1 Samuel 17
1 Now the Philistines gathering together their troops to battle, assembled at Socho of Juda, and camped between Socho and Azeca in the borders of Dommim.
The Philistine armies gathered for battle at Socoh in Judah. They set up camp between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim.
2 And Saul and the children of Israel being gathered together came to the valley of Terebinth, and they set the army in array to fight against the Philistines.
Saul and the Israelites gathered and camped in the Valley of Elah and took up their positions to engage in battle with the Philistines.
3 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
The Philistines were on one hill and the Israelites on another with the valley between them.
4 And there went out a man baseborn from the camp of the Philistines named Goliath, of Geth, whose height was six cubits and a span:
Then a champion came out of the Philistine camp. His name was Goliath from Gath, and he was six cubits and a span tall.
5 And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clothed with a coat of mail with scales, and the weight of his coat of mail was five thousand sicles of brass:
He had on his head a bronze helmet and he wore a bronze coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels.
6 And he had greaves of brass on his legs, and a buckler of brass covered his shoulders.
On his legs he wore bronze armor, and he carried a javelin slung between his shoulders.
7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred sicles of iron: and his armourbearer went before him.
The shaft of his spear was as thick as weaver's beam, with an iron tip that weighed six hundred shekels. His shield-bearer walked ahead of him carrying his shield.
8 And standing he cried out to the bands of Israel, and said to them: Why are you come out prepared to fight? am not I a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose out a man of you, and let him come down and fight hand to hand.
Goliath stood and shouted at the lines of Israelite soldiers, “Why have you come and lined for battle? I am the Philistine, and you're Saul's servants. Pick one of your men and have him come down and fight me.
9 If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, we will be servants to you: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, you shall be servants, and shall serve us.
If he can fight me and kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I beat him and kill him, then you'll be our slaves and work for us.”
10 And the Philistine said: I have defied the bands of Israel this day: Give me a man, and let him fight with me hand to hand.
Then the Philistine said, “I mock the battle lines of Israel today! Give me a man so we can fight each other!”
11 And Saul and all the Israelites hearing these words of the Philistine were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
Saul and all the Israelite soldiers were shattered and absolutely terrified when they heard what the Philistine said.
12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Juda before mentioned, whose name was Isai, who had eight sons, and was an old man in the days of Saul, and of great age among men.
David was the son of a man named Jesse. He was an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons. At the time Saul was king, Jesse was very old.
13 And his three eldest sons followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle, were Eliab the firstborn, and the second Abinadab, and the third Samma.
Jesse's three oldest sons had joined Saul's army war. These were Eliab (the firstborn), Abinadab (second), and Shammah (third).
14 But David was the youngest. So the three eldest having followed Saul,
David was the youngest. The three oldest were with Saul,
15 David went, and returned from Saul, to feed his father’s flock at Bethlehem.
while David went to Saul and then back again to look after his father's sheep.
16 Now the Philistine came out morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
Every morning and evening for forty days the Philistine came out to take his stand.
17 And Isai said to David his son: Take for thy brethren an ephi of frumenty, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren.
Jesse told his son David, “Please take your brothers this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers. Take them quickly to your brothers' camp.
18 And carry these ten little cheeses to the tribune: and go see thy brethren, if they are well: and learn with whom they are placed.
Take these ten cheese pieces to their commander. Check carefully to see how your brothers are doing and bring back their news.”
19 But Saul, and they, and all the children of Israel were in the valley of Terebinth fighting against the Philistines.
They were with Saul and the whole Israelite army in the Valley of Elah, fighting the Philistines.
20 David therefore arose in the morning, and gave the charge of the flock to the keeper: and went away loaded as Isai had commanded him. And he came to the place of Magala, and to the army, which was going out to fight, and shouted for the battle.
David got up early in the morning and left the flock with a shepherd. He took the supplies and set out as Jesse had told him to. He arrived at the camp just as the army was marching out to its battle line, shouting the war cry.
21 For Israel had put themselves in array, and the Philistines who stood against them were prepared.
The Israelites took up their battle line and the Philistines took up their battle line on the opposite side.
22 And David leaving the vessels which he had brought, under the care of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the place of the battle and asked if all things went well with his brethren.
David left his supplies with the one responsible and ran to the battle line. When he got there he asked his brothers how they were.
23 And as he talked with them, that baseborn man whose name was Goliath, the Philistine, of Geth, shewed himself coming up from the camp of the Philistines: and he spoke according to the same words, and David heard them.
While he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came up out of his lines and shouted his challenge as he had before, and David heard what he said.
24 And all the Israelites when they saw the man, fled from his face, fearing him exceedingly.
All the Israelite soldiers ran away when they saw him because they were terribly afraid.
25 And some one of Israel said: Have you seen this man that is come up, for he is come up to defy Israel. And the man that shall slay him, the king will enrich with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and will make his father’s house free from tribute in Israel.
“Have you seen this man who keeps on coming out to mock Israel?” they asked. “The king will make the man who kills him really rich. He will also give him his daughter in marriage, and his family will live tax-free in Israel.”
26 And David spoke to the men that stood by him, saying: What shall be given to the man that shall kill this Philistine, and shall take away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
David asked the men who were standing beside him, “What will the man receive who kills this Philistine and removes this shame from Israel? Who does this heathen Philistine think he is, mocking the armies of the living God?”
27 And the people answered him the same words saying: These things shall be given to the man that shall slay him.
The soldiers repeated what they had said, telling him, “This is what the man who kills him will receive.”
28 Now when Eliab his eldest brother heard this, when he was speaking with others, he was angry with David, and said: Why earnest thou hither? and why didst thou leave those few sheep in the desert? I know thy pride, and the wickedness of thy heart: that thou art come down to see the battle.
When David's oldest brother Eliab heard him talking with the men, he got angry with him. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “Who have you left those few sheep with in the wilderness? I know how proud and wicked you are! You've just come to watch the battle!”
29 And David said: What have I done? is there not cause to speak?
“What have I done now?” David asked. “Can't I even ask a question?”
30 And he turned a little aside from him to another: and said the same word. And the people answered him as before.
He went over to some others and asked the same question, and they gave the same answer as before.
31 And the words which David spoke were heard, and were rehearsed before Saul.
Someone overheard what David said and reported it to Saul who sent for him.
32 And when he was brought to him, he said to him: Let not any man’s heart be dismayed in him: I thy servant will go, and will fight against the Philistine.
David told Saul, “No one should lose heart because of this Philistine. I, your servant, will go and fight him!”
33 And Saul said to David: Thou art not able to withstand this Philistine, nor to fight against him: for thou art but a boy, but he is a warrior from his youth.
“You can't go out and fight this Philistine,” Saul replied. “You're just a boy, and he's a warrior trained from his youth.”
34 And David said to Saul: Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, or a bear, and took a ram out of the midst of the flock:
David replied, “Your servant has been looking after his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,
35 And I pursued after them, and struck them, and delivered it out of their mouth: and they rose up against me, and I caught them by the throat, and I strangled and killed them.
I would chase after it, knock it down, and save the lamb from its mouth. If it turned to attack me, I would grab its hair, hit it, and kill it.
36 For I thy servant have killed both a lion and a bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be also as one of them. I will go now, and take away the reproach of the people: for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, who hath dared to curse the army of the living God?
I have killed lions and bears, and this heathen Philistine will be just like one of them, for he has mocked the armies of the living God.”
37 And David said: The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David: Go, and the Lord be with thee.
David concluded, “The Lord who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine.” “Go, and may the Lord be with you,” Saul responded.
38 And Saul clothed David with his garments, and put a helmet of brass upon his head, and armed him with a coat of mail.
Saul gave David his own battle clothes to wear, placed a bronze helmet on his head, and put armor on him.
39 And David having girded his sword upon his armour, began to try if he could walk in armour: for he was not accustomed to it. And David said to Saul: I cannot go thus, for I am not used to it. And he laid them off,
David strapped his sword on over the armor but he couldn't walk because he wasn't used to it. “I can't walk in all this,” David told Saul. “I ‘m not used to it.” So David took all the armor off.
40 And he took his staff, which he had always in his hands: and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them into the shepherd’s scrip, which he had with him, and he took a sling in his hand, and went forth against the Philistine.
He picked up his stick, chose five smooth stones from the stream, and put them in his shepherd's bag. Carrying his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.
41 And the Philistine came on, and drew nigh against David, and his armourbearer before him.
The Philistine came towards David, closer and closer, with his shield-bearer in front of him.
42 And when the Philistine looked, and beheld David, he despised him. For he was a young man, ruddy, and of a comely countenance.
When the Philistine looked closely he could see that David was just a red-faced handsome youth, and so he treated David with contempt.
43 And the Philistine said to David: Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with a staff? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
“Do you think I'm a dog, coming to fight me with a stick?” the Philistine asked David, and he cursed David by his gods.
44 And he said to David: Come to me, and I will give thy flesh to the birds of the air, and to the beasts of the earth.
Then the Philistine shouted at David, “Come over here, and I'll feed your flesh to the birds and the wild animals.”
45 And David said to the Philistine: Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, which thou hast defied.
David replied to the Philistine, “You come to attack me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin. But I come to attack you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel—the one you have mocked.
46 This day, and the Lord will deliver thee into my hand, and I will slay thee, and take away thy head from thee: and I will give the carcasses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air, and to the beasts of the earth: that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
Today the Lord will hand you over to me, and I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the dead bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds and the wild animals. Then all the world will know that there is a God who acts for Israel.
47 And all this assembly shall know, that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for it is his battle, and he will deliver you into our hands.
Everyone gathered here will realize that the Lord saves, but not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will hand all of you over to us.”
48 And when the Philistine arose and was coming, and drew nigh to meet David, David made haste, and ran to the fight to meet the Philistine.
As the Philistine moved forward to attack him, David raced toward the battle line to confront him.
49 And he put his hand into his scrip, and took a stone, and cast it with the sling, and fetching it about struck the Philistine in the forehead: and the stone was fixed in his forehead, and he fell on his face upon the earth.
David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and fired it from his sling, hitting the Philistine on the forehead. The stone went into his forehead, and he collapsed facedown on the ground.
50 And David prevailed over the Philistine, with a sling and a stone, and he struck, and slew the Philistine. And as David had no sword in his hand,
This is how David defeated the Philistine with just a sling and a stone; with no sword in his hand David knocked the Philistine down and killed him.
51 He ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath, and slew him, and cut off his head. And the Philistines seeing that their champion was dead, fled away.
David ran and stood over the Philistine. He took the Philistine's sword and pulled it out of its sheath. He killed him and then he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran away.
52 And the men of Israel and Juda rising up shouted, and pursued after the Philistines till they came to the valley and to the gates of Accaron, and there fell many wounded of the Philistines in the way of Saraim, and as far as Geth, and as far as Accaron.
Then the men of Israel and Judah rushed forward shouting the war-cry and chased the Philistines all the way to Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their bodies were scattered along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.
53 And the children of Israel returning, after they had pursued the Philistines, fell upon their camp.
When the Israelites returned from their hot pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps.
54 And David taking the head of the Philistine brought it to Jerusalem: but his armour he put in his tent.
David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put the Philistine's weapons in his own tent.
55 Now at the time that Saul saw David going out against the Philistines, he said to Abner the captain of the army: Of what family is this young man descended, Abner? And Abner said: As thy soul liveth, O king, I know not.
When Saul had watched David going out to fight the Philistine, he'd asked Abner the army commander, “Abner, whose son is that young man?” “On your life, Your Majesty, I do not know,” Abner replied.
56 And the king said: Inquire thou, whose son this man is.
“Find out whose son this young man is,” the king ordered.
57 And when David was returned, after the Philistine was slain, Abner took him, and brought him in before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul. David was still clutching the Philistine's head in his hand.
58 And Saul said to him: Young man, of what family art thou? And David said: I am the son of thy servant Isai the Bethlehemite.
“Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked. “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David replied.
