26. David now said to the men standing near him: “How will the man who kills this Philistine and frees Israel from disgrace be rewarded? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should insult the armies of the living God?”
27. They repeated the same words to him and said, “That is how the man who kills him will be rewarded.”
28. When Eliab, his oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he grew angry with David and said: “Why did you come down? With whom have you left those sheep in the wilderness? I know your arrogance and dishonest heart. You came down to enjoy the battle!”
29. David protested, “What have I done now? I was only talking.”
30. He turned from him to another and asked the same question; and everyone gave him the same answer as before.
31. The words that David had spoken were overheard and reported to Saul, who sent for him.
32. Then David spoke to Saul: “My lord should not lose heart. Let your servant go and fight this Philistine.”
33. But Saul answered David, “You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him, for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth.”
34. Then David told Saul: “Your servant used to tend his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or bear came to carry off a sheep from the flock,
35. I would chase after it, attack it, and snatch the prey from its mouth. If it attacked me, I would seize it by the throat, strike it, and kill it.
36. Your servant has killed both a lion and a bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be as one of them, because he has insulted the armies of the living God.”
37. David continued: “The same Lord who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul answered David, “Go! the Lord will be with you.”
38. Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic, putting a bronze helmet on his head and arming him with a coat of mail.
39. David also fastened Saul’s sword over the tunic. He walked with difficulty, however, since he had never worn armor before. He said to Saul, “I cannot go in these, because I am not used to them.” So he took them off.
40. Then, staff in hand, David selected five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s bag. With his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine.
41. With his shield-bearer marching before him, the Philistine advanced closer and closer to David.
42. When he sized David up and saw that he was youthful, ruddy, and handsome in appearance, he began to deride him.