1 Samuel 17
1 The Philistine armies gathered for battle at Socoh in Judah. They set up camp between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim.
And the Philistines gather their armies to battle, and gather themselves to Socchoth of Judaea, and encamp between Socchoth and Azeca Ephermen.
2 Saul and the Israelites gathered and camped in the Valley of Elah and took up their positions to engage in battle with 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 The Philistines were on one hill and the Israelites on another with the 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 Then a champion came out of the Philistine camp. His name was Goliath from Gath, and he was six cubits and a span tall.
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 He had on his head a bronze helmet and he wore a bronze coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels.
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 On his legs he wore bronze armor, and he carried a javelin slung between his shoulders.
And greaves of grass [were] upon his legs, and a brazen target [was] between his shoulders.
7 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.
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 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.
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 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.”
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 Then the Philistine said, “I mock the battle lines of Israel today! Give me a man so we can fight each other!”
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 Saul and all the Israelite soldiers were shattered and absolutely terrified when they heard what the Philistine said.
And Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, and they were dismayed, and greatly terrified.
12 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.
[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 Jesse's three oldest sons had joined Saul's army war. These were Eliab (the firstborn), Abinadab (second), and Shammah (third).
[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 David was the youngest. The three oldest were with Saul,
[And David himself ] [was the younger son, and the three elder followed Saul. ]
15 while David went to Saul and then back again to look after his father's sheep.
[And David departed and returned from Saul, ] [to feed his father’s sheep in Bethleem; ]
16 Every morning and evening for forty days the Philistine came out to take his stand.
[And the Philistine advanced morning and evening, and stood up forty days. ]
17 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.
[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 Take these ten cheese pieces to their commander. Check carefully to see how your brothers are doing and bring back their news.”
[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 They were with Saul and the whole Israelite army in the Valley of Elah, fighting the Philistines.
[And Saul himself and all the men of Israel were in the valley of the Oak, warring with the Philistines. ]
20 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.
[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 The Israelites took up their battle line and the Philistines took up their battle line on the opposite side.
[And Israel and the Philistines formed their lines one opposite the other. ]
22 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.
[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 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.
[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 All the Israelite soldiers ran away when they saw him because they were terribly afraid.
[And all the men of Israel when they saw the man fled from before him, and they were greatly terrified. ]
25 “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.”
[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 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?”
[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 The soldiers repeated what they had said, telling him, “This is what the man who kills him will receive.”
[And the people spoke to him according to this Word, saying Thus shall it be done to the man Who shall strike him. ]
28 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!”
[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 “What have I done now?” David asked. “Can't I even ask a question?”
[And David said what have I done now? ] [Have I no business here? ]
30 He went over to some others and asked the same question, and they gave the same answer 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 Someone overheard what David said and reported it to Saul who sent for him.
[And the Words which David spoke were heard and were reported ] [to Saul. And he took him to himself. ]
32 David told Saul, “No one should lose heart because of this Philistine. I, your servant, will go and fight him!”
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 “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.”
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 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,
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 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.
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 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.”
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 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.
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 Saul gave David his own battle clothes to wear, placed a bronze helmet on his head, and put armor on him.
And Saul clothed David with a military coat, and [put] his brazen helmet on his head.
39 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.
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 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.
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 The Philistine came towards David, closer and closer, with his shield-bearer in front of 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 When the Philistine looked closely he could see that David was just a red-faced handsome youth, and so he treated David with contempt.
And Goliath saw David, and despised him; for he was a lad, and ruddy, with a fair countenance.
43 “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.
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 Then the Philistine shouted at David, “Come over here, and I'll feed your flesh to the birds and the wild animals.”
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.”
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 As the Philistine moved forward to attack him, David raced toward the battle line to confront him.
And the Philistine arose and went to meet David.
49 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.
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 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.
[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 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.
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 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.
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 When the Israelites returned from their hot pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps.
And the men of Israel returned from pursuing after the Philistines, and they destroyed their camp.
54 David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put the Philistine's weapons 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 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.
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 “Find out whose son this young man is,” the king ordered.
And the king said, Do you ask whose son this youth is.
57 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.
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 “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked. “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David replied.
And Saul said to him, Whose son are you, young man? and David said, The son of your servant Jessae the Bethleemite.
