1 SamuelChapter 17
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1Now the Philistines gathered their armies for war at Socoh in Judah. They camped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 2Saul and the men of Israel gathered and camped in the Valley of Elah. They lined up for battle against the Philistines. 3The Philistines stood on one hill. The Israelites stood on another hill. The valley was between them. 4Then a champion named Goliath came out from the Philistine camp. He was from Gath. He was over nine feet tall.a 5He had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore a coat of bronze armor that weighed about 125 pounds.b 6He had bronze armor on his legs. A bronze javelin hung across his back between his shoulders. 7The pole of his spear was as thick as a weaver's beam. Its iron point weighed about 15 pounds. His shield carrier walked in front of him.c 8Goliath stood and shouted to the lines of Israel's army. "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine? Aren't you servants of Saul? Choose one of your men. Have him come down to fight me. 9If he can fight me and kill me, we'll be your servants. But if I beat him and kill him, you'll be our servants and work for us." 10Then the Philistine said, "Today I dare the army of Israel! Give me a man to fight!" 11Saul and all the Israelites heard what the Philistine said. They lost heart and were terribly afraid. 12Now David was the son of a man named Jesse. Jesse was an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah. He had eight sons. In the days of Saul, Jesse was old, well along in years. 13Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul into battle. The firstborn was Eliab. The second was Abinadab. The third was Shammah. 14David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul, 15but David went back and forth from Saul's side to take care of his father's sheep in Bethlehem. 16For forty days the Philistine came out every morning and every evening. He took his stand there. 17One day Jesse said to his son David, "Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread. Take them to your brothers. Hurry to their camp.d 18Also take these ten pieces of cheese to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are doing. Bring back something to show they are well. 19They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah. They're fighting against the Philistines." 20So David got up early in the morning. He left the flock with someone to watch it. He loaded up and set out, as Jesse had told him. He reached the camp just as the army was marching out to its place. They were shouting the battle cry. 21Israel and the Philistines lined up facing each other for battle. 22David left his supplies with the man in charge of supplies. Then he ran to the battle line. When he got there, he asked his brothers how they were doing. 23As he was talking with them, the champion named Goliath suddenly came forward. He was the Philistine from Gath. He came out from the Philistine lines and shouted his usual words. David heard them too. 24When all the men of Israel saw Goliath, they ran away from him. They were terribly afraid. 25The men of Israel had been saying, "Do you see this man who keeps coming out? He comes out to dare Israel to fight. The king will give great riches to the man who kills him. He'll also give him his daughter to marry. And his father's family won't have to pay taxes in Israel." 26David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine? What will he get for taking away this shame from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine anyway? How dare he insult the armies of the living God?" 27The people told him about the reward. They said, "That is what will be done for the man who kills him." 28David's oldest brother Eliab heard him talking to the men. He became angry with David. "Why did you come down here?" he asked. "Who's watching those few sheep out in the wilderness? I know how proud you are. I know the evil in your heart. You came down just to watch the battle!" 29"What have I done now?" David said. "I was only asking a question!" 30Then he turned away from him to someone else. He asked about the reward again. The people gave him the same answer as before. 31Someone heard what David said and told Saul. So Saul sent for him. 32David said to Saul, "Don't let anyone lose heart because of this Philistine. I, your servant, will go and fight him!" 33But Saul answered, "You can't go out and fight this Philistine. You're only a boy. He has been a warrior since he was young." 34David said, "I, your servant, have been taking care of my father's sheep. Sometimes a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock. 35Then I went after it and struck it down. I saved the lamb from its mouth. If it stood up to attack me, I grabbed it by its fur. I struck it down and killed it. 36I, your servant, have killed lions and bears. This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has dared to insult the armies of the living God." 37David went on, "The LORD saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear. He will save me from the hand of this Philistine too." "Go," Saul said. "And may the LORD be with you." 38Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a bronze helmet on his head and dressed him in armor. 39David strapped Saul's sword over the tunic. He tried to walk, but he wasn't used to them. "I can't walk in these," David said to Saul. "I'm not used to them." So David took them off. 40David took his staff in his hand. He picked five smooth stones from the stream. He put them in the pocket of his shepherd's bag. Then, with his sling in his hand, he went toward the Philistine. 41The Philistine came closer and closer to David. His shield carrier walked in front of him. 42The Philistine looked David over. He saw that David was only a boy, healthy and handsome. So he looked down on him. 43"Am I a dog," he said to David, "that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by the names of his gods. 44"Come here," he called to David. "I'll give your body to the birds and the wild animals!" 45But David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with a sword and a spear and a javelin. But I come against you in the name of the LORD of Armies. He is the God of the armies of Israel, and you have insulted him. 46Today the LORD will hand you over to me. Today I will strike you down and cut off your head. I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47Everyone gathered here will know that the LORD does not save by sword or spear. For the battle belongs to the LORD. He will hand all of you over to us." 48The Philistine started forward to attack him. David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49David reached into his bag and took out a stone. He slung it and hit the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead. He fell face down on the ground. 50So David beat the Philistine with a sling and a stone. He had no sword in his hand, but he struck down the Philistine and killed him. 51David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine's sword and pulled it out of its sheath. He killed him and cut off his head with the sword. The Philistines saw that their hero was dead. So they turned and ran. 52Then the men of Israel and Judah rushed forward with a shout. They chased the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. The bodies of the Philistines lay scattered along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. 53The Israelites came back from chasing the Philistines. Then they took everything from their camps. 54David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem. He put Goliath's weapons in his own tent. 55Saul had watched David going out to face the Philistine. He said to Abner, the commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is this young man?" "As surely as you live, my king," Abner said, "I don't know." 56The king said, "Find out whose son this young man is!" 57David came back from killing the Philistine. He was still holding the Philistine's head in his hand. Then Abner took him and brought him to Saul. 58"Whose son are you, young man?" Saul asked. "I'm the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem," David said.