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 gathered together their camps to battle, and they gathered themselves together at Sochoh, which belongeth to Judah; and they encamped between Sochoh and 'Azekah, at Ephess-dammim.
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 gathered themselves together, and encamped in the valley of Elah, and put themselves in battle-array opposite to 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 stood on a mountain on the one side, and the Israelites stood on a 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 out the champion out of the camp of the Philistines, Goliath of Gath was his name, whose height was six 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 of copper upon his head, and he was clothed with a scaly coat of mail; and the weight of the coat of mail was five thousand shekels of copper.
6 He wore bronze guards/protectors on his legs. He had a long bronze dagger fastened on his back.
And he had greaves of copper upon his legs, and a javelin of copper 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 blade of his spear [weighed] six hundred shekels of iron: and the shield-bearer was walking 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 calleth unto the arrays of Israel, and said unto them, Why will ye come out to put yourselves in battle-array? Behold: I am the Philistine, and ye are servants to Saul! select for yourselves one 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.
If he be able to fight with me, and he kill me, then will we be unto you as servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be unto us as servants, and ye shall 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, I have defied the arrays of Israel this day; give me a man, and let us fight together.
11 When Saul and all the Israeli soldiers heard that, they were extremely terrified [DOU].
When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were disheartened, and became greatly afraid.
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].
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lechem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was old in the days of Saul, belonging to the persons [of high esteem].
13 Jesse’s three oldest sons, Eliab and Abinadab and Shammah, had gone with Saul to fight [the Philistines].
And the three eldest sons of Jesse were gone following Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that were gone to the battle were Eliab the first-born, and the next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
14 David was Jesse’s youngest son. While his three oldest brothers were with Saul,
And David was the youngest: and the three eldest 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.
But David kept going and returning from Saul to feed his father's flocks at Beth-lechem.
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 drew near morning and evening, and presented himself 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 Jesse said unto David his son, Take, I pray thee, for thy brothers an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy 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 these ten cheeses shalt thou bring unto the captain of the thousand, and inquire of thy brothers how they fare, and take away their pledge.
19 His brothers were with Saul and all the other Israeli soldiers, camped alongside Elah Valley, [preparing to] fight 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 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 up early in the morning, and gave up the flocks to a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the entrenchment, as the host was going forth in battle-array, and shouted the battle-cry.
21 The Philistine army and the Israeli army stood [on the hillsides], facing each other, ready for the battle.
And the Israelites and the Philistines put themselves in battle-array, army against army.
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 left the articles which he had on him in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran into the array, and came and asked of his brothers after their welfare.
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 as he was speaking with them, behold, there came up the champion, Goliath the Philistine, by name, of Gath, out of the battle-arrays of the Philistines, and spoke in accordance with these same words: and David heard it.
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 were greatly afraid.
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 ye seen this man that is coming forth? for to defy Israel is he coming forth; and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, —him will the king enrich with great riches, and his daughter will he give him, and his father's house will he make 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 said to the men that stood by him, thus, What shall be done to the man that may smite yon Philistine, and take away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the arrays 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 after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that may smite 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 eldest brother heard when he was speaking unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why didst thou come down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy presumption, and the wickedness of thy heart; for in order to see the battle art thou come down.
29 David replied, “Have I done something wrong? I was merely asking a question!”
And David said, What have I now done? It is nothing but a word.
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 toward another, and spoke after the same manner: and the people made him again a reply 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 had spoken were heard, and they told them in the presence of Saul, who sent for him.
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 no man's heart fail because of him: thy 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, Thou art not able to go unto this Philistine to fight with him; for thou art but a lad, and he [hath been] 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 unto Saul, Thy servant was feeding his father's flocks, and there came a lion, and a bear, and bore off a lamb out of the drove;
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.
And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he rose up against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew 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!
Both the lion and the bear did thy servant smite: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall become as one of them; because he hath defied the arrays 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!”
Moreover David said, The Lord who hath delivered me out of the power of the lion, and out of the power of the bear, will also surely deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and may the Lord be with thee.
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 his garments, and he put a helmet of copper upon his head; and he clothed him also with a coat of mail.
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 David girded his sword over his garments, and he essayed to go; for he had not tried it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot walk in these [things]; for I have never tried it before. And David put them off 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 chose himself five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's pouch which be had, even in a scrip, with his sling in his hand; and he approached to 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 went and drew nearer and nearer unto David; and the man that bore the shield went before him.
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 when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a lad, and ruddy, with a fair appearance.
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 unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest unto me with sticks? 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 thy flesh unto the fowls of the heavens, and to the beasts of the field.
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.
Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest unto me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the arrays of Israel, that thou hast 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 will the Lord deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and remove thy head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the army of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; and all the earth shall know that there is a God for 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 saveth not through sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you up into our hand.
48 As Goliath came closer to attack David, David ran quickly toward him.
And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and went and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the battle-array to meet the Philistine.
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 put his hand into the pouch, and took thence a stone, and slung it, and he struck the Philistine on his forehead, and the stone sunk 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 the sling and with the stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
And David ran, and stood by the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of its sheath, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, 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 then arose the men of Israel and of Judah, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou comest to the valley, and to the gates of 'Ekron. And the slain of the Philistines fell down by the way to Sha'arayim, even as far as Gath, and up to 'Ekron.
53 When the Israelis returned from chasing the Philistines, they (plundered/took everything from) the Philistine camp.
And the children of Israel returned from hotly pursuing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their camps.
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 his weapons he placed 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 forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the army, Abner, whose son is this lad? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I know it not.
56 Then the king said, “Find out whose son he is!”
And the king said, Ask thou 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 smiting the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine 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 art thou, young man? And David answered, The son of thy servant Jesse the Beth-lechemite.
