1 Samuel 17:31-47 - David Appears Before Saul

31 When the words that David had spoken were heard, they were reported to Saul, and he sent for him. 32 David told Saul, "Let no one's courage fail because of him; your servant will go fight this Philistine."

33 Saul told David, "You can't go against this Philistine and fight him. You are only a young man, but he has been a warrior since his youth."

34 David told Saul, "Your servant has been a shepherd for his father. When a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I would go out after it, strike it down, and rescue the lamb from its mouth. Then when it rose up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he defied the armies of the living God." 37 David continued, "The LORD who delivered me from the power of the lion and the power of the bear will also deliver me from the power of this Philistine." Saul told David, "Go! And may the LORD be with you."

38 Saul put his garments on David, set a bronze helmet on his head, and put armor on him. 39 David strapped Saul's sword over his garments and tried to walk, but he was not used to the armor. David told Saul, "I can't walk in these because I'm not used to them," and then took them off. 40 He took his staff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook and put them in the pouch in his shepherd's bag. He approached the Philistine with his sling in his hand.

41 With a man carrying his shield in front of him, the Philistine kept coming closer to David. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he had contempt for him, because he was only a young man. David had a dark, healthy complexion and was handsome. 43 The Philistine asked David, "Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?" Then the Philistine cursed David by his own gods and 44 told David, "Come to me! I'll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and to the beasts of the field."

45 Then David told the Philistine, "You come at me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied. 46 This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I'll strike you down and remove your head from you. And this very day I'll give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and to the animals of the earth, so that all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and this whole congregation will know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or spear. Indeed, the battle is the LORD's and he will give you into our hands."


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