And Jesse answered: "There is still the youngest, and he is with the
sheep."
So David was sent for, and the Lord said to Samuel: "Arise, anoint him:
for this is he."
And the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that time forward.
By and by the Philistines, who were enemies of Israel, gathered their
armies together to battle, and Saul and the men of Israel went out to
meet them; and the two armies stood on two mountain sides, opposite to
each other with a valley between them, ready to begin to fight.
Then the Philistines sent out a great giant as a champion, and he
defied the armies of Israel, telling them to choose one of their men to
fight with him; and promising if their champion was able to kill him,
then the Philistines would be their servants: but if he killed their
champion, the Israelites would have to serve the Philistines.
When Saul and his soldiers heard these words, they were dismayed and
greatly afraid.
And day after day for forty days, the giant came out and defied the
Children of Israel.
David's father, Jesse, had three sons at the war, and one day Jesse
told David to go and see how his brothers were, and to carry a present
of food to the captain of their thousand.
When David got near to the trench, he found that the armies were
preparing for a battle.
Then his brothers told him about the giant and his threats, and how
Saul had made great promises to any one who should be brave enough to
kill him.
And David said indignantly to every one he met: "Who is this
Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
At length Saul heard of the words that David had said in the camp, and
he had him brought before him; but when he saw how young he was, he
told him it would be impossible for him to fight the giant.
But David said: "When I was keeping my father's sheep, there came
a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock. I went after
him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he
arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew
him . . . The Lord that 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!"
So Saul offered him some armour, but when David had tried it, he took
it all off, and chose instead five smooth stones out of the brook, and
with his sling in his hand, he went to meet the giant.
You can imagine that great, tall man with his heavy armour, looking
down on the young and beautiful youth before him, and disdaining him!
So the giant came on and drew near to David, and he said to him: "Am
I a dog, that you come to me with stones? Come to me, and I will give
your flesh to the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the field!"