1 Samuel 16:4

Plain English Version

Samuel listened to God, and he went to Bethlehem. After he got there, the elders of the town came to meet him. They were really afraid. They were so frightened that they shook, and they asked, “Did you come with good news? Or are you angry with us?”

Cross References

Genesis 35:19

That’s how Rachel died. Then Jacob’s mob buried her near the road that goes to the town called Efrath. Another name for Efrath is Bethlehem.

Genesis 48:7

Jacob also said to Joseph, “I want your 2 sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, to have their own tribes and their own land, because your mother Rachel only gave me 2 sons. She had you and your brother Benjamin. And then she died, and I was really sad. At that time, we were going from Paddan Aram country to Canaan country. Your mother died in Canaan country, on the way to the town called Efrath. And I buried her body near the road that goes to Efrath.” Another name for that town is Bethlehem.

Luke 2:4

Joseph belonged to the family of David, the man that was Israel’s big boss a long time ago. David grew up in the town called Bethlehem, in Judea country, but Joseph lived in a town called Nazareth, in Galilee country. So Joseph had to go south to Bethlehem, to put his name on the right list.

1 Samuel 21:1

After that, David went to a place called Nob. There was an old man there called Ahimelek. He used to look after God’s ceremonies. He saw David coming with no soldiers. There were just a few work-men with him. This made Ahimelek afraid. He was so frightened that he shook. He asked David, “Why did you come here all by yourself? Where are your soldiers? What happened?”