1 Samuel 17:1-39 ▼

1 NOW the Philistines gathered together their armies for battle, and were massed at the border of Judah, and they encamped between the border and Arka in Epher-samin.

2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of Terebinth, and they set the army in array to fight against the Philistines.

3 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, and the valley was between them.

4 And there went out a mighty man from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

5 And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of his coat of mail was five thousand shekels of brass.

6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a cuirass of mail between his shoulders.

7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shieldbearer went before him.

8 And he stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, Why have you come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, that he may come out against me.

9 If he is able to fight with 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 serve us.

10 And the Philistine said, I have defied the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.

11 When Saul and all Israel heard the words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Beth-lehem of Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons; and the man was old and advanced in years in the days of Saul.

13 And the three older sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle; and their names were Eliab the first-born, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

14 And David was the youngest;

15 Now David had returned from Saul, and was gone to tend his father's sheep at Beth-lehem.

16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself for forty days.

17 And Jesse said to David his son, Take now for your brothers an ephah of parched wheat and ten loaves of bread, and run to the camp to your brothers;

18 And carry these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand and inquire into the welfare of your brothers and bring the news of them to me.

19 Now Saul and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Terebinth fighting with the Philistines.

20 And David rose up early in the morning and left the sheep with the keeper, and took and went as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the camp in the valley which goes up to the battle array, and the army shouted for the battle.

21 Then Israel and the Philistines put themselves in battle array, army against army.

22 And David put off his provisions by the side of the baggage, and ran into the army ranks, and came and saluted his brothers.

23 And while he was talking with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spoke the same words; and David heard them.

24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the mighty man, were afraid and fled from him.

25 And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely to defy Israel he has come up; and it shall be that the man who kills him, the king will enrich him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel.

26 And David said to the men who stood by him, What shall be done for the man who kills this uncircumcised Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?

27 And the people told him the king's promises, saying, So shall it be done to the man who kills him.

28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard him when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said to him, Why have you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your boldness and the evil of your heart; for you have come down to see the battle.

29 And David said, What have I done now? Behold, I was just talking.

30 And he turned from him to the other side, and spoke in the same manner; and the people answered him again as they had done before.

31 And when the words which David spoke were reported to Saul, he sent for him.

32 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail 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 but a boy, and he has been a man of war from his youth.

34 And David said to Saul, Your servant was tending his father's sheep, and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb from the flock;

35 And I went out after the lion and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth; and he growled at me, and I caught him by his beard, and I smote him and slew him.

36 Your servant slew both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.

37 David said moreover, The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me out of the hands of the Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the LORD be with you.

38 And Saul armed David with his own armor and put a helmet of brass upon his head; and armed him with a coat of mail.

39 And David girded his sword upon his armor, but he was unwilling to go; for he had not tried them out. So David took them off.