David

Now the Philistine came closer and closer to David, with his shield-bearer before him.

When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome.

“Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

“Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”

But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

As the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.

Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword and pulled it from its sheath and killed him; and he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.

David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.

As Saul had watched David going out to confront the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” “As surely as you live, O king,” Abner replied, “I do not know.”

So when David returned from killing the Philistine, still holding his head in his hand, Abner took him and brought him before Saul.

“Whose son are you, young man?” asked Saul. “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David replied.

After David had finished speaking with Saul, the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together, and Jonathan loved him as himself.

Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

And Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.

So David marched out and prospered in everything Saul sent him to do, and Saul set him over the men of war. And this was pleasing in the sight of all the people, and of Saul’s officers as well.

As the troops were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs, and with tambourines and other instruments.

And as the women danced, they sang out: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”

And Saul was furious and resented this song. “They have ascribed tens of thousands to David,” he said, “but only thousands to me. What more can he have but the kingdom?”

And from that day forward Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

The next day a spirit of distress sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear,

and he hurled it, thinking, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.

So Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul.

and he continued to prosper in all his ways, because the LORD was with him.