1. The Lord said to Samuel, "How long are you going to grieve over Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and get going. I’m sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem because I have found my next king among his sons."
2. "How can I do that?" Samuel asked. "When Saul hears of it he’ll kill me!""Take a heifer with you," the Lord replied, "and say, ‘I have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord.’
3. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will make clear to you what you should do. You will anoint for me the person I point out to you."
4. Samuel did what the Lord instructed. When he came to Bethlehem, the city elders came to meet him. They were shaking with fear. "Do you come in peace?" they asked.