1. The Lord said to Samuel, ‘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.’
2. But Samuel said, ‘How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.’The Lord said, ‘Take a heifer with you and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.”
3. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.’
4. Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, ‘Do you come in peace?’