CHAPTER 17
Now the Philistines
gathered
their forces
for war
at Socoh
in Judah
and camped
between
Socoh
and Azekah
in Ephes-dammim.
Saul
and the men
of Israel
assembled
and camped
in the Valley of Elah,
arraying themselves
for battle
against
the Philistines.
The Philistines
stood
on
one
hill
and the Israelites
stood
on
another,
with the valley
between them.
Then a champion
named
Goliath,
who was from Gath,
came out
from the Philistine
camp.
He was six
cubits
and a span
in height,
The shaft
of his spear
was like a weaver's
rod,
and its iron
point
weighed six
hundred
shekels.
In addition, his shield bearer
went
before him.
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.
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.”
On hearing
the
words
of the Philistine,
Saul
and all
the Israelites
were dismayed
and greatly
afraid.
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 advanced in years.
The three
older
sons
of Jesse
had followed
Saul
to the war:
The firstborn
was Eliab,
the second
was Abinadab,
and the third
was Shammah.
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.
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.
They
are with Saul
and all
the men
of Israel
in the Valley of Elah,
fighting
against
the Philistines.”
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.
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.
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.
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."
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?"
The people
told
him
about the
offer,
saying,
“That is what
will be done
for the man
who
kills him.”
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!”
Then he turned
from him
toward
another
and asked
about the
offer,
and those people
answered
just as
the first ones.
David
said
to
Saul,
“Let no
man's
heart
fail
on account of
this
Philistine.
Your servant
will go
and fight him!”
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.”
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,
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.
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.”
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.”
Then Saul
clothed
David
in his own tunic,
put
a bronze
helmet
on
his head,
and dressed
him
in armor.
David
strapped
his sword
over
the tunic
and tried
to walk,
but
he was not
used to all this armor.
“I cannot
walk
in these,”
David
said
to
Saul.
“I am not
used to them.”
So David
took them off.
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.
When the Philistine
looked
and saw
David,
he despised
him because
he was
just a boy,
ruddy
and
handsome.
“Am I
a dog,”
he
said
to
David,
“that
you
come
at me
with sticks?”
And the Philistine
cursed
David
by his gods.
“Come
here,”
he called
to
David,
“and I will give
your flesh
to the birds
of the air
and the beasts
of the field!”
But David
said
to
the Philistine,
“You
come
against
me with a dagger,
spear,
and sword,
but I
come
against
you in the name
of the LORD
of Hosts,
the God
of the armies
of Israel,
whom
you have defied.
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.
And all
those
assembled here
will know
that
it is not
by sword
or by spear
that the LORD
saves;
for
the battle is
the LORD's,
and He will give
all of you
into our hands.”
As
the Philistine
started
forward
to attack
him,
David
ran
quickly
toward the battle line
to meet
him.
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.
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.
David
ran
and stood
over him.
He grabbed
the Philistine’s
sword
and pulled it
from its sheath.
And having killed him,
he cut off
his head
with the sword.
When the Philistines
saw
that
their hero
was dead,
they turned and ran.
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.
The bodies
of the Philistines
were strewn
along the Shaaraim
road
to
Gath
and Ekron.
David
took
the head
of the Philistine
and brought
it to Jerusalem,
but
he put
Goliath’s weapons
in his own tent.
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.”
So when David
returned
from killing
the Philistine,
still holding his
head
in his hand,
Abner
took
him
and brought him
before
Saul.
“Whose
son
are you,
young man?”
asked
Saul.
“I am the son
of your servant
Jesse
of Bethlehem,”
David
replied.