Darkness to Destiny: Unleashing God’s Power in a Dark World

Unsinkable Hope: God’s Promises and Your Mental Health

Joy Bomb: A 8-Day Devotional by Tauren Wells

7 Days to Phone Freedom

Jesus Never Caught Anxiety

Released

Commissioned: Powered Up: Living With the Holy Spirit

A Child's Guide To: Learning to Be Brave Through Brave People

Commissioned: Testimony: Your Story for Their Ear

God Is Writing Your Story

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1SA">
 <div class="chapter ch16" data-usfm="1SA.16">
 <div class="label">16</div><div class="s1">Samuel Anoints David</div><div class="p"> 1The Lord said to Samuel, &#8220;How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2But Samuel said, &#8220;How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.&#8221;</div><div class="p">The Lord said, &#8220;Take a heifer with you and say, &#8216;I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.&#8217; 3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, &#8220;Do you come in peace?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5Samuel replied, &#8220;Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.&#8221; Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.</div><div class="p"> 6When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, &#8220;Surely the Lord&#8217;s anointed stands here before the Lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7But the Lord said to Samuel, &#8220;Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, &#8220;The Lord has not chosen this one either.&#8221; 9Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, &#8220;Nor has the Lord chosen this one.&#8221; 10Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, &#8220;The Lord has not chosen these.&#8221; 11So he asked Jesse, &#8220;Are these all the sons you have?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;There is still the youngest,&#8221; Jesse answered. &#8220;He is tending the sheep.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Samuel said, &#8220;Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.</div><div class="p">Then the Lord said, &#8220;Rise and anoint him; this is the one.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.</div><div class="s1">David in Saul&#8217;s Service</div><div class="p"> 14Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil#16:14 Or and a harmful; similarly in verses 15, 16 and 23 spirit from the Lord tormented him.</div><div class="p"> 15Saul&#8217;s attendants said to him, &#8220;See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the lyre. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes on you, and you will feel better.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17So Saul said to his attendants, &#8220;Find someone who plays well and bring him to me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18One of the servants answered, &#8220;I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, &#8220;Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.&#8221; 20So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.</div><div class="p"> 21David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. 22Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, &#8220;Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1SA">
 <div class="chapter ch18" data-usfm="1SA.18">
 <div class="label">18</div><div class="s1">Saul&#8217;s Growing Fear of David</div><div class="p"> 1After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 2From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. 3And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 4Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.</div><div class="p"> 5Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul&#8217;s officers as well.</div><div class="p"> 6When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. 7As they danced, they sang:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Saul has slain his thousands,</div><div class="q2">and David his tens of thousands.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. &#8220;They have credited David with tens of thousands,&#8221; he thought, &#8220;but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?&#8221; 9And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.</div><div class="p"> 10The next day an evil#18:10 Or a harmful spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand 11and he hurled it, saying to himself, &#8220;I&#8217;ll pin David to the wall.&#8221; But David eluded him twice.</div><div class="p"> 12Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul. 13So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. 14In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. 15When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. 16But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.</div><div class="p"> 17Saul said to David, &#8220;Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the Lord.&#8221; For Saul said to himself, &#8220;I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 18But David said to Saul, &#8220;Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king&#8217;s son-in-law?&#8221; 19So#18:19 Or However, when the time came for Merab, Saul&#8217;s daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.</div><div class="p"> 20Now Saul&#8217;s daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. 21&#8220;I will give her to him,&#8221; he thought, &#8220;so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.&#8221; So Saul said to David, &#8220;Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22Then Saul ordered his attendants: &#8220;Speak to David privately and say, &#8216;Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23They repeated these words to David. But David said, &#8220;Do you think it is a small matter to become the king&#8217;s son-in-law? I&#8217;m only a poor man and little known.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24When Saul&#8217;s servants told him what David had said, 25Saul replied, &#8220;Say to David, &#8216;The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221; Saul&#8217;s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.</div><div class="p"> 26When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king&#8217;s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, 27David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king&#8217;s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.</div><div class="p"> 28When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, 29Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.</div><div class="p"> 30The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul&#8217;s officers, and his name became well known.</div>
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