David and Goliath

17 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled^(A) at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh^(B) and Azekah.^{(C) 2} Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah^(D) and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. ³ The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.

⁴ A champion named Goliath,^(E) who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.^{[a] 5} He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels^[b]; ⁶ on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin^(F) was slung on his back. ⁷ His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod,^(G) and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.^[c] His shield bearer^(H) went ahead of him.

⁸ Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose^(I) a man and have him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” ¹⁰ Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy^(J) the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.^(K)” ¹¹ On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

¹² Now David was the son of an Ephrathite^(L) named Jesse,^(M) who was from Bethlehem^(N) in Judah. Jesse had eight^(O) sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old. ¹³ Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab;^(P) the second, Abinadab;^(Q) and the third, Shammah.^{(R) 14} David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, ¹⁵ but David went back and forth from Saul to tend^(S) his father’s sheep^(T) at Bethlehem.

²⁶ David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace^(A) from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised^(B) Philistine that he should defy^(C) the armies of the living^(D) God?”

²⁷ They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”

³² David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart^(A) on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion^(A) or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized^(B) it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion^(C) and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷ The Lord who rescued^(D) me from the paw of the lion^(E) and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with^(F) you.”