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1 Samuel 17:34
ESV But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,
NIV But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,
NASB But David said to Saul, 'Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a sheep from the flock,
CSB David answered Saul: "Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock,
NLT But David persisted. 'I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,' he said. 'When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock,
KJV And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
NKJV But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,

What does 1 Samuel 17:34 mean?

David, a musician and a shepherd, has demonstrated his courage to Israel's king. David insists he is ready and willing to fight the champion of the Philistines (1 Samuel 17:8–10, 16, 23, 26) on behalf of Israel's army (1 Samuel 17:32). Saul has started to reject David's offer as utterly foolish. Goliath is a battle-hardened warrior with years of training and experience, in addition to being nearly ten feet—three meters—tall and outfitted with all the latest armor and weapons (1 Samuel 17:4–7, 33).

David responds that his lifelong work as a shepherd for his father has provided its own kind of training. His responsibility for the sheep required him to stand up to lions and bears when they attacked the flock. This is not an unfair point—it's hard to imagine a person, no matter how large, being more dangerous at close range than a lion or bear. David will go on to say that he successfully killed such beasts (1 Samuel 17:35).
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