1 Samuel 17
1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. They were gathered at Sokoh, which belongs to Judah. They had encamped between Sokoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim.
The Philistine armies gathered for battle at Socoh in Judah. They set up camp between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim.
2 Saul and the men of Israel gathered and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up their battle line to meet 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 The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side with a valley between them.
The Philistines were on one hill and the Israelites on another with the valley between them.
4 A strong man came out of the Philistines' camp, a man named Goliath of Gath, 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 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of chainmail. The coat weighed five thousand shekels of bronze.
He had on his head a bronze helmet and he wore a bronze coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels.
6 He had bronze armor on his legs and a javelin of bronze between his shoulders.
On his legs he wore bronze armor, and he carried a javelin slung between his shoulders.
7 The staff of his spear was large, with a loop of cord for throwing it like the cord on a weaver's beam. His spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. His shield bearer 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 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am not I a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.
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 is able to fight with me and kill me, then will we be your servants. But if I defeat him and kill him, then you will be our servants and 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 Again the Philistine said, “I challenge the ranks of Israel today. Give me a man so we may fight together.”
Then the Philistine said, “I mock the battle lines of Israel today! Give me a man so we can fight each other!”
11 When Saul and all Israel heard what the Philistine said, they were discouraged 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 the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse. He had eight sons. Jesse was an old man in the days of Saul, very old 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 The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
Jesse's three oldest sons had joined Saul's army war. These were Eliab (the firstborn), Abinadab (second), and Shammah (third).
14 David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul.
David was the youngest. The three oldest were with Saul,
15 Now David went back and forth between Saul's army and his father's sheep at Bethlehem, in order to feed them.
while David went to Saul and then back again to look after his father's sheep.
16 For forty days the Philistine strong man came near morning and evening to present himself for battle.
Every morning and evening for forty days the Philistine came out to take his stand.
17 Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take to your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp for your brothers.
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 Also bring these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand. See how your brothers are doing and bring back some proof that they are doing well.
Take these ten cheese pieces to their commander. Check carefully to see how your brothers are doing and bring back their news.”
19 Your brothers are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting the Philistines.”
They were with Saul and the whole Israelite army in the Valley of Elah, fighting the Philistines.
20 David got up early in the morning and left the flock in the care of a shepherd. He took the supplies and left, as Jesse commanded him. He came to the camp as the army was going out to the battlefield shouting the war cry.
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 Then Israel and the Philistines lined up for battle, army against army.
The Israelites took up their battle line and the Philistines took up their battle line on the opposite side.
22 David left his belongings with the keeper of supplies, ran to the army, and greeted his brothers.
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 As he talked with them, the strong man, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, and he came out of the ranks of the Philistines, and said the same words as before, 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 When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were very afraid.
All the Israelite soldiers ran away when they saw him because they were terribly afraid.
25 The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? He has come to challenge Israel. The king will give great riches to the man who kills him, and he will give his daughter to him in marriage, and will make his father's house free from taxation 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 David said to the men who stood by him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the disgrace from Israel? 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 Then the people repeated what they had been saying and told him, “So it will be done for the man who kills him.”
The soldiers repeated what they had said, telling him, “This is what the man who kills him will receive.”
28 Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride, and the mischief in your heart; for you have come down here so that you might 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 David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a question?”
“What have I done now?” David asked. “Can't I even ask a question?”
30 He turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way. The people answered the same thing as before.
He went over to some others and asked the same question, and they gave the same answer as before.
31 When the words that David said were heard, soldiers repeated them to Saul, and he sent for David.
Someone overheard what David said and reported it to Saul who sent for him.
32 Then David said to Saul, “Let no man's heart fail because of that Philistine; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
David told Saul, “No one should lose heart because of this Philistine. I, your servant, will go and fight him!”
33 Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are only a youth, and he a man of war 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 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out 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 I chased after him and attacked him, and rescued it out of his mouth. When he rose up against me, I caught him by his beard, struck him, and killed him.
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 Your servant has killed both a lion and a bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has challenged the armies 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 David said, “Yahweh rescued me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear. He will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “Go, and may Yahweh be with you.”
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 Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze upon his head, and he clothed him with a coat of chainmail.
Saul gave David his own battle clothes to wear, placed a bronze helmet on his head, and put armor on him.
39 David strapped his sword on his armor. But he was not able to walk, because he had not trained with them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go out to fight with these, for I have not trained with them.” So David put 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 He took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones out of the brook; he put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand as he approached 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 The Philistine came and approached David, with his shield bearer in front of him.
The Philistine came towards David, closer and closer, with his shield-bearer in front of him.
42 When the Philistine looked around and saw David, he despised him, for he was only a boy, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance.
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 Then the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?,” 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 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the field.”
Then the Philistine shouted at David, “Come over here, and I'll feed your flesh to the birds and the wild animals.”
45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin. But I come to you in the name of Yahweh of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have 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 Today Yahweh will give me victory over you, and I will kill you and remove your head from your body. Today I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the heavens and to the wild beasts of the earth, so 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 that all this gathering may know that Yahweh does not give victory with sword or spear. For the battle is Yahweh's, and he will give you into our hand.”
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 When the Philistine rose and approached David, then David ran quickly toward the enemy army to meet him.
As the Philistine moved forward to attack him, David raced toward the battle line to confront him.
49 David put his hand in his bag, took a stone from it, slung it, and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank into the Philistine's forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
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 David defeated the Philistine with a sling and with a stone. He hit the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in David's 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 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword, drew it out of the sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their strong man was dead, they fled.
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 Then the men of Israel and of Judah rose with a shout, and chased after the Philistines as far as the valley and the gates of Ekron. The dead Philistines lay along the way to Shaaraim, all the way to Gath and Ekron.
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 The people of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.
When the Israelites returned from their hot pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps.
54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor 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 When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” Abner said, “As you live, king, I do not know.”
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 The king said, “Ask those who might know, whose son the boy is.”
“Find out whose son this young man is,” the king ordered.
57 When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him 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 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
“Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked. “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David replied.
