¹²Now David was hthe son of an iEphrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, jnamed Jesse, kwho had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.4 ¹³The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And lthe names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. ¹⁴mDavid was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, ¹⁵but David went back and forth from Saul nto feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. ¹⁶For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.

¹⁷And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah5 of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. ¹⁸oAlso take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. pSee if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.”

¹⁹Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. ²⁰And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to qthe encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. ²¹And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. ²²And David left the rthings in charge of the keeper of the rbaggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. ²³As he talked with them, behold, sthe champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke tthe same words as before. And David heard him.

²⁴All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. ²⁵And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to udefy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches vand will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel.” ²⁶And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away wthe reproach from Israel? For who is this xuncircumcised Philistine, that he should udefy the armies of ythe living God?” ²⁷And the people answered him in the same way, z“So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”

²⁸Now 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? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” ²⁹And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” ³⁰And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke bin the same way, and the people answered him again as before.

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