1 Samuel 17:14–25

¹⁴ And David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul, ¹⁵ but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep in Bethlehem. ¹⁶ For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening to take his stand. ¹⁷ One day Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. ¹⁸ Take also these ten portions of cheese to the commander of their unit. Check on the welfare of your brothers and bring back an assurance from them. ¹⁹ They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.” ²⁰ So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with a keeper, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had instructed him. He reached the camp as the army was marching out to its position and shouting the battle cry. ²¹ And Israel and the Philistines arrayed in formation against each other. ²² Then David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing. ²³ And as he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the Philistines and shouted his usual words, which David also heard. ²⁴ When all the men of Israel saw Goliath, they fled from him in great fear. ²⁵ Now the men of Israel had been saying, “Do you see this man who keeps coming out to defy Israel? To the man who kills him the king will give great riches. And he will give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s house from taxation in Israel.”