1 Samuel 16:15

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."

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.

King James Version (1611)
And Sauls seruants said vnto him, Behold now, an euill spirit from God troubleth 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.

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 At that very moment the Spirit of God left Saul and in its place a black mood sent by God settled on him. He was terrified. ¹⁵Saul'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." ¹⁷ Saul told his servants, "Go ahead. Find me someone who can play well and bring him to me." ¹⁸ One of the young men spoke up, "I know someone. I've seen him myself: the son of Jesse of Bethlehem, an excellent musician. He's also courageous, of age, well-spoken, and good-looking. And God is with him." ¹⁹ So Saul sent messengers to Jesse requesting, "Send your son David to me, the one who tends the sheep." ²⁰Jesse took a donkey, loaded it with a couple of loaves of bread, a flask of wine, and a young goat, and sent his son David with it to Saul. David came to Saul and stood before him. Saul liked him immediately and made him his right-hand man. ²² Saul sent word back to Jesse: "Thank you. David will stay here. He's just the one I was looking for. I'm very impressed by him." ²³ After that, whenever the bad depression from God tormented Saul, David got out his harp and played. That would calm Saul down, and he would feel better as the moodiness lifted.

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
The angel of God said, "Go back to your mistress. Put up with her abuse." He continued, "I'm going to give you a big family, children past counting. From this pregnancy, you'll get a son: Name him Ishmael; for God heard you, God answered you. He'll be a bucking bronco of a man, a real fighter, fighting and being fought, Always stirring up trouble, always at odds with his family."

Genesis 17:18
Recovering, Abraham said to God, "Oh, keep Ishmael alive and well before you!"

Genesis 17:20
"And Ishmael? Yes, I heard your prayer for him. I'll also bless him; I'll make sure he has plenty of children—a huge family. He'll father twelve princes; I'll make him a great nation. But I'll establish my covenant with Isaac whom Sarah will give you about this time next year."

Genesis 25:12
This is the family tree of Ishmael son of Abraham, the son that Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maid, bore to Abraham.

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).