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
16:2 Samuel replied, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me!” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you 4 and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
7:7 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the leaders of the Philistines went up against Israel. When the Israelites heard about this, they were afraid of the Philistines.
78:71 He took him away from following the mother sheep, 5
and made him the shepherd of Jacob, his people,
and of Israel, his chosen nation. 6
40:11 Like a shepherd he tends his flock;
he gathers up the lambs with his arm;
he carries them close to his heart; 7
he leads the ewes along.
5:2 (5:1) As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, 10
seemingly insignificant 11 among the clans of Judah –
from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, 12
one whose origins 13 are in the distant past. 14
5:4 He will assume his post 15 and shepherd the people 16 by the Lord’s strength,
by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. 17
They will live securely, 18 for at that time he will be honored 19
even in the distant regions of 20 the earth.
2:6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are in no way least among the rulers of Judah,
for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 21
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 “in your hand.”
5 tn Heb “from after the ewes he brought him.”
6 tn Heb “to shepherd Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.”
7 tn Heb “in his bosom” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV), an expression which reflects closeness and protective care.
8 tn Heb “shepherds.”
9 tn Heb “after/according to my [own] heart.”
10 sn Ephrathah is either an alternate name for Bethlehem or the name of the district in which Bethlehem was located. See Ruth 4:11.
11 tn Heb “being small.” Some omit לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “being”) because it fits awkwardly and appears again in the next line.
12 tn Heb “from you for me one will go out to be a ruler over Israel.”
13 tn Heb “his goings out.” The term may refer to the ruler’s origins (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or to his activities.
14 tn Heb “from the past, from the days of antiquity.” Elsewhere both phrases refer to the early periods in the history of the world or of the nation of Israel. For מִקֶּדֶם (miqqedem, “from the past”) see Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10. For מִימֵי עוֹלָם (mimey ’olam, “from the days of antiquity”) see Isa 63:9, 11; Amos 9:11; Mic 7:14; Mal 3:4. In Neh 12:46 and Amos 9:11 the Davidic era is in view.
15 tn Heb “stand up”; NAB “stand firm”; NASB “will arise.”
16 tn The words “the people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
17 tn Heb “by the majesty of the name of the
18 tn The words “in peace” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Perhaps וְיָשָׁבוּ (vÿyashavu, “and they will live”) should be emended to וְשָׁבוּ (vÿshavu, “and they will return”).
19 tn Heb “be great.”
20 tn Or “to the ends of.”
21 sn A quotation from Mic 5:2.