The Selection of David
in Ellen Frankel's The Classic Tales
So Samuel went to Bethlehem and came to Jesse's hosue. And the first son he saw was Eliav, the eldest, and Samuel was impressed by Eliav's stature and bearing. "Surely this is the one destined to rule Israel!" he thought.
But when he tried to pour the holy oil on Eliav's head, it refused to flow from the horn. The same thing happened with the next six sons.
Then Samuel asked Jesse, "Have you any more sons?"
"My youngest, who is a shepherd in the fields," replied Jesse, and the other sons scoffed when he mentioned this last son, for this boy was only their half-brother, the son of one of Jesse's slaves.
"Bring him here," said Samuel.
So he sent for David, the youngest son. And when Samuel saw the young man, he was terrified, for David's hair was bright red and his skin ruddy.
"A second Esau!" cried Samuel. "A man of blood!"
But God told Samuel, "Yes, this one will indeed shed much blood, but those he shall strike down will deserve their deaths because of this sins."
And as David now walked over the threshold of Jesse's house, the horn of oil leaped out of Samuel's hand and flew to David's head, where it poured itself out. As soon as the oil touched his hair, the drops crystallized into pearls and diamonds that adorned him like a prince. And when Samuel reached up to retrieve the horn, it was as full as before.
When David's brothers saw this miracle, they cried out, "How is this possible? David is the son of a slave! How can he become king over Israel?"
The Nazbat, Jesse's wife, stepped forward and spoke. "You are mistaken, my sons. David is not the son of a slave, but my very own son. Years ago, when I saw how your father was tempted by one of the slaves, I disguised myself as that slave and so deceived him and conceived his son. And when my child was born, I pretended that it was the slave's child and so kept my deception a secret from your father. but I knew that this child was destined for great things, for he was born with the sign of the covenant already upon him."
And so at the age of twenty-eight, David became the next king of Israel. But his anointing was not made known to Saul. And when the evil spirit came to Saul, he sent for David to play his lyre for him. So David came to live in the king's house. And his music soothed Saul's troubled spirit, and for a time he found peace.