David

The women who were her neighbors gave it a name; they said, "A son has been born to Na'omi," and called it 'Oved. He was the father of Yishai the father of David.

'Oved was the father of Yishai, and Yishai was the father of David.

Sh'mu'el took the horn of oil and anointed him there in his brothers' presence. From that day on, the Spirit of ADONAI would fall upon David with power. So Sh'mu'el set out and went to Ramah.

So Sha'ul sent messengers to Yishai saying, "Send me David your son, who is out with the sheep."

Yishai took a donkey, loaded it with bread, a bottle of wine and a kid, and sent them with David his son to Sha'ul.

David came to Sha'ul and presented himself to him. Sha'ul took a great liking to him and made him his armor-bearer.

Sha'ul sent a message to Yishai: "Please let David stay in my service, because I'm pleased with him."

So it was that whenever the [evil] spirit from God came over Sha'ul, David would take the lyre and play it, with the result that Sha'ul would find relief and feel better, as the evil spirit left him.

Now David was the son of that Efrati from Beit-Lechem in Y'hudah named Yishai. He had eight sons; and in the time of Sha'ul he was old - the years had taken their toll.

David was the youngest; the three oldest followed Sha'ul.

David went back and forth from Sha'ul to pasture his father's sheep at Beit-Lechem.

Yishai said to David his son, "Please take your brothers five bushels of this roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread; hurry, and carry them to your brothers at the camp.

David got up early in the morning, left the sheep with a helper, took his load and set out, as Yishai had ordered him. He arrived at the barricade of the camp just as the troops were going out to their battle stations and shouting the war cry.

David left his equipment in charge of the equipment guard, ran to the troops, went to his brothers and asked if they were well.

As he was talking with them, there came the champion, the P'lishti from Gat named Golyat, from the ranks of the P'lishtim, saying the same words as before; and David heard them.

David said to the men standing with him, "What reward will be given to the man who kills this P'lishti and removes this disgrace from Isra'el? Who is this uncircumcised P'lishti anyway, that he challenges the armies of the living God?"

Eli'av his oldest brother heard when David spoke to the men, and it made Eli'av angry at him. He asked, "Why did you come down here? With whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is! You just came down to watch the fighting."

David said, "What have I done now? I only asked a question."

David's words were overheard and told to Sha'ul, who summoned him.

David said to Sha'ul, "No one should lose heart because of him; your servant will go and fight this P'lishti."

Sha'ul said to David, "You can't go to fight this P'lishti -you're just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth!"

David answered Sha'ul, "Your servant used to guard his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear would come and grab a lamb from the flock,

Then David said, "ADONAI, who rescued me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will rescue me from the paw of this P'lishti!" Sha'ul said to David, "Go; may ADONAI be with you."

Sha'ul dressed David in his own armor - he put a bronze helmet on his head and gave him armor plate to wear.

David buckled his sword on his armor and tried to walk, but he wasn't used to such equipment. David said to Sha'ul, "I can't move wearing these things, because I'm not used to them." So David took them off.