1 Samuel 17:1-30

The Philistines gathered their armies for war. They met at Socoh in Judah and camped at Ephes Dammim between Socoh and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites gathered in the Valley of Elah and camped there and took their positions to fight the Philistines. The Philistines controlled one hill while the Israelites controlled another. The valley was between them. The Philistines had a champion fighter from Gath named Goliath. He was about nine feet, four inches tall. He came out of the Philistine camp with a bronze helmet on his head and a coat of bronze armor that weighed about one hundred twenty-five pounds. He wore bronze protectors on his legs, and he had a bronze spear on his back. The wooden part of his larger spear was like a weaver’s rod, and its blade weighed about fifteen pounds. The officer who carried his shield walked in front of him. Goliath stood and shouted to the Israelite soldiers, “Why have you taken positions for battle? I am a Philistine, and you are Saul’s servants! Choose a man and send him to fight me. If he can fight and kill me, we will be your servants. But if I can kill him, you will be our servants.” Then he said, “Today I stand and dare the army of Israel! Send one of your men to fight me!” When Saul and the Israelites heard the Philistine’s words, they were very scared. Now David was the son of Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons. In Saul’s time Jesse was an old man. His three oldest sons followed Saul to the war. The first son was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah. David was the youngest. Jesse’s three oldest sons followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to Bethlehem, where he took care of his father’s sheep. For forty days the Philistine came out every morning and evening and stood before the Israelite army. Jesse said to his son David, “Take this half bushel of cooked grain and ten loaves of bread to your brothers in the camp. Also take ten pieces of cheese to the commander and to your brothers. See how your brothers are and bring back some proof to show me that they are all right. Your brothers are with Saul and the army in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.” Early in the morning David left the sheep with another shepherd. He took the food and left as Jesse had told him. When David arrived at the camp, the army was going out to their battle positions, shouting their war cry. The Israelites and Philistines were lining up their men to face each other in battle. David left the food with the man who kept the supplies and ran to the battle line to talk to his brothers. While he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out. He shouted things against Israel as usual, and David heard him. When the Israelites saw Goliath, they were very much afraid and ran away. They said, “Look at this man! He keeps coming out to challenge Israel. The king will give much money to whoever kills him. He will also let whoever kills him marry his daughter. And his father’s family will not have to pay taxes in Israel.” David asked the men who stood near him, “What will be done to reward the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the shame from Israel? Who does this uncircumcised Philistine think he is? Does he think he can speak against the armies of the living God?” The Israelites told David what would be done for the man who would kill Goliath. When David’s oldest brother Eliab heard David talking with the soldiers, he was angry with David. He asked David, “Why did you come here? Who’s taking care of those few sheep of yours in the desert? I know you are proud and wicked at heart. You came down here just to watch the battle.” David asked, “Now what have I done wrong? Can’t I even talk?” When he turned to other people and asked the same questions, they gave him the same answer as before.