Jesse

The women who were her neighbors gave it a name; they said, "A son has been born to Na'omi," and called it 'Oved. He was the father of Yishai the father of David.

'Oved was the father of Yishai, and Yishai was the father of David.

ADONAI said to Sh'mu'el, "How much longer are you going to go on grieving for Sha'ul, now that I have rejected him as king over Isra'el? Fill your horn with oil, and set out; I will send you to Yishai the Beit-Lachmi, because I have chosen myself a king from among his sons."

Summon Yishai to the sacrifice. I will tell you what to do, and you are to anoint for me the person I point out to you."

He answered, "In peace. I have come to sacrifice to ADONAI. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." He consecrated Yishai and his sons and summoned them to the sacrifice.

Then Yishai called Avinadav and presented him to Sh'mu'el; but he said, "ADONAI hasn't chosen this one either."

Yishai presented Shammah; again Sh'mu'el said, "ADONAI hasn't chosen this one either."

Yishai presented seven of his sons to Sh'mu'el; but Sh'mu'el told Yishai, "ADONAI has not chosen these.

Are all your sons here?" Sh'mu'el asked Yishai. He replied, "There is still the youngest; he's out there tending the sheep." Sh'mu'el said to Yishai, "Send and bring him back, because we won't sit down to eat until he gets here."

One of the young men answered, "Here, I've seen one of the sons of Yishai the Beit-Lachmi who knows how to play. He's a brave soldier, he can fight, he chooses his words carefully and he's pleasant-looking. Besides, ADONAI is with him."

So Sha'ul sent messengers to Yishai saying, "Send me David your son, who is out with the sheep."

Yishai took a donkey, loaded it with bread, a bottle of wine and a kid, and sent them with David his son to Sha'ul.

Sha'ul sent a message to Yishai: "Please let David stay in my service, because I'm pleased with him."

Now David was the son of that Efrati from Beit-Lechem in Y'hudah named Yishai. He had eight sons; and in the time of Sha'ul he was old - the years had taken their toll.

Yishai's three oldest sons had followed Sha'ul to battle; the names of his three sons who went to battle were Eli'av the firstborn, next to him Avinadav, and the third Shammah.

Yishai said to David his son, "Please take your brothers five bushels of this roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread; hurry, and carry them to your brothers at the camp.

David got up early in the morning, left the sheep with a helper, took his load and set out, as Yishai had ordered him. He arrived at the barricade of the camp just as the troops were going out to their battle stations and shouting the war cry.

Sha'ul asked him, "Young man, whose son are you?" David answered, "I am the son of your servant Yishai the Beit-Lachmi."

The day after Rosh-Hodesh, the second day, David's place was empty; and Sha'ul said to Y'honatan his son, "Why hasn't Yishai's son come to the meal either yesterday or today?"

At that Sha'ul flew into a rage at Y'honatan and said, "You crooked rebel! Don't I know that you've made this son of Yishai your best friend? You don't care that you're shaming yourself and dishonoring your mother, do you?

Because as long as the son of Yishai lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be secure. Now send and bring him here to me - he deserves to die."

Sha'ul said to his servants standing around him, "Listen, you men of Binyamin! Is Yishai's son going to give any of you fields and vineyards? Is he going to make you all commanders of thousands and hundreds?

Is this why you have all conspired against me, why none of you told me when my son went in league with Yishai's son? None of you is concerned about me! Otherwise you would have told me that my son had incited my servant to become my enemy, as he is now."

Then Do'eg the Edomi, who had been put in charge of Sha'ul's servants, answered,"I saw Yishai's son come to Nov, to Achimelekh the son of Achituv.

Sha'ul said to him, "Why did you conspire against me, you and Yishai's son? By giving him bread and a sword and consulting God for him, you helped him rebel against me and become my enemy, which he now is!"