1 Samuel 17
1 The Philistines gathered their army [to fight the Israeli army]. They gathered together near Socoh, in the area where the descendants of Judah lived. They set up their tents at Ephes-Dammim, which is between Socoh and Azekah.
And the Philistines gather their armies to battle, and gather themselves to Socchoth of Judaea, and encamp between Socchoth and Azeca Ephermen.
2 Saul gathered the Israeli army near Elah Valley, and they set up their tents. Then they all took their places, ready to fight 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 So the Philistine and Israeli armies faced each other. They were on two hills, with 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 Then Goliath, from Gath [city], came out from the Philistine camp. He was a champion warrior/soldier. He was (over 9 feet/3 meters) 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 wore a helmet made of bronze [to protect his head], and he wore a coat made of metal plates [to protect his body]. The coat weighed (125 pounds/56 kg.).
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 He wore bronze guards/protectors on his legs. He had a long bronze dagger fastened on his back.
And greaves of grass [were] upon his legs, and a brazen target [was] between his shoulders.
7 He also had a big spear. It had a cord on it to enable him to throw it better (OR, which was as thick as a weaver’s beam). The tip of the spear was made of iron and weighed (15 pounds/almost 7 kg.). A soldier carrying a huge shield walked in front of 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 Goliath stood there and shouted to the Israeli army, “Why are you all lined up for battle? I am the great Philistine [soldier], and I think [RHQ] you are [merely] Saul’s slaves. Choose one man to fight for all of you, and send him down here to 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 fights with me and kills me, then my fellow Philistines will all be your slaves. But if I defeat him and kill him, then you Israelis will all be our slaves.
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 I defy/challenge you men of the Israeli army. Send me a man who will fight with me!”
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 When Saul and all the Israeli soldiers heard that, they were extremely terrified [DOU].
And Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, and they were dismayed, and greatly terrified.
12 David was the son of Jesse. Jesse was from the clan of Ephrath. He lived in Bethlehem, in the area where the descendants of Judah lived. Jesse had eight sons. When Saul [was king], Jesse had already become a very old man [DOU].
[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, Eliab and Abinadab and Shammah, had gone with Saul to fight [the Philistines].
[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 Jesse’s youngest son. While his three oldest brothers were with Saul,
[And David himself ] [was the younger son, and the three elder followed Saul. ]
15 David went back and forth: Sometimes he went to Saul’s camp, and sometimes he stayed in Bethlehem to take care of his father’s sheep.
[And David departed and returned from Saul, ] [to feed his father’s sheep in Bethleem; ]
16 For 40 days Goliath came out from the Philistine camp and stood there [taunting the Israeli army/telling the Israelis to choose one man to fight with him]. He did it twice each day, once in the morning and once in the evening.
[And the Philistine advanced morning and evening, and stood up forty days. ]
17 [One day], Jesse said to David, “Here is a sack of roasted grain and ten loaves of bread. Take these quickly to your [older] 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 here are ten large chunks of cheese. Take them to their commander. And see how things are going with your [older] brothers. Then [if they are okay, ] bring back something to show they are all right.”
[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 His brothers were with Saul and all the other Israeli soldiers, camped alongside Elah Valley, [preparing to] fight the Philistines.
[And Saul himself and all the men of Israel were in the valley of the Oak, warring with the Philistines. ]
20 So David arranged for another shepherd to take care of the sheep. Early the next morning he took the food and went to the Israeli camp, as Jesse told him to do. He arrived there just as the Israeli soldiers were forming their ranks and going out to the battlefield. As they went, they were shouting a 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 Philistine army and the Israeli army stood [on the hillsides], facing each other, ready for the battle.
[And Israel and the Philistines formed their lines one opposite the other. ]
22 David gave the food to the man who was taking care of the war equipment. [He told him to take care of the food that he brought], and then he went and greeted his older 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 While he was talking with them, he saw Goliath coming out from among the Philistine soldiers, shouting [to the Israelis], challenging them [to send a man to fight him]. David heard what Goliath was saying.
[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 When all the Israeli soldiers saw Goliath, they were terrified and started to ran away.
[And all the men of Israel when they saw the man fled from before him, and they were greatly terrified. ]
25 They were saying to each other, “Look at him coming up toward us! And listen to him as he defies us Israelis! The king says that he will give a big reward to whoever kills this man. He also says that he will give his daughter to that man for him to marry her, and that he will no longer require that man’s family to pay taxes.”
[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 talked to some of the men who were standing near him. He said, “What will be given to whoever kills this Philistine and frees us Israelis from this shame/disgrace? And who [does] this heathen Philistine [think he] is, defying/ridiculing the army that serves the all-powerful 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 They told him the same thing that the other men had said, about what the king would do for anyone who killed Goliath.
[And the people spoke to him according to this Word, saying Thus shall it be done to the man Who shall strike him. ]
28 But when David’s oldest brother Eliab heard David talking to the men, he was angry. He said to David, “Why have you come down here? Is someone taking care of those few sheep that you left in the desert? I know you are just a (smart-aleck/brat)! You just want 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 David replied, “Have I done something wrong? I was merely asking a question!”
[And David said what have I done now? ] [Have I no business here? ]
30 Then he walked over to another man and asked him the same question, but the man gave him the same answer. Each time he asked someone, he received the same answer.
[And he turned from him towards another, and he spoke after the same manner; and the people answered him ] [after the former manner. ]
31 Finally, someone told king Saul what David had asked, and Saul sent someone to bring David to him.
[And the Words which David spoke were heard and were reported ] [to Saul. And he took him to himself. ]
32 David told king Saul, “No one should (worry/become a coward) because of that Philistine man. I will go and fight with 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 Saul said to David, “You are only a young man, and he has been a very capable soldier all his life. So you are not able to go and fight with him!”
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, “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep [for many years]. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried away a lamb,
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 went after the lion or the bear and attacked it and rescued the lamb from the wild animal’s mouth. Then I grabbed the animal by its jaw/throat and struck it and killed 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 both lions and bears. And [I will do] the same to this heathen Philistine, because he has defied/ridiculed the army of the all-powerful 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 Yahweh has rescued me from paws of lions and bears, and he will rescue me from this Philistine!” Then Saul said to David, “All right, go [and fight him], and [I hope/desire] that Yahweh will help 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 Then Saul gave to David his own clothes that he always wore in battles, and he gave him a bronze helmet and a coat made of metal plates.
And Saul clothed David with a military coat, and [put] his brazen helmet on his head.
39 David [put these things on. Then he] fastened his sword over them, and tried to walk. But he could not walk, because he was not accustomed to wearing those things. So David said to Saul, “I cannot fight wearing all these things, because I am not accustomed to [wearing] them!” So he took them 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 Then he took his walking/shepherd’s stick, and he picked up five smooth stones from the brook/stream. He put them in the pouch of his shoulder-bag. Then he put his sling in his hand and started walking toward Goliath.
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 Goliath walked toward David, with the soldier who was carrying his shield walking in front of him. When he got near David,
And the Philistine advanced and drew near to David, and a man bearing his shield went before him, and the Philistine looked on.
42 he looked at David closely. He saw that David had a handsome face and healthy body, but that he was only a young man. So he sneered at David.
And Goliath saw David, and despised him; for he was a lad, and ruddy, with a fair countenance.
43 He said to David, “Are you coming to me with a stick because [you think that] I am a dog?” Then he called out to his gods to harm David.
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 He said to David, “Come here to me, and I will [kill you and] give your dead body to the birds and wild animals to eat!”
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, “You are coming to me with a sword and a dagger and a spear. But I am coming to you (in the name/with the authority) of almighty Yahweh. He is the God whom the army of Israel [worships], and he is the God whom you have defied/ridiculed.
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 Yahweh will enable me to defeat you. I will strike you down and cut off your head. And [we Israelis will kill] many Philistine [soldiers and] give their bodies to the birds and wild animals to eat. And everyone in the world will [hear about it and] know that we Israeli people worship an [all-powerful] God.
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 everyone here will know that Yahweh can rescue people without a sword or a spear. Yahweh always wins his battles, and he will enable us to defeat all of you [Philistines].”
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 Goliath came closer to attack David, David ran quickly toward him.
And the Philistine arose and went to meet David.
49 He put his hand into his shoulder-bag and took out one stone. He [put it in his sling and] hurled it toward Goliath. The stone hit Goliath on the forehead and penetrated his skull, and he fell face down onto 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 Then David ran and stood over Goliath. He pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath and killed him with it, and then cut off his head. In that way David defeated the Philistine without having his own sword. He used [only] a sling and a stone! When the other Philistines saw that their great warrior was dead, they ran away.
[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. ]
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 The Israeli men shouted and ran after them. They pursued them all the way to Gath and to the gates of Ekron [city]. They struck them as they went, with the result that dead/wounded Philistines were lying on the road all the way from Shaaraim to Gath and Ekron [towns].
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 Israelis returned from chasing the Philistines, they (plundered/took everything from) the Philistine camp.
And the men of Israel returned from pursuing after the Philistines, and they destroyed their camp.
54 David later took the head of Goliath to Jerusalem, but he kept Goliath’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 As Saul watched David going toward Goliath, he said to Abner, the commanded of his army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?” Abner replied, “(As sure as you are alive/Truly) [IDM], 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 Then the king said, “Find out whose son he is!”
And the king said, Do you ask whose son this youth is.
57 [Later, ] as David returned from killing Goliath, Abner took him to Saul. David was carrying Goliath’s head.
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 Saul asked him, “Young man, whose son are you?” David replied, “[Sir, perhaps you have forgotten that] I am the son of your servant Jesse, who has served you faithfully, who lives in Bethlehem.”
And Saul said to him, Whose son are you, young man? and David said, The son of your servant Jessae the Bethleemite.
