24. When all Israel’s fighting men saw the man, they fled from him, and were very afraid.
25. The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel, and it will be that the man who kills him, the king will enrich him with great riches, will give him his daughter, and will make his father’s house exempt from taxes in Israel.”
26. David spoke to the men that stood by him, saying, “What will be done for the man that kills this Philistine and takes away this reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
27. And the people answered him in the same way, saying, “So will it be done to the man who kills him.”
28. Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the evil of your heart. For you have come down that you might see the battle.”
29. David said, “What have I done now? Was it not only a word?”
30. And he turned from him toward another and spoke in the same way. And the people answered him again as at the first.
31. When the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul and he sent for him.
32. David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
33. Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him. For you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”
34. David said to Saul, “Your servant was a shepherd for my father’s flock, and the lion came and the bear, and took a lamb out of the flock.
35. And I went out after him, and struck him, and delivered it out of his mouth. And when he arose against me, I took hold of his beard, struck him, and killed him.
36. Your servant slew both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised Philistine will be as one of them, because he has reviled the armies of the living God.”
37. David said, “The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.”And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
38. Saul clothed David with his armor. And he put a helmet of bronze on his head. He also clothed him with a coat of mail.
39. David secured his sword to his armor and tried to walk, but he was not used to it, for he had not tested them.And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.
40. He took his staff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones out of the brook. And he put them in his shepherd’s bag, even in a pouch. And his sling was in his hand. Then he drew near to the Philistine.
41. The Philistine came walking and drew near to David, and the man bearing the shield went before him.
42. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him. For he was a youth and ruddy with a handsome appearance.
43. The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44. The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the field.”