1 Samuel 17:11-31

¹¹When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and very fearful.

¹²Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, the man whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men. ¹³The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who had gone into the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and second to him, Abinadab, and the third, Shammah. ¹⁴So David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul, ¹⁵but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock at Bethlehem. ¹⁶And the Philistine came forward morning and evening, and took his stand for forty days.

¹⁷Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to your brothers. ¹⁸Bring also these ten slices of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the well-being of your brothers and bring back confirmation from them. ¹⁹For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the Valley of Elah, fighting the Philistines.”

²⁰So David got up early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper, and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the entrenchment encircling the camp while the army was going out in battle formation, shouting the war cry. ²¹Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle formation, army against army. ²²Then David left the baggage in the care of the baggage keeper and ran to the battle line. And he entered and greeted his brothers. ²³As he was speaking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard him.

²⁴When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were very fearful. ²⁵And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will make the man who kills him wealthy with great riches, and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”

²⁶Then David said to the men who were standing by him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and rids Israel of the disgrace? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he has dared to defy the armies of the living God?” ²⁷The people answered him in agreement with this statement, saying, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”

²⁸Now Eliab his oldest brother heard him when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, “Why is it that you have come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I myself know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.” ²⁹But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a question?” ³⁰Then he turned away from him to another and said the same thing; and the people replied with the same words as before.

³¹When the words that David spoke were heard, they informed Saul, and he sent for him.