8. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
9. If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.
10. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
11. And when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
12. Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days of Saul, stricken in years among men.
13. And the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
14. And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul.
15. Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Beth-lehem.
16. And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
17. And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to thy brethren;
18. and bring these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.
19. Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the vale of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
20. And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the place of the wagons, as the host which was going forth to the fight shouted for the battle.
21. And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army.
22. And David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and saluted his brethren.