1 Samuel 16:8-9

16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him to Samuel. ¹  But Samuel ²  said, “The Lord has not chosen this one, either.” 16:9 Then Jesse presented ³  Shammah. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”

1 Samuel 16:22

16:22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse saying, “Let David be my servant, for I really like him.” ⁴ 

1 Samuel 19:15

19:15 Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on his bed so I can kill him.”

1 Samuel 25:6

25:6 Then you will say to my brother, ⁵  “Peace to you and your house! Peace to all that is yours!

[16:8]  ¹ tn Heb “and caused him to pass before.”

[16:8]  ² tn Heb “he” (also in v. 9); the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:9]  ³ tn Heb “caused to pass by.”

[16:22]  ⁴ tn Heb “Let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my eyes.”

[25:6]  ⁵ tc The text is difficult here. The MT and most of the early versions support the reading לֶחָי (lekhai, “to life,” or “to the one who lives”). Some of the older English versions (KJV, ASV; cf. NKJV) took the expression to mean “to him who lives (in prosperity),” but this translation requires reading a good deal into the words. While the expression could have the sense of “Long life to you!” (cf. NIV, NJPS) or perhaps “Good luck to you!” this seems somewhat redundant in light of the salutation that follows in the context. The Latin Vulgate has fratribus meis (“to my brothers”), which suggests that Jerome understood the Hebrew word to have an alef that is absent in the MT (i.e., לֶאֱחָי, le’ekhay). Jerome’s plural, however, remains a problem, since in the context David is addressing a single individual, namely Nabal, and not a group. However, it is likely that the Vulgate witnesses to a consonantal Hebrew text that is to be preferred here, especially if the word were to be revocalized as a singular rather than a plural. While it is impossible to be certain about this reading, the present translation essentially follows the Vulgate in reading “my brother” (so also NJB; cf. NAB, RSV, NRSV).