Quotes About Leadership

If he is able to fight me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and labor for us.”

The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul into battle: The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah.

And David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul,

but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his fatherís sheep in Bethlehem.

They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”

So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with a keeper, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had instructed him. He reached the camp as the army was marching out to its position and shouting the battle cry.

And Israel and the Philistines arrayed in formation against each other.

Now Davidís words were overheard and reported to Saul, who called for him.

And David said to Saul, “Let no manís heart fail on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him!”

David replied, “Your servant has been tending his fatherís sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock,

I went after it, struck it down, and delivered the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it.

Then Saul clothed David in his own tunic, put a bronze helmet on his head, and dressed him in armor.

But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

As the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.

David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistineís sword and pulled it from its sheath and killed him; and he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.

As Saul had watched David going out to confront the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” “As surely as you live, O king,” Abner replied, “I do not know.”

So when David returned from killing the Philistine, still holding his head in his hand, Abner took him and brought him before Saul.

“Whose son are you, young man?” asked Saul. “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David replied.

And from that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his fatherís house.

So David marched out and prospered in everything Saul sent him to do, and Saul set him over the men of war. And this was pleasing in the sight of all the people, and of Saulís officers as well.

As the troops were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs, and with tambourines and other instruments.

And as the women danced, they sang out: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”

And Saul was furious and resented this song. “They have ascribed tens of thousands to David,” he said, “but only thousands to me. What more can he have but the kingdom?”

So Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul.