Study Desk

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.

The soldiers from Isra'el said [to each other], "You saw that man who just came up? He has come to challenge Isra'el. To whoever kills him, the king will give a rich reward; he'll also give him his daughter and exempt his father's family from all service and taxes in Isra'el."

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."

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,

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.

Then he took his stick in his hand and picked five smooth stones from the riverbed, putting them in his shepherd's bag, in his pouch. Then, with his sling in his hand, he approached the P'lishti.

The P'lishti, with his shield-bearer ahead of him, came nearer and nearer to David.

The P'lishti said to David, "Am I a dog? Is that why you're coming at me with sticks?" — and the P'lishti cursed David by his god.

David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, and hurled it with his sling. It struck the P'lishti in his forehead and buried itself in his forehead, so that he fell face down on the ground.

Thus David defeated the P'lishti with a sling and a stone, striking the P'lishti and killing him; but David had no sword in his hand.

Then David ran and stood over the P'lishti, took his sword, drew it out of its sheath, and finished killing him, cutting off his head with it. When the P'lishtim saw that their hero was dead, they fled.

David took the head of the P'lishti and brought it to Yerushalayim, but he put the armor of the P'lishti in his tent.

As 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.

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

Y'honatan removed the cloak he was wearing and gave it to David, his armor too, including his sword, bow and belt.

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

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;