16. Goliath challenged the Israelites every morning and evening for forty days.
17. One day Jesse said to David, “Take ten kilogrammes of this roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and hurry with them to your brothers in the camp.
18. And take these ten cheeses to the commanding officer. Find out how your brothers are getting on and bring back something to show that you saw them and that they are well.
19. King Saul, your brothers, and all the other Israelites are in the Valley of Elah fighting the Philistines.”
20. David got up early the next morning, left someone else in charge of the sheep, took the food, and went as Jesse had told him to. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelites were going out to their battle line, shouting the war cry.
21. The Philistine and the Israelite armies took up positions for battle, facing each other.
22. David left the food with the officer in charge of the supplies, ran to the battle line, went to his brothers, and asked how they were getting on.
23. As he was talking to them, Goliath came forward and challenged the Israelites as he had done before. And David heard him.
24. When the Israelites saw Goliath, they ran away in terror.
25. “Look at him!” they said to each other. “Listen to his challenge! King Saul has promised to give a big reward to the man who kills him; the king will also give him his daughter to marry and will not require his father's family to pay taxes.”
26. David asked the men who were near him, “What will the man get who kills this Philistine and frees Israel from this disgrace? After all, who is this heathen Philistine to defy the army of the living God?”
27. They told him what would be done for the man who killed Goliath.
28. Eliab, David's eldest brother, heard David talking to the men. He was angry with David and said, “What are you doing here? Who is taking care of those sheep of yours out there in the wilderness? You cheeky brat, you! You just came to watch the fighting!”