¹² Now David was ^(A)the son of an ^(B)Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, ^(C)named Jesse, ^(D)who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.^{[a] 13} The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And ^(E)the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. ^14 (F)David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, ¹⁵ but David went back and forth from Saul ^(G)to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. ¹⁶ For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.

¹⁷ And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah^[b] of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. ^18 (H)Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. ^(I)See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.”

¹⁹ Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. ²⁰ And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to ^(J)the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. ²¹ And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. ²² And David left the ^(K)things in charge of the keeper of the ^(L)baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. ²³ As he talked with them, behold, ^(M)the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke ^(N)the same words as before. And David heard him.

²⁴ All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. ²⁵ And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to ^(O)defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches ^(P)and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel.” ²⁶ And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away ^(Q)the reproach from Israel? For who is this ^(R)uncircumcised Philistine, that he should ^(S)defy the armies of ^(T)the living God?” ²⁷ And the people answered him in the same way, ^(U)“So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”