16:1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. 1 Fill your horn with olive oil and go! I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, 2 for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.” 3
16:12 So Jesse had him brought in. 4 Now he was ruddy, with attractive eyes and a handsome appearance. The Lord said, “Go and anoint him. This is the one!” 16:13 So Samuel took the horn full of olive oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day onward. Then Samuel got up and went to Ramah.
16:2 Samuel replied, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you 5 and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
2:4 The bows of warriors are shattered,
but those who stumble find their strength reinforced.
2:2 No one is holy 6 like the Lord!
There is no one other than you!
There is no rock 7 like our God!
23:1 They told David, “The Philistines are fighting in Keilah and are looting the threshing floors.”
1 tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And the Lord said to Samuel.”
2 map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.
3 tn Heb “for I have seen among his sons for me a king.”
4 tn Heb “and he sent and brought him.”
5 tn Heb “in your hand.”
6 sn In this context God’s holiness refers primarily to his sovereignty and incomparability. He is unique and distinct from all other so-called gods.
7 tn The LXX has “and there is none righteous like our God.” The Hebrew term translated “rock” refers to a rocky cliff where one can seek refuge from enemies. Here the metaphor depicts God as a protector of his people. Cf. TEV “no protector like our God”; CEV “We’re safer with you than on a high mountain.”