1 Samuel 17:36-47

English Standard Version

³⁶ Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, ^(A)for he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ And David said, ^(B)“The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, ^(C)and the Lord be with you!”

³⁸ Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, ³⁹ and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. ⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.

⁴¹ And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, ^(D)with his shield-bearer in front of him. ⁴² And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ^(E)ruddy and handsome in appearance. ⁴³ And the Philistine said to David, “Am I ^(F)a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh ^(G)to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” ⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with ^(H)a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, ^(I)whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. ^(J)And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day ^(K)to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, ^(L)that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, ⁴⁷ and that all this assembly may know that ^(M)the Lord saves not with sword and spear. ^(N)For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.”