [to eat] until he gets here.”
12 Misit ergo, et adduxit eum. Erat autem rufus, et pulcher aspectu, decoraque facie. et ait Dominus: Surge, unge eum, ipse est enim.
So Jesse sent [someone] to bring [David there. And when David arrived, Samuel saw that] he was handsome and healthy, and had bright eyes. Then Yahweh said, “This is the one [whom I have chosen]; anoint him [to be king].”
13 Tulit ergo Samuel cornu olei, et unxit eum in medio fratrum eius: et directus est Spiritus Domini a die illa in David, et deinceps: surgensque Samuel abiit in Ramatha.
So as David [stood there] in front of his older brothers, Samuel took the container of oil that he had brought and poured some of it on David’s head [to set him apart to serve God. After they all ate, Samuel left] and returned to Ramah. But Yahweh’s Spirit came on David powerfully, and stayed with David for the rest of his life.
14 Spiritus autem Domini recessit a Saul et exagitabat eum spiritus nequam, a Domino.
But Yahweh’s Spirit left Saul. Instead [of his Spirit staying with Saul], Yahweh sent an evil spirit to Saul to terrify him [repeatedly].
15 Dixeruntque servi Saul ad eum: Ecce spiritus Dei malus exagitat te.
One of his servants said to him, “It is evident that an evil spirit sent by God is terrifying you.
16 Iubeat dominus noster, et servi tui, qui coram te sunt, quærent hominem scientem psallere cithara, ut quando arripuerit te spiritus Domini malus, psallat manu sua, et levius feras.
So [we suggest that you] allow us, your servants here, to search for a man who plays the harp well. He can play the harp whenever the evil spirit bothers you. Then [you will calm down and] you will be okay again.”
17 Et ait Saul ad servos suos: Providete ergo mihi aliquem bene psallentem, et adducite eum ad me.
Saul replied, “[Fine/Okay], find for me a man who can play [the harp] well, and bring him to me.”
18 Et respondens unus de pueris, ait: Ecce vidi filium Isai Bethlehemitem scientem psallere, et fortissimum robore, et virum bellicosum, et prudentem in verbis, et virum pulchrum: et Dominus est cum eo.
One of his servants said to him, “A man named Jesse, in Bethlehem [town], has a son who plays the harp very well. Furthermore, he is a brave man, and is a capable soldier. He is handsome and he always speaks wisely. And Yahweh always protects him.”
19 Misit ergo Saul nuncios ad Isai, dicens: Mitte ad me David filium tuum, qui est in pascuis.
So Saul sent this message to Jesse: “Send your son David to me, the one who takes care of sheep.”
20 Tulit itaque Isai asinum plenum panibus, et lagenam vini, et hœdum de capris unum, et misit per manum David filii sui Sauli.
[So after they went to] Jesse [and told him that, he agreed. He] got a young goat, a container of wine, a donkey on which he put some loaves of bread, and gave them to David to take to Saul [as a present].
21 Et venit David ad Saul, et stetit coram eo: at ille dilexit eum nimis, et factus est eius armiger.
Then David went to Saul and started to work for him. Saul liked David very much, and he became the man who carried Saul’s weapons [when Saul went to fight in battles].
22 Misitque Saul ad Isai, dicens: Stet David in conspectu meo: invenit enim gratiam in oculis meis.
Then Saul sent [a messenger] to Jesse to tell him, “I am pleased with David. Please let him stay here and work for me.”
23 Igitur quandocumque spiritus Domini malus arripiebat Saul, David tollebat citharam, et percutiebat manu sua, et refocillabatur Saul, et levius habebat. recedebat enim ab eo spiritus malus.
[Jesse agreed, and after that], whenever the evil spirit whom God sent tormented Saul, David played the harp. Then Saul would become calm, and the evil spirit would leave him.
