1 Samuel 16:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’

NIV: 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.'

NASB: But Samuel said, 'How can I go? When Saul hears about it, he will kill me.' But the Lord said, 'Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

CSB: Samuel asked, "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me! "The Lord answered, "Take a young cow with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.'

NLT: But Samuel asked, 'How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.' 'Take a heifer with you,' the Lord replied, 'and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord.

KJV: And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.

NKJV: And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.