1 Samuel 17:12-24

New International Version

¹² Now David was the son of an Ephrathite^(A) named Jesse,^(B) who was from Bethlehem^(C) in Judah. Jesse had eight^(D) sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old. ¹³ Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab;^(E) the second, Abinadab;^(F) and the third, Shammah.^{(G) 14} David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, ¹⁵ but David went back and forth from Saul to tend^(H) his father’s sheep^(I) at Bethlehem.

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

¹⁷ Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah^[a](J) of roasted grain^(K) and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. ¹⁸ Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers^(L) are and bring back some assurance^[b] from them. ¹⁹ They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”

²⁰ Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. ²¹ Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. ²² David left his things with the keeper of supplies,^(M) ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. ²³ As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual^(N) defiance, and David heard it. ²⁴ Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.