¹² Now David was ^(A)the son of an ^(B)Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, ^(C)named Jesse, ^(D)who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.^{[a] 13} The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And ^(E)the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. ^14 (F)David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, ¹⁵ but David went back and forth from Saul ^(G)to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. ¹⁶ For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.

¹⁷ And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah^[b] of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. ^18 (H)Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. ^(I)See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.”

¹⁹ Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. ²⁰ And 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 ^(J)the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. ²¹ And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. ²² And David left the ^(K)things in charge of the keeper of the ^(L)baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. ²³ As he talked with them, behold, ^(M)the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke ^(N)the same words as before. And David heard him.

²⁴ All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. ²⁵ And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to ^(O)defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches ^(P)and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel.” ²⁶ And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away ^(Q)the reproach from Israel? For who is this ^(R)uncircumcised Philistine, that he should ^(S)defy the armies of ^(T)the living God?” ²⁷ And the people answered him in the same way, ^(U)“So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”

²⁸ Now 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.” ²⁹ And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” ³⁰ And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke ^(V)in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.

³¹ When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him.

⁵⁵ As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, ^(A)the commander of the army, “Abner, ^(B)whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, ^(C)“As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” ⁵⁶ And the king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.” ⁵⁷ And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul ^(D)with the head of the Philistine in his hand. ⁵⁸ And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, ^(E)“I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

David and Jonathan's Friendship

18 As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan ^(F)loved him as his own soul. ² And Saul took him that day ^(G)and would not let him return to his father's house. ³ Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because ^(H)he loved him as his own soul. ⁴ And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. ⁵ And David went out ^(I)and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

David Marries Michal

¹⁷ Then Saul said to David, “Here is ^(A)my elder daughter Merab. ^(B)I will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me ^(C)and fight the Lord's battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, ^(D)but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” ¹⁸ And David said to Saul, ^(E)“Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father's clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” ¹⁹ But at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to ^(F)Adriel the ^(G)Meholathite for a wife.