1 Samuel 17
Revised Geneva Translation
17 Now the Philistines gathered their armies to battle, and came together to Sochoh, which is in Judah, and camped between Sochoh and Azekah, in the territory of Dammim.
2 And Saul and the men of Israel assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah, and put themselves in battle formation, to meet the Philistines.
3 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side. And Israel stood on a mountain on the other side. So, a valley was between them.
4 Then came a man between them both, out of the tents of the Philistines, named Goliath of Gath. His height was six cubits and a span.
5 And he had a helmet of bronze upon his head, and a brigandine upon him. And the weight of his brigandine was five thousand shekels of bronze.
6 And he had boots of bronze upon his legs, and a shield of bronze upon his shoulders.
7 And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam. And his spearhead weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And one bearing a shield went before him.
8 And he stood and cried against the army of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you set yourselves in battle formation? Am I not a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? Choose you a man for yourselves and let him come down to me!
9 “If he is able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants! But, if I overcome him, and kill him, then you shall be our servants, and serve us!”
10 Also the Philistine said, “I defy the army of Israel this day! Give me a man, so that we may fight together!”
11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were discouraged, and greatly afraid.
12 Now, this David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. And this man was taken for an old man in the days of Saul.
13 And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons that went to battle were Eliab the eldest, and the next Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
14 So David was the least. And the three eldest went after Saul.
15 David also went; but he returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.
16 And the Philistine drew near in the morning and evening and continued for forty days.
17 And Jesse said to David, his son, “Take now an ephah of this parched corn and these ten cakes for your brothers, and run to the camp, to your brothers.
18 “Also, carry these ten fresh cheeses to the captain, and see how your brothers are faring, and receive their pledge.
19 And Saul and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
20 So, David rose up early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took and went as Jesse had commanded him and came within the perimeter of the camp. And the army went out in formation and shouted in the battle.
21 For Israel and the Philistines had put themselves in formation, army against army.
22 And David left the things which he bore under the hands of the keeper of the carriage and ran into the camp, and came and asked his brothers how they were doing.
23 And as he talked with them, behold, the man who had been between the two armies (whose name was Goliath the Philistine of Gath), came up out of the army of the Philistines and spoke the same words. And David heard them.
24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, ran away from him and were very afraid.
25 For every man of Israel said, “Did you not see this man who comes up? He comes up to revile Israel. And to him who kills him, the king will the give great riches and will give him his daughter, yea, and will make his father’s House free in Israel.”
26 Then, David spoke to the men who stood with him, and said, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the shame from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should revile the army of the living God?”
27 And the people answered him in this way, saying, “Thus shall it be done for the man who kills him.”
28 And Eliab, his eldest brother, heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab was very angry with David, and said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride, and the malice of your heart, that you have come down to see the battle!”
29 Then David said, “What have I done now? Is there no such word?”
30 And he departed from him into the presence of another and spoke of the same matter, and the people answered him according to the previous words.
31 And those who heard the words which David spoke, repeated them before Saul, who caused him to be brought.
32 So David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail him because of him! Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine!”
33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine, to fight with him. For you are a boy; and he is a man of war, from his youth.”
34 And David answered Saul, “Your servant kept his father’s sheep. And there came a lion, and likewise a bear, and took a sheep out of the flock.
35 “And I went out after him and struck him and took it out of his mouth. And when he arose against me, I caught him by the beard and struck him and killed him.
36 “So, your servant killed both the lion and the bear! Therefore, this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he has railed on the army of the living God!”
37 Moreover, David said, “The LORD, Who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “Go! And the LORD be with you!”
38 And Saul put his battle clothing upon David, and put a helmet of bronze upon his head, and put a brigandine upon him.
39 Then David fastened his sword upon his battle clothing and began to go, never testing it. But David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these. For I am not accustomed.” Therefore, David took them off.
40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones for himself, out of a brook, and put them in his shepherd’s bag (or scrip). And his sling was in his hand; and he drew near to the Philistine.
41 And the Philistine came and drew near to David. And the man who bare the shield went before him.
42 Now, when the Philistine looked around and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but young, ruddy and good-looking.
43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, so that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44 And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me! And I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and to the beasts of the field!”
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield! But I come to you in the Name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the army of Israel, whom you have defied!
46 “This day the LORD shall close you in my hand! And I shall strike you, and take your head from you! And this day, I will give the carcasses of the army of the Philistines to the birds of the sky and to the beasts of the earth! So that all the world may know that Israel has a God,
47 “and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save with sword or with spear! For the battle is the LORD’s! And He will give you into our hands!”
48 And when the Philistine arose to come and draw near to David, David hurried and ran to fight against the Philistine.
49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slang it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone stuck in his forehead. And he fell to the earth, groveling.
50 So David overcame the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him, when David had no sword in his hand.
51 Then David ran and stood upon the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of his sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. So, when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
52 And the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and followed after the Philistines until they came to the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the Philistines fell down, wounded, by the road of Shaaraim, all the way to Gath and to Ekron.
53 And the children of Israel returned from pursuing the Philistines and plundered their tents.
54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem and put his armor in his tent.
55 When Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of his army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” And Abner answered, “As your soul lives, O king, I cannot tell.”
56 Then the King said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.”
57 And when David had returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, then Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant, Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
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