1 Now the LORDsaid to Samuel, "1Howlong will you grieveoverSaul, since 2I have rejected him from beingkingoverIsrael? 3Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to 4Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have 5selected a king for Myself among his sons."
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But Samuelsaid, "How can I go? When Saulhears of it, he will kill me." And the LORDsaid, "6Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'
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"You shall inviteJesse to the sacrifice, and 7I will show you what you shall do; and 8you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you."
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So Samueldidwhat the LORDsaid, and came to 9Bethlehem. And the elders of the citycametrembling to meet him and said, "10Do you come in peace?"
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He said, "In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. 11Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." He also consecratedJesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
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When they entered, he looked at 12Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD'Sanointed is before Him."
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But the LORDsaid to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as mansees, for manlooks at the outwardappearance, 13but the LORDlooks at the heart."
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Then Jessecalled14Abinadab and made him passbeforeSamuel. And he said, "The LORD has not chosenthisoneeither."
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Next Jesse made 15Shammahpass by. And he said, "The LORD has not chosenthisoneeither."
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Thus Jesse made seven of his sonspassbeforeSamuel. But Samuelsaid to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosenthese."
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And Samuelsaid to Jesse, "Are these all the children?" And he said, "16There remainsyet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep." Then Samuelsaid to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comeshere."