Saul

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.

Yishai's three oldest sons had followed Sha'ul to battle; the names of his three sons who went to battle were Eli'av the firstborn, next to him Avinadav, and the third Shammah.

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.

Sha'ul and your brothers, with all the army of Isra'el, are in the Elah Valley, fighting the P'lishtim."

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.

When Sha'ul saw David go out to fight the P'lishti, he said to Avner, the army's commander, "Avner, whose son is this boy?""By your life, O king," Avner replied, "I don't know."

David returned from killing the P'lishti, Avner took him and brought him to Sha'ul with the head of the P'lishti in his hand.

Sha'ul asked him, "Young man, whose son are you?" David answered, "I am the son of your servant Yishai the Beit-Lachmi."

By the time David had finished speaking to Sha'ul, Y'honatan found himself inwardly drawn by David's character, so that Y'honatan loved him as he did himself.

That day, Sha'ul took David into his service and would not let him go home to his father's house any more.

David would go out, and no matter where Sha'ul sent him, he was successful. Sha'ul put him in charge of the fighting men; all the people thought it good, and so did Sha'ul's servants.

As David and the others were returning from the slaughter of the P'lishti, the women came out of all the cities of Isra'el to meet King Sha'ul, singing and dancing joyfully with tambourines and three-stringed instruments.

In their merrymaking the women sang, "Sha'ul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands."

Sha'ul became very angry, because this song displeased him. He said, "They give David credit for tens of thousands, but me they give credit for only thousands. Now all he lacks is the kingdom!"

From that day on, Sha'ul viewed David with suspicion.

The following day an evil spirit from God came powerfully over Sha'ul, so that he fell into a frenzy in the house. David was there, playing his lyre as on other occasions. This time Sha'ul had his spear in his hand;

and he threw the spear, thinking, "I will pin David to the wall!" But David dodged out of the way twice.

Sha'ul became afraid of David, because ADONAI was with him and had left Sha'ul.