1 Samuel 17
1 Now the Philistines, gathering their troops for battle, assembled at Socoh of Judah. And they made camp between Socoh and Azekah, within the borders of Dammim.
And the Philistines gather their armies to battle, and gather themselves to Socchoth of Judaea, and encamp between Socchoth and Azeca Ephermen.
2 But Saul and the sons of Israel, having gathered together, went to the Valley of Terebinth. And they positioned the army so as to fight against the Philistines.
And Saul and the men of Israel gather together, and they encamp in the valley, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
3 And the Philistines were standing on a mountain on the one side, and Israel was standing on a mountain on the other side. And there was a valley between them.
And the Philistines stand on the mountain on one side, and Israel stands on the mountain on the other side, and the valley was between them.
4 And there went out from the camp of the Philistines, a man of illegitimate birth, named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a palm.
And there went forth a mighty man out of the army of the Philistines, Goliath, by name, out of Geth, his height [was] four cubits and a span.
5 And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clothed with a breastplate of scales. Moreover, the weight of his breastplate was five thousand shekels of brass.
And [he had] a helmet upon his head, and he wore a breastplate of chain armour; and the weight of his breastplate [was] five thousand shekels of brass and iron.
6 And he had plates of brass on his lower legs, and a small shield of brass was covering his shoulders.
And greaves of grass [were] upon his legs, and a brazen target [was] between his shoulders.
7 Now the shaft of his spear was like the beam used by a weaver. And the iron of his spear held six hundred shekels of iron. And his armor bearer went before him.
And the staff of his spear [was] like a weaver's beam, and the spear's head [was formed] of six hundred shekels of iron; and his armour-bearer went before him.
8 And standing still, he cried out to the battle lines of Israel, and he said to them: “Why have you arrived, prepared for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose one man from among you, and let him descend to do battle alone.
And he stood and cried to the army of Israel, and said to them, Why are you come forth to set yourselves in battle array against us? Am not I a Philistine, and you Hebrews of Saul? Choose for yourselves a man, and let him come down to me.
9 If he is able to fight with me and to strike me down, we will be your servants. But if I will prevail over him, and strike him down, you will be the servants, and you will serve us.”
And if he shall be able to fight against me, and shall strike me, then will we be your servants: but if I should prevail and strike him, you shall be our servants, and serve us.
10 And the Philistine was saying: “I have reproached the troops of Israel today. Present a man to me, and let him undertake a fight against me alone.”
And the Philistine said, Behold, I have defied the armies of Israel this very day: give me a man, and we will both of us fight in single combat.
11 And Saul and all the Israelites, hearing these words of the Philistine in this manner, were stupefied and exceedingly afraid.
And Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, and they were dismayed, and greatly terrified.
12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite man, the one mentioned above, from Bethlehem of Judah, whose name was Jesse. He had eight sons, and during the days of Saul, he was an elderly man, and of great age among men.
[And David son of an Ephrathite said, this Eplarathite was of Bethleem Juda, and his name was Jessae, and he had eight sons. And the man passed for an old man amongst men in the days of Saul. ]
13 Now his three eldest sons followed Saul into battle. And the names of his three sons, who went to the battle, were Eliab, the firstborn, and the second, Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
[And the three elder sons of Jessae went and followed Saul to the war, and the ] [names of his sons that went to the war were, Eliab his first-born, and his second Aminadab, and his third son Samma. ]
14 But David was the youngest. Therefore, when the three eldest had followed Saul,
[And David himself ] [was the younger son, and the three elder followed Saul. ]
15 David went away from Saul, and he returned, so that he might pasture the flock of his father at Bethlehem.
[And David departed and returned from Saul, ] [to feed his father’s sheep in Bethleem; ]
16 Truly, the Philistine advanced morning and evening, and he stood forth, for forty days.
[And the Philistine advanced morning and evening, and stood up forty days. ]
17 Now Jesse said to his son David: “Take, for your brothers, an ephah of cooked grain, and these ten loaves, and hurry to the camp, to your brothers.
[And Jessae said to David, Take now to your brethren an ephah of this meal, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp and give them to your brothers. ]
18 And you shall carry these ten little cheeses to the tribune. And visit your brothers, to see if they are doing well. And learn with whom they have been stationed.”
[And you shall carry to the captain of the thousand ] [these ten cheeses of milk, and you shall see how your brethren fare, and learn what they lack. ]
19 But they were in the valley of Terebinth, with Saul and all the sons of Israel, fighting against the Philistines.
[And Saul himself and all the men of Israel were in the valley of the Oak, warring with the Philistines. ]
20 And so, David rose up in the morning, and he commended the flock to the caretaker. And he went away burdened, just as Jesse had instructed him. And he went to the place of the battle line, and to the army, which, in going out to fight, was shouting in the conflict.
[And David rose early in the morning, and left the sheep to a keeper, and took and went as Jessae commanded him, and he came to the trench and to the army as it was going out to fight, and they shouted for the battle. ]
21 For Israel had positioned their troops, but the Philistines also had prepared themselves against them.
[And Israel and the Philistines formed their lines one opposite the other. ]
22 Then, leaving the items that he had brought under the hand of the keeper of baggage, David ran to the place of the conflict. And he was asking if all was going well with his brothers.
[And David deposited his burden in the hand of a keeper, and ran to the line, and went and asked his brethren how they Were. ]
23 And while he was still speaking with them, there appeared the man of spurious descent, whose name was Goliath, the Philistine of Gath, ascending from the camp of the Philistines. And he was speaking in these same words, which David heard.
[And while he was speaking with them, behold the Amessaean advanced, Goliath by name, the Philistine of Geth, of the armies of the Philistines, and he spoke ] [as before, and David heard. ]
24 Then all the Israelites, when they had seen the man, fled from his face, fearing him greatly.
[And all the men of Israel when they saw the man fled from before him, and they were greatly terrified. ]
25 And someone of Israel said: “Have you seen this man, who has risen up. For he ascended in order to reproach Israel. Therefore, the man who will strike him down, the king will enrich with great wealth, and will give to him his daughter, and will cause his father’s house to be free of tribute in Israel.”
[And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man that comes up? for he has reproached Israel and has come up; and it shall be that the man who shall strike him, the king shall enrich him with great wealth and shall give him his daughter, and shall make his father’s house free in Israel. ]
26 And David spoke to the men who were standing with him, saying: “What will be given to the man who will have struck down this Philistine, and who will have taken away the disgrace from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should reproach the soldiers of the living God?”
[and David spoke to the men who stood with him saying, Shall it indeed be done thus to the man who shall strike that Philistine, and take away reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he has defied the army of the living God? ]
27 Then the people repeated to him the same words, saying, “These things shall be given to the man who will have struck him down.”
[And the people spoke to him according to this Word, saying Thus shall it be done to the man Who shall strike him. ]
28 Now when Eliab, his eldest brother, had heard this, as he was speaking with the others, he became angry against David, and he said: “Why did you come here? And why did you leave behind those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the wickedness of your heart, that you have come down so that you might see the battle.”
[And Eliab his elder brother heard as he spoke to the men, and Eliab was very angry with David and said, Why have you thus come down, and with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the naughtiness of your heart, for you are come down to see the battle. ]
29 And David said: “What have I done? Is there any word against me?”
[And David said what have I done now? ] [Have I no business here? ]
30 And he turned away from him a little, toward another. And he asked the same question. And the people responded to him as before.
[And he turned from him towards another, and he spoke after the same manner; and the people answered him ] [after the former manner. ]
31 Now the words that David had spoken were heard and reported in the sight of Saul.
[And the Words which David spoke were heard and were reported ] [to Saul. And he took him to himself. ]
32 When he had been led to Saul, he said to him: “Let no one lose heart over him. I, your servant, shall go and fight against the Philistine.”
And David said to Saul, Let not, I pray you, the heart of my lord be dejected within him: your servant will go, and fight with this Philistine.
33 And Saul said to David: “You are not able to withstand this Philistine, nor to fight against him. For you are a boy, but he has been a warrior from his boyhood.”
And Saul said to David, You will not in anyway be able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are a mere youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
34 And David said to Saul: “Your servant was pasturing the flock of his father. And there approached a lion or a bear, and it took a ram from the midst of the flock.
And David said to Saul, Your servant was tending the flock for his father; and when a lion came and a she-bear, and took a sheep out of the flock,
35 And I pursued after them, and I struck them, and I rescued from their mouth. And they rose up against me. And I caught them by the throat, and I strangled and killed them.
then I went forth after him, and struck him, and drew [the spoil] out of his mouth: and as he rose up against me, then I caught hold of his throat, and struck him, and killed him.
36 For I, your servant, have killed both lion and bear. And so this uncircumcised Philistine, too, will be like one of them. Now I will go and take away the reproach of the people. For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, who has dared to curse the army of the living God?”
Your servant struck both the lion and the bear, and the uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them: shall I not go and strike him, and remove this day a reproach from Israel? For who [is] this uncircumcised one, who has defied the army of the living God?
37 And David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the hand of the lion, and from the hand of the bear, he himself will free me from the hand of this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.”
The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this uncircumcised Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord shall be with you.
38 And Saul clothed David with his garments. And he placed a helmet of brass upon his head, and he clothed him with a breastplate.
And Saul clothed David with a military coat, and [put] his brazen helmet on his head.
39 Then David, having girded his sword over his armor, began to see if he could walk in the armor. But he was not accustomed to it. And David said to Saul: “I cannot move about in this way. For I am not used to it.” And he put them aside.
And he girded David with his sword over his coat: and he made trial walking [with them] once and again: and David said to Saul, I shall not be able to go with these, for I have not proved [them]: so they remove them from him.
40 And he took up his staff, which he held always in his hands. And he chose for himself five very smooth stones from the torrent. And he put them into the shepherd’s bag that he had with him. And he took up a sling in his hand. And he went out against the Philistine.
And he took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's scrip which he had for his store, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.
41 And the Philistine, advancing, went and drew near against David. And his armor bearer was before him.
And the Philistine advanced and drew near to David, and a man bearing his shield went before him, and the Philistine looked on.
42 And when the Philistine had seen and considered David, he despised him. For he was a youth, ruddy and of handsome appearance.
And Goliath saw David, and despised him; for he was a lad, and ruddy, with a fair countenance.
43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you approach against me with a staff?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
And the Philistine said to David, Am I as a dog, that you come against me with a staff and stones? [and David said, Nay, but worse than a dog.] And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44 And he said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air, and to the beasts of the earth.”
And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air, and to the beasts of the earth.
45 But David said to the Philistine: “You approach me with sword, and spear, and shield. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, which you have reproached.
And David said to the Philistine, You come to me with sword, and with spear, and with shield; but I come to you in the name of the Lord God of hosts of the army of Israel, which you have defied
46 Today, the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down. And I will take your head from you. And today, I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air, and to the beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that God is with Israel.
this day. And the Lord shall deliver you this day into my hand; and I will kill you, and take away your head from off you, and will give your limbs and the limbs of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky, and to the wild beasts of the earth; and all the earth shall know that there is a God in Israel.
47 And this entire assembly will know that the Lord does not save by sword, nor by spear. For this is his war, and he will deliver you into our hands.”
And all this assembly shall know that the Lord delivers not by sword or spear, for the battle [is] the Lord's, and the Lord will deliver you into our hands.
48 Then, when the Philistine had risen up, and was approaching, and was drawing near against David, David hurried and ran to the fight against the Philistine.
And the Philistine arose and went to meet David.
49 And he put his hand into his bag, and took out one stone. And swinging it around, he cast it with the sling and struck the Philistine on the forehead. And the stone became imbedded in his forehead. And he fell on his face, upon the ground.
And David stretched out his hand to his scrip, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead, and the stone penetrated through the helmet into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the ground.
50 And David prevailed against the Philistine with a sling and a stone. And he struck and killed the Philistine. But since David held no sword in his hand,
[So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him, and there was no sword in the hand of David. ]
51 he ran and stood over the Philistine, and he took his sword, and withdrew it from the sheath. And he killed him and cut off his head. Then the Philistines, seeing that their strongest man was dead, fled away.
And David ran, and stood upon him, and took his sword, and killed him, and cut off his head: and the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, and they fled.
52 And the men of Israel and Judah, rising up, shouted and pursued after the Philistines, even until they arrived at the valley and as far as the gates of Ekron. And many wounded among the Philistines fell on the way of Shaaraim, and as far as Gath, and as far as Ekron.
And the men of Israel and Juda arose, and shouted and pursued them as far as the entrance to Geth, and as far as the gate of Ascalon: and the slain men of the Philistines fell in the way of the gates, both to Geth, and to Accaron.
53 And the sons of Israel, returning after they had pursued the Philistines, invaded their camp.
And the men of Israel returned from pursuing after the Philistines, and they destroyed their camp.
54 Then David, taking up the head of the Philistine, brought it to Jerusalem. Yet truly, he placed his armor in his own tent.
And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.
55 Now at the time that Saul had seen David going out against the Philistines, he said to Abner, the leader of the military, “From what stock is this youth descended, Abner?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.”
And when Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abener the captain of the host, Whose son is this youth? and Abener said, As your sould lives, O King, I know not.
56 And the king said, “You shall inquire as to whose son this boy may be.”
And the king said, Do you ask whose son this youth is.
57 And when David had returned, after the Philistine had been struck down, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul, having the head of the Philistine in his hand.
And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abener took him and brought him before Saul, and the head of the Philistine was in his hand.
58 And Saul said to him, “Young man, from what ancestry are you?” And David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”
And Saul said to him, Whose son are you, young man? and David said, The son of your servant Jessae the Bethleemite.
