Psalm 150

17 Now the Philistines had gathered an army for battle at Socoh, which is in the land of Judah, and they pitched their tents in Ephes-dammim between Socoh and Azekah. ² Unwilling to allow another Philistine invasion of their nation, Saul and the forces of Israel went out against them. They camped in the valley of Elah and formed ranks against the Philistines. ³ The Philistines stood on one mountain and the Israelites on another, with the valley between them.

⁴ Then a champion emerged from the Philistine camp, Goliath of Gath (one of the five capital cities in the Philistine confederation), who was over nine feet tall.^{[a] 5} He wore a bronze helmet and a chain-mail coat that weighed more than 100 pounds of bronze. ⁶ His legs were protected by bronze shin guards, and he had a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders, ready to throw. ⁷ The shaft of his spear was as thick as a weaver’s beam, the iron head of his spear weighed 20 pounds, and his shield-bearer went ahead of him. He was a fearsome sight.

⁸ Goliath stood and shouted to the watching Israelites.

¹¹ When Saul and his army heard the Philistine’s words, they were shocked and frightened.

¹² David was the son of Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah who had eight sons. At this time, Jesse was already an old man. ¹³ Jesse’s three oldest sons, Eliab (the firstborn), Abinadab (the second), and Shammah (the third) had gone with Saul to the battlefield. ¹⁴ David was the youngest son; and while the three oldest went with Saul, ¹⁵ he went back and forth between Saul’s battle and his father’s sheep in Bethlehem taking provisions to the troops and bringing word from the front line.

¹⁶ For 40 days this Philistine giant, Goliath of Gath, stepped forward, challenging the men of Israel every morning and evening. But no one was brave enough to accept the challenge.

²⁰ David rose early the next morning, left the sheep in the care of another, took the provisions, and obeyed Jesse’s instructions. David reached the camp just as the army was lining up and shouting its war cries. ²¹ Both Israel and the Philistines prepared to fight against each other. ²² David left the provisions with the person in charge of baggage; he ran to the front lines and shoved his way through the soldiers to greet his brothers. ²³ As David talked with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, emerged again and shouted his challenge to the men of Israel. This time young David heard his words.

¹² Those were amazing days—with many signs and wonders being performed through the apostles among the people. The church would gather as a unified group in Solomon’s Porch, ¹³ enjoying great respect by the people of the city—though most people wouldn’t risk publicly affiliating with them. ¹⁴ Even so, record numbers of believers—both men and women—were added to the Lord. ¹⁵ The church’s renown was so great that when Peter walked down the street, people would carry out their sick relatives hoping his shadow would fall on some of them as he passed. ¹⁶ Even people from towns surrounding Jerusalem would come, bringing others who were sick or tormented by unclean spirits, all of whom were cured.