1 Samuel 17:12–31

¹²Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem-Judah whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons; and the man was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men. ¹³And the three eldest of the sons of Jesse had gone and followed Saul to the battle; and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. ¹⁴And David was the youngest; and the three eldest had followed Saul. ¹⁵But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. ¹⁶And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. ¹⁷And Jesse said to David his son, Take, I pray, for thy brethren, this ephah of parched corn and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to thy brethren; ¹⁸and carry these ten cheeses to the captain of the thousand, and visit thy brethren to see how they are, and take a pledge of them. ¹⁹Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel were in the valley of terebinths, fighting against the Philistines. ²⁰And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took his charge and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the wagon-defence; and the host which was going forth to the battle-array shouted for the fight. ²¹And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, rank against rank. ²²And David left the things he was carrying in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran into the ranks, and came and saluted his brethren. ²³And as he talked with them, behold there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke according to the same words; and David heard them. ²⁴And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were greatly afraid. ²⁵And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that comes up? for to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who smites him, him will the king enrich with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel. ²⁶And David spoke to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that smites this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? ²⁷And the people told him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that smites him. ²⁸And Eliab, his eldest brother, heard while he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why art thou come down? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride and the naughtiness of thy heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. ²⁹And David said, What have I now done? Was it not laid upon me? ³⁰And he turned from him to another, and spoke after the same manner; and the people answered him again after the former manner.

³¹And the words were heard which David spoke, and they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him.