1 Samuel 17:1-22 ▼

1 The Philistines gathered their hoast to battayle, and came together to Socho which is in Iuda, and pytched betweene Socho and Azekah, in the coaste of Dammim.

2 And Saul & the men of Israel came together, and pytched in the valley of Elah, and put them selues in battaile aray, to meete the Philistines.

3 And the Philistines stoode on a mountaine on the one syde, and Israel stoode on a mountaine on the other syde, and there was a valley betweene them.

4 And there came a man betweene the both, out of the tentes of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath: sixe cubites and a handbreadth long:

5 And had an helmet of brasse vpon his head, and a coate of male about him. And the weight of his coate of mayle, was fiue thousand sicles of brasse.

6 And he had bootes of brasse vpon his legges, and a shielde of brasse vpon his shoulders.

7 And the shaft of his speare was lyke a weauers beame, and his speare head wayed sixe hundred sicles of iron: And one bearing a shielde went before him.

8 And he stoode and cryed against the hoast of Israel, and sayde vnto them: Why are ye come to set your battaile in array? am not I a Philistine, and you seruauntes to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come downe to me.

9 And if he be able to fyght with me, & to kill me, then will we be your seruauntes: But if I can ouercome hym & beate him, then shal ye be our seruautes and serue vs.

10 And the Philistine sayde: I defie the hoast of Israel this day, geue me a man, that we may fight together.

11 When Saul and all Israel heard those wordes of ye Philistine, they were discouraged, and greatly afraide.

12 Dauid was the sonne of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem Iuda, named Isai, which had eyght sonnes, & this man was taken for an olde man in the dayes of Saul.

13 And the three eldest sonnes of Isai went, and folowed Saul to the battell: And the names of his three sonnes that went to battaile, were: Eliab the eldest, and the next Abinadab, and the thyrd Samma:

14 And Dauid was the leaste. And the three eldest, went after Saul.

15 Dauid also went, and departed from Saul, to feede his fathers sheepe at Bethlehem.

16 And the Philistine came foorth in the morning and euening, and continued fourtie dayes.

17 And Isai sayd vnto Dauid his sonne: Take for thy brethren an Epha of this partched corne, & these ten loaues, and runne to the hoast to thy brethren.

18 And cary these ten freshe cheeses vnto the captayne, and loke howe thy brethren fare, and set out their pledge.

19 And Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah, fyghtyng with the Philistines.

20 And Dauid rose vp early in ye morning, and left the sheepe with a keper, & toke, and went as Isai had commaunded him, and came within the compasse of the hoast: And the hoast went out in array, and shouted in the battaile.

21 For Israel and the Philistines had put them selues in array armie against armie.

22 And Dauid left the thinges which he bare, vnder the handes of the keper of the vessels, and ran into the hoast, and came, and saluted his brethren.