1 Samuel 17
1 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war at Socoh in Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim.
Now the Philistines got their armies together for war, and came together at Socoh in the land of Judah, and took up their position between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim.
2 Saul and the men of Israel assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah, arraying themselves for battle against the Philistines.
And Saul and the men of Israel came together and took up their position in the valley of Elah, and put their forces in order against the Philistines.
3 The Philistines stood on one hill and the Israelites stood on another, with the valley between them.
The Philistines were stationed on the mountain on one side and Israel on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
4 Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span in height,
And a fighter came out from the tents of the Philistines, named Goliath of Gath; he was more than six cubits tall.
5 and he had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore a bronze coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels,
And he had a head-dress of brass on his head, and he was dressed in a coat of metal, the weight of which was five thousand shekels of brass.
6 and he had armor of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.
His legs were covered with plates of brass and hanging on his back was a javelin of brass.
7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. In addition, his shield bearer went before him.
The stem of his spear was as long as a cloth-worker's rod, and its head was made of six hundred shekels' weight of iron: and one went before him with his body-cover.
8 And Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and array yourselves for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.
He took up his position and in a loud voice said to the armies of Israel, Why have you come out to make war? Am I not a Philistine and you servants of Saul? Send out a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.
9 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.”
If he is able to have a fight with me and overcome me, then we will be your servants: but if I am able to overcome him, then you will be our servants and do work for us.
10 Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man to fight!”
And the Philistine said, I have put to shame the armies of Israel this day; give me a man so that we may have a fight together.
11 On hearing the words of the Philistine, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and greatly afraid.
And Saul and all Israel, hearing those words of the Philistine, were troubled and full of fear.
12 Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons in the days of Saul. And Jesse was old and well along in years.
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah named Jesse, who had eight sons; and he was an old man in Saul's day, and far on in years.
13 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 the three oldest sons of Jesse had gone with Saul to the fight: the names of the three who went to the fight were Eliab, the oldest, and Abinadab the second, and Shammah the third.
14 And David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul,
And David was the youngest: and the three oldest were with Saul's army.
15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.
Now David went to and from Saul, looking after his father's sheep at Beth-lehem.
16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening to take his stand.
And the Philistine came near every morning and evening for forty days.
17 One day Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp.
And Jesse said to his son David, Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dry grain and these ten cakes of bread, and go quickly with them to the tents to your brothers;
18 Take also these ten portions of cheese to the commander of their unit. Check on the welfare of your brothers and bring back an assurance from them.
And take these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers are and come back with a sign to say how they are.
19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”
Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
20 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 David got up early in the morning, and, giving the sheep into the care of a keeper, took the things and went as Jesse had said; and he came to the lines where the carts were, when the army was going out to the fight giving their war-cry.
21 And Israel and the Philistines arrayed in formation against each other.
And Israel and the Philistines had put their forces in position, army against army.
22 Then David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing.
And David gave his parcels into the hands of the keeper of the army stores, and went running to the army and came to his brothers to get knowledge about them.
23 And as he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the Philistines and shouted his usual words, which David also heard.
And while he was talking to them, the fighter, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came out from the Philistines' lines and said the same words, in David's hearing.
24 When all the men of Israel saw Goliath, they fled from him in great fear.
And all the men of Israel, when they saw him, went in flight, overcome with fear.
25 Now the men of Israel had been saying, “Do you see this man who keeps coming out to defy Israel? To the man who kills him the king will give great riches. And he will give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s house from taxation in Israel.”
And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man? Clearly he has come out to put shame on Israel: and it is certain that if any man overcomes him, the king will give that man great wealth, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's family free in Israel.
26 David asked the men who were standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
And David said to the men near him, What will be done to the man who overcomes this Philistine and takes away the shame from Israel? for who is this Philistine, a man without circumcision, that he has put shame on the armies of the living God?
27 The people told him about the offer, saying, “That is what will be done for the man who kills him.”
And the people gave him this answer, So it will be done to the man who overcomes him.
28 Now when David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, his anger burned against David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and wickedness of heart—you have come down to see the battle!”
And Eliab, his oldest brother, hearing what David said to the men, was moved to wrath against David, and said, Why have you come here? Into whose care have you given that little flock of sheep in the waste land? I have knowledge of your pride and the evil of your heart, you have come down to see the fight.
29 “What have I done now?” said David. “Was it not just a question?”
And David said, What have I done now? was it not only a word?
30 Then he turned from him toward another and asked about the offer, and those people answered him just as the first ones had answered.
And turning away from him to one of the other men, he said the same words: and the people gave him the same answer.
31 Now David’s words were overheard and reported to Saul, who called for him.
And, hearing what David said, they gave Saul word of it: and he sent for him.
32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him!”
And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart become feeble because of him; I, your servant, will go out and have a fight with this Philistine.
33 But Saul replied, “You cannot go out against this Philistine to fight him. You are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
And Saul said to David, You are not able to go out against this Philistine and have a fight with him: for you are only a boy, and he has been a man of war from his earliest days.
34 David replied, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock,
And David said to Saul, Your servant has been keeper of his father's sheep; and if a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,
35 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.
I went out after him, and overcame him, and took it out of his mouth: and if, turning on me, he came at me, I took him by the hair and overcame him and put him to death.
36 Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
Your servant has overcome lion and bear: and the fate of this Philistine, who is without circumcision, will be like theirs, seeing that he has put shame on the armies of the living God.
37 David added, “The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” “Go,” said Saul, “and may the LORD be with you.”
And David said, The Lord, who kept me safe from the grip of the lion and the bear, will be my saviour from the hands of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go! and may the Lord be with you.
38 Then Saul clothed David in his own tunic, put a bronze helmet on his head, and dressed him in armor.
Then Saul gave David his clothing of war, and put a head-dress of brass on his head and had him clothed with a coat of metal.
39 David strapped his sword over the tunic and tried to walk, but he was not accustomed to them. “I cannot walk in these,” David said to Saul. “I am not accustomed to them.” So David took them off.
And David took Saul's sword and put the band round him over the metal coat, and was unable to go forward; for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, It is not possible for me to go out with these, for I am not used to them. So David took them off.
40 And David took his staff in his hand, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine.
Then he took his stick in his hand, and got five smooth stones from the bed of the stream and put them in a bag such as is used by sheep-keepers; and in his hand was a leather band used for sending stones: and so he went in the direction of the Philistine.
41 Now the Philistine came closer and closer to David, with his shield-bearer before him.
And the Philistine came nearer to David; and the man who had his body-cover went before him.
42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome.
And when the Philistine, taking note, saw David, he had a poor opinion of him: for he was only a boy, red-haired and good-looking.
43 “Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that you come out to me with sticks? And the Philistine put curses on David by all his gods.
44 “Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
And the Philistine said to David, Come here to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.
45 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.
Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin: but I come to you in the name of the Lord of armies, the God of the armies of Israel on which you have put shame.
46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
This day the Lord will give you up into my hands, and I will overcome you, and take your head off you; and I will give the bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth today, so that all the earth may see that Israel has a God;
47 And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”
And all these people who are here today may see that the Lord does not give salvation by sword and spear: for the fight is the Lord's, and he will give you up into our hands.
48 As the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.
Now when the Philistine made a move and came near to David, David quickly went at a run in the direction of the army, meeting the Philistine face to face.
49 Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and sent it from his leather band straight at the Philistine, and the stone went deep into his brow, and he went down to the earth, falling on his face.
50 Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
So David overcame the Philistine with his leather band and a stone, wounding the Philistine and causing his death: but David had no sword in his hand.
51 David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s 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.
So running up to the Philistine and putting his foot on him, David took his sword out of its cover, and put him to death, cutting off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their fighter was dead, they went in flight.
52 Then the men of Israel and Judah charged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. And the bodies of the Philistines were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.
And the men of Israel and of Judah got up, and gave a cry, and went after the Philistines as far as Gath and the town doors of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines were falling down by the road from Shaaraim all the way to Gath and Ekron.
53 When the Israelites returned from their pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps.
Then the children of Israel came back from going after the Philistines, and took their goods from the tents.
54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.
And David took the head of the Philistine to Jerusalem, but the metal war-dress and the arms he put in his tent.
55 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.”
And when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, Abner, whose son is this young man? And Abner said, On your life, O king, I have no idea.
56 “Find out whose son this young man is!” said the king.
And the king said, Make search and see whose son this young man is.
57 So when David returned from killing the Philistine, still holding his head in his hand, Abner took him and brought him before Saul.
And when David was coming back after the destruction of the Philistine, Abner took him to Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
58 “Whose son are you, young man?” asked Saul. “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David replied.
And Saul said to him, Young man, whose son are you? And David in answer said, I am the son of your servant Jesse of Beth-lehem.
