⁴ A champion named Goliath,^(A) 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^(B) was slung on his back. ⁷ His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod,^(C) and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.^[c] His shield bearer^(D) 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^(E) 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^(F) the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.^(G)” ¹¹ On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

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

³³ Saul replied,^(B) “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion^(C) 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^(D) it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion^(E) 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^(F) me from the paw of the lion^(G) 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^(H) you.”

³⁸ Then Saul dressed David in his own^(I) tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. ³⁹ David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.

“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. ⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

⁴⁵ David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin,^(A) but I come against you in the name^(B) of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.^{(C) 46} This day the Lord will deliver^(D) you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses^(E) of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world^(F) will know that there is a God in Israel.^{(G) 47} All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword^(H) or spear that the Lord saves;^(I) for the battle^(J) is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

⁴⁸ As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. ⁴⁹ Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.