Now Jesse had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days of
Saul, stricken in years among men. 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. And David was the youngest: and the
three eldest followed Saul.
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; and bring these ten cheeses unto the captain
of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare."
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. And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in
array, army against army. 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. And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the
champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the ranks of
the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard
them. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him,
and were sore afraid. And the men of Israel said, "Have ye seen this man
that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be,
that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great
riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free
in Israel."
And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, "What shall be
done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the
reproach from Israel? for who is this Philistine, that he should defy
the armies of the living God?"
And the people answered him after this manner, saying, "So shall it be
done to the man that killeth him."
And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and
Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, "Why art thou come
down? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I
know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come
down that thou mightest see the battle."
And David said, "What have I now done? Is there not a cause?" And he
turned away from him toward another, and spake after the same manner:
and the people answered him again after the former manner.