1 Samuel 17:31-39

Christian Standard Bible

³¹ What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, so he had David brought to him. ³² David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged by him;^(A) your servant will go^(B) and fight this Philistine!”

³³ But Saul replied, “You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young.”

³⁴ David answered Saul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth.^(C) If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur,^[a] strike it down, and kill it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ Then David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”^(D)

Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.”^(E)

³⁸ Then Saul had his own military clothes put on David. He put a bronze helmet on David’s head and had him put on armor. ³⁹ David strapped his sword on over the military clothes and tried to walk, but he was not used to them. “I can’t walk in these,” David said to Saul, “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off.