Dauid is anoynted kyng. An ••uyl spirite cometh vpon Saul.
CAPI XVI.
THe Lorde sayde vnto Samuel: Howe [unspec A] longe wylte thou mourne for Saul, se∣ynge I haue cast hym away, from reygnyng ouer Israel? Fyl thyne horne with oyntment and come that I maye sende the to Isai the Bethleemite, for I haue prouyded me a king among his sonnes. And Samuel sayd: how can I go? For yf Saul heare it, he wyll kyll me. The Lorde answered: Take an Heyfer with the, and saye: I am come to offre to the Lorde. And call Isai to the offeryng, & I wyl shewe the, what yu shalte do. And thou shalte anoynt hym whom I name vnto the. And so Samuel dyd as the Lord•• bad hym, & came to Bethleem, & the elders of the towne were astonyed at his comynge, and sayde.
* 1.1 Comest thou peaceably? He answered: Yea, I am come to offre vnto the Lorde. [unspec B]
☞ * 1.2 Sanctifie your selues, and come with me to the offerynge. And he sanctified Isai & his sonnes, & bad them to the offerynge. And when they were come, he loked on Eliab, and sayd: ☞ Surely the Lordes anoynted is be∣fore hym. But the lorde sayd vnto Samuel: loke not on his facion, or on the heyght of his stature, bycause I haue refused him: for God seyth not as man seyth. For mā loketh on the outwarde apperaūce, but god beholdeth the herte. Then Isai called Abinadab, & made hym come before Samuel. And he sayd: ney∣ther hath the Lorde chosen this. Then Isai made Sāma come, and he sayde, neyther yet hath the Lorde chosen hym. Agayne, Isai made seuen of▪ his sonnes to come before Sa¦muel. And Samuel sayd vnto Isai, the lord hath chosen none of these.
And Samuel sayd vnto Isai: are here al [unspec C] thy chyldren? He sayd: there is yet a lytel one behinde, that kepeth the shepe. And Samuel sayd vnto Isai: sende and fet him, for we wyl not syt downe, tyl he be come hyther. And he sent, & brought hym in. And he was browne,* 1.3 & of an excellent beautye, & and well fauou∣red in syght. And the Lorde sayde: Aryse, and anoynte hym: for this is he. Therfore Sa∣muel toke the horne with the oyntment, and anoynted him in the myddes of his brethren. And the spirite of the Lorde came vpon Da∣uid, from that day forwarde. And Samuel arose vp, and wente to Rama. But the spirite of the Lorde departed frome Saul, and an euyll spirite sent of the Lorde vexed hym.
And Sauls seruauntes sayde vnto hym: beholde▪ an euyl spirite sent of god vexeth the let our lorde therfore cōmaunde his seruaun¦tes (that are before the) to seke a man that is a cōnyng player with an harpe: that whē the euyll spirite sent of god cometh vpon the, he [unspec D] may play wt his hande & thou shalte be eased Saul sayd vnto his seruauntes: prouyde me a man then that can playe well, & bryng hym to me. Then answered one of his seruauntes & sayd: Beholde, I haue sene the son of Isai the Bethleemite, that can playe vpon instru∣mentes, and is an actiue felowe, and a mā of war, and prudent in doynge of feates, & well made, and the Lorde is with hym.
Wherfore Saul sente messengers vnto Isai, & sayd: sende me Dauid thy son, whiche is with the shepe. And Isai toke an asse laden with breade, & a flacket of wyne, & a kyd, and sent them by Dauid his son vnto Saul. And Dauid came to Saul, & stode before hym, & he loued hym very wel, and he was made his harnes bearer. And Saul sent to Isai, say∣eng: let Dauid remayne with me, for he hath founde fououre in my syght. And so it fortu∣ned, that when the euyll spirite sente of God came vpon Saul. Dauid toke an harpe, and played with his hande, and so Saul was re∣fresshed, and dyd amende, and the euyll spi∣rite departed from hym.