1 Samuel 17
1 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephesdammim.
Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war at Socoh in Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim.
2 Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
Saul and the men of Israel assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah, arraying themselves for battle against the Philistines.
3 The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
The Philistines stood on one hill and the Israelites stood on another, with the valley between them.
4 A champion out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span went out.
Then a champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was six cubits and a span in height,
5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he wore a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
and he had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore a bronze coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels,
6 He had bronze shin armour on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.
and he had armor of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.
7 The staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. His shield bearer went before him.
The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. In addition, his shield bearer went before him.
8 He stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.
And Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and array yourselves for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.
9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us.”
If he is able to fight me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and labor for us.”
10 The Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel today! Give me a man, that we may fight together!”
Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man to fight!”
11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
On hearing the words of the Philistine, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and greatly afraid.
12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons. The man was an elderly old man in the days of Saul.
Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons in the days of Saul. And Jesse was old and well along in years.
13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle; and the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul into battle: The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah.
14 David was the youngest; and the three oldest followed Saul.
And David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul,
15 Now David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.
16 The Philistine came near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening to take his stand.
17 Jesse said to David his son, “Now take for your brothers an efah of this parched grain and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers;
One day Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp.
18 and bring these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand; and see how your brothers are doing, and bring back news.”
Take also these ten portions of cheese to the commander of their unit. Check on the welfare of your brothers and bring back an assurance from them.
19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”
20 David rose up early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper, and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the place of the wagons as the army which was going out to the fight shouted for the battle.
So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with a keeper, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had instructed him. He reached the camp as the army was marching out to its position and shouting the battle cry.
21 Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army.
And Israel and the Philistines arrayed in formation against each other.
22 David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers.
Then David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing.
23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and said the same words; and David heard them.
And as he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the Philistines and shouted his usual words, which David also heard.
24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were terrified.
When all the men of Israel saw Goliath, they fled from him in great fear.
25 The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? He has surely come up to defy Israel. The king will give great riches to the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter, and will make his father’s house tax-free in Israel.”
Now the men of Israel had been saying, “Do you see this man who keeps coming out to defy Israel? To the man who kills him the king will give great riches. And he will give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s house from taxation in Israel.”
26 David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine and takes 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 with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
27 The people answered him in this way, saying, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”
The people told him about the offer, saying, “That is what will be done for the man who kills him.”
28 Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burnt against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the evil of your heart; for you have come down that you might see the battle.”
Now when David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, his anger burned against David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and wickedness of heart—you have come down to see the battle!”
29 David said, “What have I now done? Is there not a cause?”
“What have I done now?” said David. “Was it not just a question?”
30 He turned away from him towards another, and spoke like that again; and the people answered him again the same way.
Then he turned from him toward another and asked about the offer, and those people answered him just as the first ones had answered.
31 When the words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him.
Now David’s words were overheard and reported to Saul, who called for him.
32 David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of this Philistine. 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 but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
But Saul replied, “You cannot go out against this Philistine to fight him. You are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
34 David said to Saul, “Your servant was keeping his father’s sheep; and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,
David replied, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock,
35 I went out after him, struck him, and rescued it out of his mouth. When he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, struck him, and killed him.
I went after it, struck it down, and delivered the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it.
36 Your servant struck both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.”
Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
37 David said, “The LORD, who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go! The LORD will be with you.”
David added, “The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” “Go,” said Saul, “and may the LORD be with you.”
38 Saul dressed David with his clothing. He put a helmet of bronze on his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail.
Then Saul clothed David in his own tunic, put a bronze helmet on his head, and dressed him in armor.
39 David strapped his sword on his clothing and he tried to move, for he had not tested it. David said to Saul, “I can’t go with these, for I have not tested them.” Then David took them off.
David strapped his sword over the tunic and tried to walk, but he was not accustomed to them. “I cannot walk in these,” David said to Saul. “I am not accustomed to them.” So David took them off.
40 He took his staff in his hand, and chose for himself five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag which he had. His sling was in his hand; and he came near to the Philistine.
And David took his staff in his hand, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine.
41 The Philistine walked and came near to David; and the man who bore the shield went before him.
Now the Philistine came closer and closer to David, with his shield-bearer before him.
42 When the Philistine looked around and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and had a good looking face.
When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome.
43 The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” The Philistine cursed David by his gods.
“Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine 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 sky and to the animals of the field.”
“Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
46 Today, the LORD will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you and take your head from off you. I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines today to the birds of the sky and to the wild animals of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD doesn’t save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”
48 When the Philistine arose, and walked and came near to meet David, David hurried and ran towards the army to meet the Philistine.
As the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.
49 David put his hand in his bag, took a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.
Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand.
Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
51 Then David ran, stood over the Philistine, took his sword, drew it out of its sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword and pulled it from its sheath and killed him; and he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.
52 The men of Israel and of Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as Gai and to the gates of Ekron. The wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and to Ekron.
Then the men of Israel and Judah charged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. And the bodies of the Philistines were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.
53 The children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.
When the Israelites returned from their 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 armour in his tent.
David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’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 your soul lives, O king, I can’t tell.”
As Saul had watched David going out to confront the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” “As surely as you live, O king,” Abner replied, “I do not know.”
56 The king said, “Enquire whose son the young man is!”
“Find out whose son this young man is!” said the king.
57 As David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
So when David returned from killing the Philistine, still holding his head in his hand, Abner took him and brought him before Saul.
58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, you young man?” David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
“Whose son are you, young man?” asked Saul. “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David replied.
