1 Samuel 16:15

King James Version (1611 Edition)

And Sauls seruants said vnto him, Behold now, an euill spirit from God troubleth thee.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
so Saul’s servants said to him, “You see that an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.

Hebrew Names Version
Sha'ul's servants said to him, See now, an evil spirit from God troubles you.

King James Version
And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

Lexham English Bible
So the servants of Saul said to him, "Look please, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.

English Standard Version
And Saul's servants said to him, "Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you.

New Century Version
Saul's servants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is troubling you.

New English Translation
Then Saul's servants said to him, "Look, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you!"

Amplified Bible
Saul's servants said to him, "Behold, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.

New American Standard Bible
Saul's servants then said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrifying you.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And Sauls seruants said vnto him, Beholde nowe, the euill spirite of God vexeth thee.

Legacy Standard Bible
Saul's servants then said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you.

Contemporary English Version
"It's an evil spirit from God that's frightening you," Saul's officials told him.

Complete Jewish Bible
Sha'ul's servants said to him, "Do you notice that there's an evil spirit from God that suddenly comes over you?

Darby Translation
And Saul's servants said to him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubles thee.

Easy-to-Read Version
Saul's servants said to him, "An evil spirit from God is bothering you.

George Lamsa Translation
And Sauls servants said to him, Behold, your servants are before you;

Good News Translation
His servants said to him, "We know that an evil spirit sent by God is tormenting you.

Literal Translation
And Saul's servants said to him, Behold, now an evil spirit from God is terrifying you.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde Sauls seruauntes vnto him: Beholde, an euell sprete from God vexeth the.

American Standard Version
And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

Bible in Basic English
And Saul's servants said to him, See now, an evil spirit from God is troubling you.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Sauls seruauntes said vnto him: Beholde, an euill spirite [sent] of God vexeth thee.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Saul's servants said unto him: 'Behold now, an evil spirit from God terrifieth thee.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Saul’s servants said to him, Behold now, and evil spirit from the Lord torments thee.

English Revised Version
And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

Berean Standard Bible
Saul's servants said to him, "Surely a spirit of distress from God is tormenting you.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the seruauntis of Saul seiden to hym, Lo! an yuel spirit of the Lord traueilith thee;

Young's Literal Translation
and the servants of Saul say unto him, `Lo, we pray thee, a spirit of sadness [from] God is terrifying thee;

Update Bible Version
And Saul's slaves said to him, Look now, an evil spirit from God troubles you.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Saul's servants said to him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

World English Bible
Saul's servants said to him, See now, an evil spirit from God troubles you.

New King James Version
And Saul's servants said to him, "Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you.

New Living Translation
Some of Saul's servants said to him, "A tormenting spirit from God is troubling you.

New Life Bible
Saul's servants said to him, "See, a bad spirit from God is bringing you trouble.

New Revised Standard
And Saul's servants said to him, "See now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said the servants of Saul unto him, - Lo! we pray thee, a sad superhuman spirit, doth terrify thee:

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the servants of Saul said to him: Behold now an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.

Revised Standard Version
And Saul's servants said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.

THE MESSAGE
Saul's advisors said, "This awful tormenting depression from God is making your life miserable. O Master, let us help. Let us look for someone who can play the harp. When the black mood from God moves in, he'll play his music and you'll feel better."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Saul's servants then said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you.

Contextual Overview

¹⁴ But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an euil spirit from the Lord troubled him. ¹⁵ And Sauls seruants said vnto him, Behold now, an euill spirit from God troubleth thee. ¹⁶ Let our lord now command thy seruants which are before thee, to seeke out a man, who is a cunning player on an harpe: and it shall come to passe when the euill spirit from God is vpon thee, that hee shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. ¹⁷ And Saul said vnto his seruants, Prouide mee now a man, that can play well, and bring him to me. ¹⁸ Then answered one of the seruants, and said, Behold, I haue seene a sonne of Iesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of warre, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him. ¹⁹ Wherefore Saul sent messengers vnto Iesse, and said, Send me Dauid thy sonne, which is with the sheepe. ²⁰ And Iesse tooke an asse laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by Dauid his sonne vnto Saul. ²¹ And Dauid came to Saul, and stood before him: and hee loued him greatly, and hee became his armour bearer. ²² And Saul sent to Iesse, saying, Let Dauid, I pray thee, stand before me: for hee hath found fauour in my sight. ²³ And it came to passe, when the euill spirit from God was vpon Saul, that Dauid tooke an harpe, and played with his hand: So Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the euill spirit departed from him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 16:1 - seeing 1 Samuel 18:10 - the evil spirit

Cross-References

Genesis 16:9
And the Angel of the LORD said vnto her, Returne to thy mistresse, and submit thy selfe vnder her hands.

Genesis 16:11
And the Angel of the LORD said vnto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt beare a sonne, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.

Genesis 17:18
And Abraham said vnto God, O that Ishmael might liue before thee.

Genesis 17:20
And as for Ishmael, I haue heard thee: behold, I haue blessed him, and will make him fruitfull, and will multiplie him exceedingly: Twelue princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

Genesis 25:9
And his sonnes Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the caue of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the sonne of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;

Genesis 25:12
Now these are the generations of Ishmael Abrahams sonne, whom Hagar the Egyptian Sarahs handmayd, bare vnto Abraham:

Genesis 28:9
Then went Esau vnto Ishmael, and tooke vnto the wiues which hee had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abrahams sonne, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife.

Genesis 37:27
Come, and let vs sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand bee vpon him: for he is our brother, and our flesh; and his brethren were content.

1 Chronicles 1:28
The sonnes of Abraham: Isaac, and Ishmael.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Saul's servants said unto him,.... His courtiers, who observing him to act in a frantic manner, to be dull and melancholy, timorous, and irresolute, unsteady, divided, and distressed; or his physicians, who were called in to assist him, and remove his disorder from him:

behold, now an evil spirit from God troubleth thee: the disorder was not from any natural cause, or any bodily disease, and therefore out of the reach of physicians to do any service, but was from an evil spirit suffered of God to harass and disturb him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The “evil” or “melancholy” spirit here spoken of was “the Spirit of God,” or “of Jehovah,” as being God’s messenger and minister, sent by Him to execute His righteous purpose upon Saul (see 1 Kings 22:19-22 note).