17 Then Jesse said to his son David, “Please take for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and bring them quickly to the camp for your brothers. 18 And these ten portions of cheese you will bring to the commander of the thousand; ⌊find out how your brothers are doing⌋,l and take their pledge.”m 19 Now Saul and theyn and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah fighting the Philistines.

20 David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper, and he took the provisions and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment while the troops were going to the battle line, and they raised the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle lines, ⌊one battle line against the other⌋.o 22 David left the baggage he had with him in the ⌊care⌋p of the baggage keeper, ran to the battle line, and came and ⌊asked how his brothers were doing⌋.q 23 While he was speaking to them, ⌊the champion⌋,r whose name was Goliath the Philistine from Gath, was coming up from the cavess of the Philistines. He spoke ⌊just as he had previously⌋,t and David heard his words. 24 When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from his presence and were very afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, “Did you see this man who has come up? For he is going up to defy Israel! It will be that the man who defeats him, the king will make himu very rich with great wealth and will give him his daughter in marriage and will make his father’s house free in Israel.”v 26 Now David had spoken to the men who were standing with him, saying, “What will be done for the man who defeats this Philistine and removes the disgrace from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he defies the battle lines of the living God?” 27 And the troops had spoken to him according to this word, saying, “So it will be done for the man who defeatsw him.”

28 His oldest brother Eliab heard while he was speaking to the men, ⌊and Eliab became very angry against David⌋x and said, “Why have you come down today, and with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumptuousness and the evil of your heart! For you have come down in order to see the battle!” 29 David replied, “What have I done now? ⌊I merely asked a question⌋!y 30 He turned around from him to another opposite him and ⌊he spoke to him in the same way⌋,z and the peoplea ⌊answered him as before⌋.b

David Appears before Saul

31 Now the words which David had spoken were heard and they reported them ⌊to⌋c Saul, and he summoned him. 32 David said to Saul, “Do not let anyone’s heart fail concerning him! Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 But Saul said to David, “You will not be able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, because you are only a boy, whereas he has been a man of war since his childhood!” 34 And David said to Saul, “Your servant has been a shepherd of the flock for his father. If the lion or the bear would come and carry off a sheep from the group, 35 I would go out after it and strike it down and rescue the sheep from its mouth. If it rose against me, I would grab it by its beard and strike it down and kill it. 36 Your servant has struck down both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he defied the battle lines of the living God.”

37 And David said, “Yahweh, who rescued me from the hand of the lion and from the hand of the bear, will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine!” Then Saul said to David, “Go and may Yahweh be with you!”