Chapter 16

Samuel Is Sent to Bethlehem. ^1 (A)The Lord said to Samuel: How long will you grieve for Saul, whom I have rejected as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for from among his sons I have decided on a king.^{[a] 2} But Samuel replied: “How can I go? Saul will hear of it and kill me.” To this the Lord answered: Take a heifer along and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.” ³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do; you are to anoint for me the one I point out to you.^(B)

⁶ As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the anointed is here before the Lord.” ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel: Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The Lord looks into the heart.^{(A) 8 (B)}Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel, who said, “The Lord has not chosen him.” ⁹ Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” ¹⁰ In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any one of these.” ¹¹ Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him; we will not sit down to eat until he arrives here.”^{(C) 12} Jesse had the young man brought to them. He was ruddy, a youth with beautiful eyes, and good looking. The Lord said: There—anoint him, for this is the one!^{(D) 13} Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand, anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and from that day on, the spirit of the Lord rushed upon David. Then Samuel set out for Ramah.^(E)

Chapter 17

The Challenge of Goliath. ¹ The Philistines rallied their forces for battle at Socoh in Judah and camped between Socoh and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. ² Saul and the Israelites rallied and camped in the valley of the Elah, drawing up their battle line to meet the Philistines. ³ The Philistines were stationed on one hill and the Israelites on an opposite hill, with a valley between them.

⁴ A champion named Goliath of Gath came out from the Philistine camp; he was six cubits and a span^[a] tall. ⁵ He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a bronze breastplate of scale armor weighing five thousand shekels, ⁶ bronze greaves, and had a bronze scimitar slung from his shoulders. ⁷ The shaft of his javelin was like a weaver’s beam, and its iron head weighed six hundred shekels.^[b] His shield-bearer went ahead of him.^{(A) 8} He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel: “Why come out in battle formation? I am a Philistine, and you are Saul’s servants. Choose one of your men, and have him come down to me. ⁹ If he beats me in combat and kills me, we will be your vassals; but if I beat him and kill him, you shall be our vassals and serve us.” ¹⁰ The Philistine continued: “I defy the ranks of Israel today. Give me a man and let us fight together.” ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard this challenge of the Philistine, they were stunned and terrified.

David Comes to the Camp.^[c]

David Challenges Goliath. ³² Then David spoke to Saul: “My lord should not lose heart. Let your servant go and fight this Philistine.” ³³ But Saul answered David, “You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him, for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth.” ^34 (A)Then David told Saul: “Your servant used to tend his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or bear came to carry off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I would chase after it, attack it, and snatch the prey from its mouth. If it attacked me, I would seize it by the throat, strike it, and kill it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both a lion and a bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be as one of them, because he has insulted the armies of the living God.”

³⁷ David continued: “The same Lord who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul answered David, “Go! the Lord will be with you.”^(B)

Preparation for the Encounter. ³⁸ Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic, putting a bronze helmet on his head and arming him with a coat of mail. ³⁹ David also fastened Saul’s sword over the tunic. He walked with difficulty, however, since he had never worn armor before. He said to Saul, “I cannot go in these, because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. ⁴⁰ Then, staff in hand, David selected five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s bag. With his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine.

David’s Victory. ^41 [a]With his shield-bearer marching before him, the Philistine advanced closer and closer to David. ⁴² When he sized David up and saw that he was youthful, ruddy, and handsome in appearance, he began to deride him. ⁴³ He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods ⁴⁴ and said to him, “Come here to me, and I will feed your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.”^{(C) 45} David answered him: “You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have insulted. ⁴⁶ Today the Lord shall deliver you into my hand; I will strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will feed your dead body and the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field; thus the whole land shall learn that Israel has a God. ⁴⁷ All this multitude, too, shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves. For the battle belongs to the Lord, who shall deliver you into our hands.”^(D)

⁴⁸ The Philistine then moved to meet David at close quarters, while David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ David put his hand into the bag and took out a stone, hurled it with the sling, and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone embedded itself in his brow, and he fell on his face to the ground. ⁵⁰ Thus David triumphed over the Philistine with sling and stone; he struck the Philistine dead, and did it without a sword in his hand.^{(E) 51} Then David ran and stood over him; with the Philistine’s own sword which he drew from its sheath he killed him, and cut off his head.^(F)

Flight of the Philistines. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they fled.