| 1 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and
they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongeth to Judah, and encamped
between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 2 And Saul and the men of
Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the vale of Elah, and set the
battle in array against the Philistines. 3 And the Philistines stood on
the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other
side: and there was a valley between them. 4 And there went out a champion
out of 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 clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand
shekels of brass. 6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a
javelin of brass 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 shield-bearer went before him. 8 And he stood and
cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to
set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul?
choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. 9 If he be able to
fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail
against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.
10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me
a man, that we may fight together. 11 And when Saul and all Israel heard
those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose
name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days
of Saul, stricken in years among men. 13 And the three eldest sons
of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons
that went to the battle were Eliab the first-born, and next unto him
Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 And David was the youngest; and the
three eldest followed Saul. 15 Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed
his father's sheep at Beth-lehem. 16 And the Philistine drew near morning
and evening, and presented himself forty days.
17 And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah
of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly
to the camp to thy brethren; 18 and bring these ten cheeses unto the
captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their
pledge. 19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the vale
of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
0 And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a
keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the
place of the wagons, as the host which was going forth to the fight shouted
for the battle. 21 And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array,
army against army. 22 And David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper
of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the
Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and
spake according to the same words: and David heard them. 24 And all the
men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up?
surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who
killeth 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
spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man
that killeth this Philistine, and taketh 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 answered him after this manner, saying, So
shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and
Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why art thou come down?
and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy
pride, and the naughtiness of thy heart; for thou art come down that thou
mightest see the battle. 29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there
not a cause? 30 And he turned away from him toward another, and spake
after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former
manner.
31 And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them
before Saul; and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, Let no man's
heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this
Philistine. 33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against
this Philistine to fight with him; for thou art but a youth, and he a man of
war from his youth. 34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant was keeping
his father's sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb
out of the flock, 35 I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it
out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard,
and smote him, and slew him. 36 Thy servant smote both the lion and the
bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he
hath defied the armies of the living God. 37 And David said, Jehovah that
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. And Saul said unto David,
Go, and Jehovah shall be with thee. 38 And Saul clad David with his
apparel, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head, and he clad him with a
coat of mail. 39 And David girded his sword upon his apparel, and he
assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot
go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out
of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his
wallet; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that
bare the shield went before him. 42 And when the Philistine looked about,
and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and
withal of a fair countenance. 43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I
a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by
his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give
thy flesh unto the birds of the heavens, and to the beasts of the field.
45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and
with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to thee in the name of Jehovah
of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This
day will Jehovah deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take
thy head from off thee; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the
Philistines this day unto the birds of the heavens, and to the wild beasts of
the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
47 and that all this assembly may know that Jehovah saveth not with sword
and spear: for the battle is Jehovah's, and he will give you into our hand.
48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh
to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the
Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone,
and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank
into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth.
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone,
and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of
David. 51 Then David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his
sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his
head therewith. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead,
they fled. 52 And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and
pursued the Philistines, until thou comest to Gai, and to the gates of Ekron.
And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even
unto Gath, and unto Ekron. 53 And the children of Israel returned from
chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54 And David
took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his
armor in his tent.
55 And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto
Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner
said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. 56 And the king said,
Inquire thou whose son the stripling is. 57 And as David returned from the
slaughter of the Philistine, 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
art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant
Jesse the Beth-lehemite.
Genesis - Public
Domain
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