17:1 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah.
17:2 Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines.
17:3 The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.
17:4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall.
17:5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels;
17:6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back.
17:7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.
17:8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me.
17:9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.”
17:10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.”
17:11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.
17:12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was old and well advanced in years.
17:13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah.
17:14 David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul,
17:15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
17:16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.
17:17 Now 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.
17:18 Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them.
17:19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”
17:20 Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry.
17:21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other.
17:22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers.
17:23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it.
17:24 When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.
17:25 Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father’s family from taxes in Israel.”
17:26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
17:27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”
17:28 When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”
17:29 “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?”
17:30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before.
17:31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.
17:32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”
17:33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.”
17:34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,
17:35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.
17:36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
17:37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”
17:38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.
17:39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off.
17:40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
17:41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.
17:42 He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him.
17:43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
17:44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
17:45 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 Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
17:46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
17:47 All those gathered 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.”
17:48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.
17:49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
17:50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
17:51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.
17:52 Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.
17:53 When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.
17:54 David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.
17:55 As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?” Abner replied, “As surely as you live, O king, I don’t know.”
17:56 The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”
17:57 As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head.
17:58 “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him. David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”
17:1 And the Philistines assembled their armies for battle, and they assembled in Socoh, which belongs to Judah. And they encamped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim.
17:2 And Saul and the men of Israel were assembled, and they encamped in the valley of Elah. And they set the battle in array against the Philistines.
17:3 And the Philistines stood on one mountain on one side, and Israel stood on another mountain on the other side; and the valley was between them.
17:4 And a champion came forth from the camps of the Philistines. His name was Goliath, from Gath, and he was six cubits and a span tall.
17:5 And there was a bronze helmet upon his head; and he was clothed with scaled armor, and the weight of the armor was five thousand bronze shekels.
17:6 And he had bronze greaves upon his legs and a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders.
17:7 And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver s beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred iron shekels; and his shield bearer went before him.
17:8 And he stood and called out to the ranks of Israel and said to them, Why do you come out to set the battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you, Saul s servants? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.
17:9 If he is able to fight with me and strike me down, we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and strike him down, you will be our servants and serve us.
17:10 And the Philistine said, I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, and let us fight together.
17:11 Now when Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
17:12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite from Bethlehem-judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. And the man was an old man in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.
17:13 And the three oldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who had gone into the battle were Eliab the firstborn and the second to him Abinadab and the third Shammah;
17:14 And David was the youngest. And the three oldest went after Saul,
17:15 But David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father s sheep at Bethlehem.
17:16 And the Philistine approached morning and evening, and he presented himself forty days.
17:17 And Jesse said to David his son, Take an ephah of this parched grain for your brothers and these ten loaves, and take them quickly to your brothers camp.
17:18 Also bring these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand; and see how your brothers are doing, and take some token from them.
17:19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
17:20 And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper. And he took up the goods and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the entrenchment as the army was going forth to the battle line and shouting for the battle.
17:21 And Israel and the Philistines set the battle in array, array against array.
17:22 And David left the things he had in the hand of the keeper of the equipment, and he ran to the array and went and greeted his brothers.
17:23 And just as he was speaking with them, the champion, whose name was Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and he spoke according to the same words; and David heard.
17:24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from before him; and they were very afraid.
17:25 And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he comes up to defy Israel. But as for the man who strikes him down, the king will make him rich with great riches; and he will give him his daughter and make the house of his father free in Israel.
17:26 Then David spoke to the men who were standing with him, saying, What shall be done for the man who strikes down this Philistine and turns away reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the ranks of the living God?
17:27 And the people spoke to him according to these words, saying, Thus shall it be done to the man who strikes him down.
17:28 And Eliab his oldest brother heard him speaking to the men; and Eliab s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the evil of your heart, that you came down to see the battle.
17:29 And David said, What have I done now? Is there no cause?
17:30 And he turned around from him to another and spoke according to the same words, and the people responded to him according to the first words.
17:31 And when the words that David spoke were heard, they were reported to Saul; and he had him brought.
17:32 And David said to Saul, Let no man s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
17:33 But 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 has been a man of war since his youth.
17:34 And David said to Saul, Your servant has been tending his father s sheep; and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,
17:35 I would go out after it and strike it and deliver the lamb from its mouth. And when it rose up against me, I would seize it by its beard and strike it and kill it.
17:36 Both the lion and the bear did your servant strike; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the ranks of the living God.
17:37 And David said, Jehovah, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and may Jehovah be with you.
17:38 And Saul put his own garment on David, and he placed a bronze helmet on his head and put his armor on him.
17:39 And David girded his sword over his garment and tried to go, for he had not tried the armor. Then David said to Saul, I cannot go in these because I have not tried them. And David took them off.
17:40 Then he took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook and put them into the shepherd s bag that he had, that is, in his pouch; and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.
17:41 And the Philistine came on and approached David, and the man who bore the shield was before him.
17:42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he scorned him; for he was but a youth and ruddy and handsome in appearance.
17:43 And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that you come to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
17:44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of heaven and to the beasts of the field.
17:45 Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of Jehovah of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have defied.
17:46 On this day Jehovah will deliver you up into my hand, and I will strike you and remove your head from you. And I will give the corpses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of heaven and to the animals of the earth on this day. And all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel;
17:47 And all this congregation will know that it is not by sword or spear that Jehovah saves, for the battle is Jehovah s and He will deliver you into our hand.
17:48 And when the Philistine rose up and came and drew near to meet David, David hurried and ran toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.
17:49 And David put forth his hand into his bag and took a stone from there. And he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
17:50 Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David s hand.
17:51 Then David ran and stood beside the Philistine, and he took the Philistine s sword and drew it out of its sheath and made certain he was dead by striking off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their mighty man was dead, they fled.
17:52 And the men of Israel and Judah rose up and shouted and pursued the Philistines until you come to Gai and to the gates of Ekron. And the Philistines lay slain along the way to Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron.
17:53 And the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camps.
17:54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
17:55 Now when Saul saw David going forth to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner the captain of the army, Whose son is this youth, Abner? And Abner said, As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.
17:56 And the king said, Inquire whose son this young man is.
17:57 So when David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul; and the Philistine s head was in his hand.
17:58 And Saul said to him, Whose son are you, young man? And David said, The son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.