1 Samuel 16:15

New King James Version

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

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 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 a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. ¹⁵ And Saul's servants said to him, "Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. ¹⁶ Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well." ¹⁷ So Saul said to his servants, "Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me." ¹⁸ Then one of the servants answered and said, "Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him." ¹⁹ Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep." ²⁰ And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul. ²¹ So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer. ²² Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight." ²³ And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart 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
The Angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand."

Genesis 16:11
And the Angel of the LORD said to her: "Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction.

Genesis 17:18
And Abraham said to God, "Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!"

Genesis 17:20
And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

Genesis 25:9
And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite,

Genesis 25:12
1 Chronicles 1:29-31">[xr] Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maidservant, bore to Abraham.

Genesis 28:9
So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had.

Genesis 37:27
Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh." And his brothers listened.

1 Chronicles 1:28
The sons of Abraham were 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).