1 Samuel 17:34-58

34But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35I went out after him and 1attacked him, and 2rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and 3struck him and killed him. 36Your servant has 4killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.” 37And David said, “5The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “6Go, and may the Lord be with you.” 38Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor. 39David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” And David took them 7off. 40He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and 8his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.

41Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. 42When the Philistine looked and saw David, 9he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and 10ruddy, with a handsome appearance. 43The Philistine said to David, “11Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And 12the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44The Philistine also said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh 13to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.” 45Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, 14but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. 46This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the 15dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, 16that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47and that all this assembly may know that 17the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; 18for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.”

48Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that 19David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.

50Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand. 51Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and 20took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. 21When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52The men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines 22as far as the valley, and to the gates of 23Ekron. And the slain Philistines 24lay along the way to 25Shaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron. 53The sons of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines and plundered their camps. 54Then David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.

55Now when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is 26this young man?” And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.” 56The king said, “You inquire whose son the youth is.” 57So when David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and 27brought him before Saul with the Philistine’s head in his hand. 58Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “28I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”