1 Samuel 17:13–28

¹³The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul into battle: The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah. ¹⁴And David was the youngest.

The three oldest had followed Saul, ¹⁵but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.

¹⁶For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening to take his stand.

¹⁷One day Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain^e and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. ¹⁸Take also these ten portions of cheese to the commander of their unit. Check on the welfare of your brothers and bring back an assurance from them.^{f 19}They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”

²⁰So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with a keeper, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had instructed him. He reached the camp as the army was marching out to its position and shouting the battle cry. ²¹And Israel and the Philistines arrayed in formation against each other.

²²Then David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing. ²³And as he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the ranks of the Philistines and shouted his usual words, which David also heard.

²⁴When all the men of Israel saw Goliath, they fled from him in great fear.

²⁵Now the men of Israel had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out to defy Israel? To the man who kills him the king will give great riches. And he will give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s house from taxation in Israel.”

²⁶David asked the men who were standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

²⁷The people told him about the offer, saying, “That is what will be done for the man who kills him.”

²⁸Now when David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, his anger burned against David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and wickedness of heart — you have come down to see the battle!”