After the brothers had been gone some time, David’s father longed very much to hear from them, and to know if they were safe; so he sent for David, from the fields, and said to him, “Take now for thy brothers an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp, where thy brothers are; and carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how thy brothers fare, and bring me word again.”  (An ephah is about three pecks.)

David rose early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took the corn and the loaves and the cheeses, as his father had commanded him, and went to the camp of the Israelites.

The camp stood on a mountain on the one side, and the Philistines stood on a mountain on the other side; and there was a valley between.  David came to the place where the Israelites were, just as the host was going forth to the fight, shouting for the battle.  So he left his gifts in the hands of the keeper of the baggage, and ran into the army, amongst the soldiers, to find his brothers.  When he found them, he saluted them and began to talk with them.

But while he was asking them the questions his father had commanded, there arose a great shouting and tumult among the Israelites, and men came running back from the front line of battle; everything became confusion.  David looked to see what the trouble was, and he saw a strange sight:  down the slope of the opposite mountain came striding a Philistine warrior, calling out something in a taunting voice; he was a gigantic man, the largest David had ever seen, and he was covered with armour, that shone in the sun:  he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders; his spear was so tremendous that the staff of it was like a weaver’s beam, and his shield so great that a man went before him, to carry it.

“Who is that?” asked David.

“It is Goliath, of Gath, champion of the Philistines,” said the soldiers about.  “Every day, for forty days, he has come forth, so, and challenged us to send a man against him, in single combat; and since no one dares to go out against him alone, the armies cannot fight.” (That was one of the laws of warfare in those times.)

“What!” said David, “does none dare go out against him?”

As he spoke, the giant stood still, on the hillside opposite the host of Israel, and shouted his challenge, scornfully.  He said, “Why are ye come out to set your battle in array?  Am I not a Philistine, and ye servants of Saul?  Choose you a man, and let him come down to me.  If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.  I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together!”

When King Saul heard these words, he was dismayed, and all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were sore afraid.  David heard them talking among themselves, whispering and murmuring.  They were saying, “Have ye seen this man that is come up?  Surely if anyone killeth him that man will the king make rich; perhaps he will give him his daughter in marriage, and make his family free in Israel!”