1 Samuel 16
1 El Señor un día le preguntó a Samuel: “¿Hasta cuándo vas a seguir llorando a Saúl porque lo he rechazado como rey de Israel? Llena tu frasco con aceite de oliva y vete. Ve donde Isaí de Belén, porque he elegido un rey para mí de entre sus hijos”.
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 “¿Cómo puedo ir a hacer eso?” preguntó Samuel. “¡Saúl se enterará y me matará!”. El Señor respondió: “Lleva contigo una novilla y di: ‘He venido a sacrificar al Señor’.
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 Invita a Isaí al sacrificio, y yo te enseñaré lo que tienes que hacer. Unge para mí al que yo te diga”.
“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 Samuel hizo lo que el Señor le había dicho y fue a Belén. Cuando los ancianos de la ciudad le salieron al encuentro, se asustaron y le preguntaron: “¿Vienes en son de paz?”
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 “Sí, vengo en son de paz”, respondió. “He venido a presentar sacrificio al Señor. Purifíquense y vengan conmigo a hacer el sacrificio”. Entonces purificó a Isaí y a sus hijos y los invitó al sacrificio.
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 Cuando llegaron y Samuel vio a Eliab, pensó para sí: “¡Este tiene que ser el ungido del Señor!”.
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 Pero el Señor le dijo a Samuel: “No te fijes en su aspecto exterior ni en su altura porque lo he rechazado. Porque el Señor no mira como los seres humanos. Los seres humanos sólo ven con sus ojos lo que está en el exterior, pero el Señor mira la forma de pensar de las personas en su interior”.
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 Entonces Isaí llamó a Abinadab y lo hizo venir ante Samuel, quien dijo: “El Señor tampoco ha elegido a éste”.
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 Entonces Isaí hizo que Simea se presentara. Pero Samuel dijo: “El Señor tampoco ha elegido a éste”.
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 Isaí hizo que siete de sus hijos se presentaran ante Samuel, pero éste le dijo: “El Señor no ha elegido a ninguno de éstos”.
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 Entonces le preguntó a Isaí: “¿No tienes más hijos?”. “Bueno, aún queda el más joven”, respondió Isaí, “pero está fuera cuidando las ovejas”. “Manda a buscarlo y tráelo aquí, porque no nos vamos a sentar a comer hasta que llegue aquí”, le dijo Samuel a Isaí.
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 Así que Isaí mandó a buscarlo y lo trajo delante de Samuel. Tenía una tez roja y unos ojos hermosos, y tenía buen parecer. El Señor dijo: “Ve a ungirlo, porque es él”.
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 Samuel tomó el frasco de aceite de oliva y lo ungió en presencia de sus hermanos, y el Espíritu del Señor vino sobre David con poder desde aquel día. Luego Samuel se fue y regresó a Ramá.
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 El Espíritu del Señor había abandonado a Saúl, y un espíritu maligno del Señor lo atormentaba.
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 Los siervos de Saúl le dijeron: “Sin duda es un espíritu maligno de Dios el que te atormenta.
One of his servants said to him, “It is evident that an evil spirit sent by God is terrifying you.
16 Danos aquí la orden de encontrar a alguien que sea bueno tocando el arpa, para que cuando el espíritu maligno de Dios venga sobre ti, pueda tocar y te sientas mucho mejor”.
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 Saúl dio la orden a sus siervos: “Busquen a alguien que sea bueno tocando el arpa y tráiganlo aquí”.
Saul replied, “[Fine/Okay], find for me a man who can play [the harp] well, and bring him to me.”
18 Uno de los criados respondió: “Conozco a un hijo de Isaí, de Belén, que es bueno tocando el arpa. Es un hombre valiente, buen luchador, de buen hablar y guapo, y el Señor está con él”.
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 Saúl envió mensajeros a Isaí, diciéndole: “Envíame a tu hijo David, el que cuida las ovejas”.
So Saul sent this message to Jesse: “Send your son David to me, the one who takes care of sheep.”
20 Así que Isaí cargó un asno con pan, un odre de vino y un cabrito y los envió con su hijo David a Saúl.
[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 David llegó a Saúl y comenzó a trabajar para él. Saúl lo apreciaba mucho, y David se convirtió en su escudero.
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 Saúl envió un mensaje a Isaí, diciendo: “Por favor, permite que David siga trabajando para mí, porque estoy complacido con él”.
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 Así, cada vez que el espíritu de Dios se apoderaba de Saúl, David tomaba su arpa y tocaba, y Saúl se aliviaba y se sentía mejor, y el espíritu maligno lo dejaba.
[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.
