1 Samuel 16:15

Revised Standard Version

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

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 Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him. ¹⁵ And Saul's servants said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. ¹⁶ Let our lord now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is skilful in playing the lyre; and when the evil spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well." ¹⁷ So Saul said to his servants, "Provide for me a man who can play well, and bring him to me." ¹⁸ One of the young men answered, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skilful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence; and the LORD is with him." ¹⁹ Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, "Send me David your son, who is with the sheep." ²⁰ And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a skin of wine and a kid, and sent them by David his son to Saul. ²¹ And David came to Saul, and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. ²² And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight." ²³ And whenever the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil 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
The angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit to her."

Genesis 16:11
And the angel of the LORD said to her, "Behold, you are with child, and shall bear a son; you shall call his name Ish'mael; because the LORD has given heed to your affliction.

Genesis 17:18
And Abraham said to God, "O that Ish'mael might live in thy sight!"

Genesis 17:20
As for Ish'mael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him and make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.

Genesis 25:9
Isaac and Ish'mael his sons buried him in the cave of Mach-pe'lah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre,

Genesis 25:12
These are the descendants of Ish'mael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maid, bore to Abraham.

Genesis 28:9
Esau went to Ish'mael and took to wife, besides the wives he had, Ma'halath the daughter of Ish'mael Abraham's son, the sister of Neba'ioth.

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

1 Chronicles 1:28
The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ish'mael.

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).