Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close NET

1 Samuel 17
New English Translation

David Kills Goliath

17 [a] The Philistines gathered their troops[b] for battle. They assembled at Socoh in Judah. They camped in Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. 2 Saul and the Israelite army[c] assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where they arranged their battle lines to fight against[d] the Philistines. 3 The Philistines were standing on one hill, and the Israelites[e] on another hill, with the valley between them.

4 Then a champion[f] came out from the camp of the Philistines. His name was Goliath; he was from Gath. He was close to seven feet tall.[g] 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and was wearing scale body armor. The weight of his bronze body armor was 5,000 shekels.[h] 6 He had bronze shin guards[i] on his legs, and a bronze javelin was slung over his shoulders. 7 The shaft[j] of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed 600 shekels.[k] His shield bearer was walking before him.

8 Goliath[l] stood and called to Israel’s troops,[m] “Why do you come out to prepare for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose[n] for yourselves a man so he may come down[o] to me! 9 If he is able to fight with me and strike me down, we will become your servants. But if I prevail against him and strike him down, you will become our servants and will serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “I defy Israel’s troops this day! Give me a man so we can fight[p] each other!” 11 When Saul and all the Israelites[q] heard these words of the Philistine, they were upset and very afraid.

12 [r] Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah. He had eight sons, and in Saul’s days he was old and well advanced in years.[s] 13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to war. The names of the[t] three sons who went to war were Eliab, his firstborn, Abinadab, the second oldest; and Shammah, the third oldest. 14 Now David was the youngest. While the three oldest sons followed Saul, 15 David was going back and forth[u] from Saul in order to care for his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.

16 Meanwhile for forty days the Philistine approached every morning and evening and took his position. 17 Jesse said to his son David, “Take your brothers this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread; go quickly[v] to the camp to your brothers. 18 Also take these ten portions of cheese to their commanding officer.[w] Find out how your brothers are doing[x] and bring back their pledge that they received the goods.[y] 19 They are with Saul and the whole Israelite army[z] in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.”

20 So David got up early in the morning and entrusted the flock to someone else who would watch over it.[aa] After loading up, he went just as Jesse had instructed him. He arrived at the camp[ab] as the army was going out to the battle lines shouting its battle cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines drew up their battle lines opposite one another. 22 After David had entrusted his cargo to the care of the supply officer,[ac] he ran to the battlefront. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing. 23 As he was speaking with them, the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, was coming up from the battle lines of the Philistines. He spoke the way he usually did,[ad] and David heard it. 24 When all the men of Israel saw this man, they retreated[ae] from his presence and were very afraid.

25 The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? He does so[af] to defy Israel. But the king will make the man who can strike him down very wealthy! He will give him his daughter in marriage, and he will make his father’s house exempt from tax obligations in Israel.”

26 David asked the men who were standing near him, “What will be done for the man who strikes down this Philistine and frees Israel from this humiliation?[ag] For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he defies the armies of the living God?” 27 The soldiers[ah] told him what had been promised, saying,[ai] “This is what will be done for the man who can strike him down.”

28 When David’s[aj] oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, he became angry[ak] with David and said, “Why have you come down here? To whom did you entrust those few sheep in the wilderness? I am familiar with your pride and deceit![al] You have come down here to watch the battle.”

29 David replied, “What have I done now? Can’t I say anything?”[am] 30 Then he turned from those who were nearby to someone else and asked the same question,[an] but they[ao] gave him the same answer as before. 31 When David’s words were overheard and reported to Saul, he called for him.[ap]

32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged.[aq] Your servant will go and fight this Philistine!” 33 But Saul replied to David, “You aren’t able to go against this Philistine and fight him. You’re just a boy! He has been a warrior from his youth.”

34 David replied to Saul, “Your servant has been a shepherd for his father’s flock. Whenever a lion or bear would come and carry off a sheep from the flock, 35 I would go out after it, strike it down, and rescue the sheep from its mouth. If it rose up against me, I would grab it by its jaw, strike it, and kill it. 36 Your servant has struck down both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be just like one of them,[ar] for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 David went on to say, “The Lord who delivered me from the lion and the bear will also deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “Go! The Lord will be with you.”[as]

38 Then Saul clothed David with his own fighting attire and put a bronze helmet on his head. He also put body armor on him. 39 David strapped on his sword over his fighting attire and tried to walk around, but he was not used to them.[at] David said to Saul, “I can’t walk in these things, for I’m not used to them.” So David removed them. 40 He took his staff in his hand, picked out five smooth stones from the stream, placed them in the pouch[au] of his shepherd’s bag, took his sling in hand, and approached the Philistine.

41 [av] The Philistine, with his shield bearer walking in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 When the Philistine looked carefully at David, he despised him, for he was only a ruddy and handsome boy. 43 The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you are coming after me with sticks?”[aw] Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come here to me, so I can give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the field!”[ax]

45 But David replied to the Philistine, “You are coming against me with sword and spear and javelin. But I am coming against you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel’s armies, whom you have defied! 46 This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you down and cut off your head. This day I will give the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land. Then all the land will realize that Israel has a God, 47 and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves! For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will deliver you into our hand.”

48 The Philistine drew steadily closer to David to attack him, while David quickly ran toward the battle line to attack the Philistine.[ay] 49 David reached his hand into the bag and took out a stone. He slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank deeply into his forehead, and he fell down with his face to the ground.

50 [az] David prevailed over the Philistine with just the sling and the stone. He struck down the Philistine and killed him. David did not even have a sword in his hand.[ba] 51 David ran and stood over the Philistine. He grabbed Goliath’s[bb] sword, drew it from its sheath,[bc] and after killing him, he cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they ran away.

52 Then the men of Israel and Judah charged forward, shouting a battle cry.[bd] They chased the Philistines to the valley[be] and to the very gates of Ekron. The Philistine corpses lay fallen along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. 53 When the Israelites returned from their hot pursuit of the Philistines, they looted their camp. 54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s[bf] weapons in his tent.

55 [bg] Now as Saul watched David going out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the general in command of the army, “Whose son is that young man, Abner?” Abner replied, “As surely as you live, O king, I don’t know.” 56 The king said, “Find out whose son this boy is.”

57 So when David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul. He still had the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” David replied, “I am the son of your servant Jesse in Bethlehem.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 17:1 tc The content of 1 Sam 17-18, which includes the David and Goliath story, differs considerably in the LXX as compared to the MT, suggesting that this story circulated in ancient times in more than one form. The LXX for chs. 17-18 is much shorter than the MT, lacking almost half of the material (39 of a total of 88 verses). Many scholars (e.g., McCarter, Klein) think that the shorter text of the LXX is preferable to the MT, which in their view has been expanded by incorporation of later material. Other scholars (e.g., Wellhausen, Driver) conclude that the shorter Greek text (or the Hebrew text that underlies it) reflects an attempt to harmonize certain alleged inconsistencies that appear in the longer version of the story. Given the translation characteristics of the LXX elsewhere in this section, it does not seem likely that these differences are due to deliberate omission of these verses on the part of the translator. It seems more likely that the Greek translator has faithfully rendered here a Hebrew text that itself was much shorter than the MT in these chapters. Whether or not the shorter text represented by the LXX is to be preferred over the MT in 1 Sam 17-18 is a matter over which textual scholars are divided. For a helpful discussion of the major textual issues in this unit see D. Barthélemy, D. W. Gooding, J. Lust, and E. Tov, The Story of David and Goliath (OBO). Overall it seems preferable to stay with the MT, at least for the most part. However, the major textual differences between the LXX and the MT will be mentioned in the notes that accompany the translation so that the reader may be alert to the major problem passages.
  2. 1 Samuel 17:1 tn Heb “camps.”
  3. 1 Samuel 17:2 tn Heb “the men of Israel” (so KJV, NASB); NAB, NIV, NRSV “the Israelites.”
  4. 1 Samuel 17:2 tn Heb “to meet.”
  5. 1 Samuel 17:3 tn Heb “Israel.”
  6. 1 Samuel 17:4 tn Heb “the man of the space between the two [armies].” See v. 23.
  7. 1 Samuel 17:4 tc Heb “his height was six cubits and a span.” The LXX, a Qumran manuscript of 1 Samuel, and Josephus read “four cubits and a span.” A cubit was approximately 17.5 inches, a span half that. So the Masoretic text places Goliath at about 9½ feet tall (cf. NIV, CEV, NLT “over nine feet”; NCV “nine feet, four inches”; TEV “nearly 3 metres” while the other textual witnesses place him at about 6 feet, 7 inches (cf. NAB “six and a half feet”). Note, too, that the cubit was adjusted through history, also attested in Babylon (NIDOTTE 421-424 s.v. אַמָּה). If the cubits measuring Goliath were reckoned as the cubit of Moses, his height at 6 cubits and a span would be approximately 7 feet 9 inches tall. This is one of many places in Samuel where the LXX and Qumran evidence seems superior to the Masoretic text. It is possible that the scribe’s eye skipped briefly to the number 6 a few lines below in a similar environment of letters. The average Israelite male of the time was about 5 feet 3 inches, so a man 6 feet 7 inches would be a very impressive height. Saul, being head and shoulder above most Israelites, would have been nearly 6 feet tall. That is still shorter than Goliath, even at “four cubits and a span,” and makes a sharper contrast between David and Saul. There would have been a greater expectation that a 6 foot tall Saul would confront a 6 feet 7 inches Goliath, placing Saul in a bad light while still positioning David as a hero of faith, which is fitting to the context.
  8. 1 Samuel 17:5 sn Although the exact weight of Goliath’s defensive body armor is difficult to estimate in terms of modern equivalency, it was obviously quite heavy. Driver, following Kennedy, suggests a modern equivalent of about 220 pounds (100 kg); see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 139. Klein, taking the shekel to be equal to .403 ounces, arrives at a somewhat smaller weight of about 126 pounds (57 kg); see R. W. Klein, 1 Samuel (WBC), 175. But by any estimate it is clear that Goliath presented himself as a formidable foe indeed.
  9. 1 Samuel 17:6 sn Or “greaves.” These were coverings (probably lined for comfort) that extended from about the knee to the ankle, affording protection for the shins of a warrior.
  10. 1 Samuel 17:7 tn The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss in reading “wood,” rather than the “arrow” (the reading of the Kethib).
  11. 1 Samuel 17:7 sn That is, about fifteen or sixteen pounds.
  12. 1 Samuel 17:8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Goliath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  13. 1 Samuel 17:8 tn The Hebrew text adds “and said to them.”
  14. 1 Samuel 17:8 tc The translation follows the ancient versions in reading “choose,” (from the root בָּחַר, bakhar), rather than the MT. The verb in MT (בָּרָה, barah) elsewhere means “to eat food”; the sense of “to choose,” required here by the context, is not attested for this root. The MT apparently reflects an early scribal error.
  15. 1 Samuel 17:8 tn Following the imperative, the prefixed verbal form (either an imperfect or jussive) with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result here.
  16. 1 Samuel 17:10 tn Following the imperative, the cohortative verbal form indicates purpose/result here.
  17. 1 Samuel 17:11 tn Heb “all Israel.”
  18. 1 Samuel 17:12 tc Some mss of the LXX lack vv. 12-31.
  19. 1 Samuel 17:12 tc The translation follows the Lucianic recension of the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta in reading “in years,” rather than MT “among men.”
  20. 1 Samuel 17:13 tn Heb “his.”
  21. 1 Samuel 17:15 tn Heb “was going and returning.”
  22. 1 Samuel 17:17 tn Heb “run.”
  23. 1 Samuel 17:18 tn Heb “officer of the thousand.”
  24. 1 Samuel 17:18 tn Heb “and your brothers, observe with respect to welfare.”
  25. 1 Samuel 17:18 tn Heb “and their pledge take.” This probably refers to some type of confirmation that the goods arrived safely. See R. W. Klein, 1 Samuel (WBC), 177. Cf. NIV “bring back some assurance”; NCV “some proof to show me they are all right”; NLT “bring me back a letter from them.”
  26. 1 Samuel 17:19 tn Heb “all the men of Israel.”
  27. 1 Samuel 17:20 tn Heb “to a guard”; KJV, NASB, NRSV “with a keeper”; NIV “with a shepherd.” Since in contemporary English “guard” sounds like someone at a military installation or a prison, the present translation uses “to someone else who would watch over it.”
  28. 1 Samuel 17:20 tn Or “entrenchment.”
  29. 1 Samuel 17:22 tn Heb “the guard of the equipment.”
  30. 1 Samuel 17:23 tn Heb “according to these words.”
  31. 1 Samuel 17:24 tn Or “fled.”
  32. 1 Samuel 17:25 tn Heb “he is coming up.”
  33. 1 Samuel 17:26 tn Heb “and turns aside humiliation from upon Israel.”
  34. 1 Samuel 17:27 tn Heb “people.”
  35. 1 Samuel 17:27 tn Heb “according to this word, saying.”
  36. 1 Samuel 17:28 tn Heb “his”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  37. 1 Samuel 17:28 tn Heb “the anger of Eliab became hot.”
  38. 1 Samuel 17:28 tn Heb “the wickedness of your heart.”
  39. 1 Samuel 17:29 tn Heb “Is it not [just] a word?”
  40. 1 Samuel 17:30 tn Heb “and spoke according to this word.”
  41. 1 Samuel 17:30 tn Heb “the people.”
  42. 1 Samuel 17:31 tn Heb “he took him.”
  43. 1 Samuel 17:32 tn Heb “Let not the heart of a man fall upon him.” The LXX reads “my lord,” instead of “a man.”
  44. 1 Samuel 17:36 tc The LXX includes here the following words not found in the MT: “Should I not go and smite him, and remove today reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised one?”
  45. 1 Samuel 17:37 tn Or “Go, and may the Lord be with you” (so NASB, NCV, NRSV).
  46. 1 Samuel 17:39 tn Heb “he had not tested.”
  47. 1 Samuel 17:40 tn This Hebrew word occurs only here and its exact meaning is not entirely clear. It refers to a receptacle of some sort and apparently was a common part of a shepherd’s equipment. Here it serves as a depository for the stones that David will use in his sling.
  48. 1 Samuel 17:41 tc Most LXX mss lack v. 41.
  49. 1 Samuel 17:43 sn Sticks is a pejorative reference to David’s staff (v. 40); the same Hebrew word (מַקֵּל, maqqel) is used for both.
  50. 1 Samuel 17:44 tc Many medieval Hebrew mss have “the earth” here, instead of the MT’s “the field.”
  51. 1 Samuel 17:48 tc Most LXX mss lack the second half of v. 48.
  52. 1 Samuel 17:50 tc Most LXX mss lack v. 50.
  53. 1 Samuel 17:50 tn Verse 50 is a summary statement; v. 51 gives a more detailed account of how David killed the Philistine.
  54. 1 Samuel 17:51 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Goliath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  55. 1 Samuel 17:51 tc Most LXX mss lack the words “drew it from its sheath.”
  56. 1 Samuel 17:52 tn Heb “arose and cried out.”
  57. 1 Samuel 17:52 tc Most of the LXX ms tradition has here “Gath.”
  58. 1 Samuel 17:54 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Goliath) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  59. 1 Samuel 17:55 tc Most LXX mss lack 17:55-18:5.
Close RCU17TS

撒母耳記上 17
Revised Chinese Union Version (Traditional Script) Shen Edition

大衛和歌利亞

17 非利士人召集他們的軍隊來爭戰。他們聚集在猶大的梭哥，在梭哥和亞西加中間的以弗‧大憫安營。 2 掃羅和以色列人也聚集，在以拉谷安營，擺陣迎戰，要與非利士人打仗。 3 非利士人站在這邊的山上，以色列人站在那邊的山上，當中有谷。 4 從非利士營中出來一個挑戰的人，名叫歌利亞，是迦特人，身高六肘一虎口。 5 他頭戴銅盔，身穿鎧甲，甲重五千舍客勒銅。 6 他腿上有銅護膝，兩肩之中背負銅矛。 7 他的槍桿粗如織布機的軸，槍頭的鐵重六百舍客勒。有一個拿盾牌的人走在他前面。 8 歌利亞站着，對以色列的軍隊喊叫，對他們說：「你們出來擺陣作戰是為了甚麼呢？我不是非利士人嗎？你們不是掃羅的僕人嗎？你們選一個人出來，叫他下來到我這裏吧。 9 他若能與我決鬥，把我殺死，我們就作你們的奴隸；我若勝了他，把他殺死，你們就作我們的奴隸，服事我們。」 10 那非利士人又說：「我今日向以色列的軍隊罵陣。你們叫一個人出來，跟我決鬥吧。」 11 掃羅和以色列眾人聽見非利士人這些話就驚惶，非常害怕。

12 大衛是猶大伯利恆的以法他人耶西的兒子，耶西有八個兒子。在掃羅的時候，這人年老，在眾人中受敬重[a]。 13 耶西最大的三個兒子跟隨掃羅出征。出征的三個兒子名字是：長子以利押，次子亞比拿達，三子沙瑪。 14 大衛是最小的，最大的三個兒子跟隨掃羅。 15 大衛有時離開掃羅，回伯利恆為他父親放羊。 16 那非利士人早晚都出來站着，共四十日。

17 耶西對他兒子大衛說：「你拿一伊法烘了的穗子和十個餅，跑到營裏去，交給你的哥哥， 18 再拿這十塊奶餅，送給他們的千夫長，並要問你哥哥好，向他們要個憑據回來。」

19 掃羅和大衛的三個哥哥，以及以色列眾人，都在以拉谷與非利士人打仗。 20 大衛早晨起來，把羊交託一個看守的人，照耶西所吩咐的帶着食物去了。到了軍營，軍隊剛出到戰場，吶喊叫陣。 21 以色列人和非利士人都擺列陣勢，彼此相對。 22 大衛把東西留在看守物件的人手中，跑到戰場，問他哥哥好。 23 他與他們說話的時候，看哪，那挑戰的人，就是迦特的非利士人歌利亞，從非利士隊伍中上來，說了同樣的話，大衛聽見了。

24 以色列眾人看見那人就非常害怕，從他面前逃跑。 25 以色列人說：「這上來的人你看見了嗎？他上來是要向以色列人罵陣。若有人能殺他，王必賞賜他大財，將自己的女兒嫁給他，並在以色列人中免除他父家納糧服役。」 26 大衛對站在旁邊的人說：「若有人殺這非利士人，除掉以色列人的羞辱，他會怎樣呢？這未受割禮的非利士人是誰，竟敢向永生　神的軍隊罵陣！」 27 百姓照同樣的話對他說：「若有人殺了那人，必這樣待他。」

28 大衛的長兄以利押聽見大衛與他們所說的話，就向他發怒，說：「你下來做甚麼呢？在曠野的那幾隻羊，你交託誰了呢？我知道你的驕傲和你心裏的惡意，你下來只是為了看戰爭！」 29 大衛說：「我現在做了甚麼呢？只是問一句話也不可以嗎？」 30 大衛離開他轉向別人，問了同樣的事，百姓也照先前的話回答他。

31 有人聽見大衛所說的話，就在掃羅面前報告；掃羅就派人叫他來。 32 大衛對掃羅說：「人不必因那非利士人灰心。你的僕人要去與他決鬥。」 33 掃羅對大衛說：「你不能去與那非利士人決鬥，因為你年紀太輕，他從小就是戰士。」 34 大衛對掃羅說：「你僕人為父親放羊，有時獅子來了，有時熊來了，從羣中抓走一隻羔羊。 35 我就追趕牠，擊打牠，把羔羊從牠口中救出來。牠起來攻擊我，我就揪牠的鬍子，打死牠。 36 你僕人曾打死獅子和熊，這未受割禮的非利士人必像獅子和熊一樣，因為他向永生　神的軍隊罵陣。」 37 大衛又說：「耶和華救我脫離獅子和熊的爪，他必救我脫離這非利士人的手。」掃羅對大衛說：「你去吧！耶和華必與你同在。」 38 掃羅把自己的戰衣給大衛穿上，將銅盔戴在他頭上，又給他穿上鎧甲。 39 大衛佩刀在戰衣上，試着走走看。因大衛沒有試過，就對掃羅說：「我穿戴這些不能走路，因為我沒有試過。」於是他脫下身上的這些軍裝。 40 他手中拿杖，又在溪中挑選了五塊光滑的石子，放在袋裏，就是牧人帶的囊裏，手裏拿着甩石的機弦，迎向那非利士人。

41 那非利士人漸漸走近大衛，拿盾牌的人在他前面。 42 非利士人觀看，見了大衛，就藐視他，因為他年輕，面色紅潤，容貌俊美。 43 非利士人對大衛說：「你拿着杖到我這裏來，我豈是狗嗎？」非利士人就指着自己的神明詛咒大衛。 44 非利士人又對大衛說：「來吧！我要把你的肉給空中的飛鳥和田野的走獸。」 45 大衛對非利士人說：「你來攻擊我，是靠着刀槍和銅矛，但我來攻擊你，是靠着萬軍之耶和華的名，就是你所辱罵、帶領以色列軍隊的　神。 46 今日耶和華必將你交在我手裏。我必殺你，砍下你的頭，今日我要把非利士軍兵的屍體給空中的飛鳥和地上的野獸，使全地的人都知道以色列中有　神， 47 又使這裏的全會眾知道，耶和華使人得勝，不是用刀用槍，因為戰爭全在乎耶和華。他必將你們交在我們手裏。」

48 那非利士人起來，迎向大衛，走近前來。大衛急忙往戰場，迎向非利士人跑去。 49 大衛伸手入囊中，從裏面掏出一塊石子來，用機弦甩去，擊中非利士人的前額，石子進入額內，他就仆倒，面伏於地。

50 這樣，大衛用機弦和石子勝了那非利士人，擊中了他，把他殺死；大衛手中沒有刀。 51 大衛跑去，站在那非利士人身旁，把他的刀從鞘中拔出來，殺死他，用刀割下他的頭。非利士眾人看見他們的勇士死了，就都逃跑。 52 以色列人和猶大人就起來吶喊，追趕非利士人，直到該[b]和以革倫的城門。被殺的非利士人倒在路上，從沙拉音直到迦特和以革倫。 53 以色列人追趕非利士人回來，搶奪了他們的軍營。 54 大衛拿着那非利士人的頭帶到耶路撒冷，卻把那非利士人的軍裝放在自己的帳棚裏。

大衛覲見掃羅

55 掃羅看見大衛去迎戰非利士人，就問押尼珥元帥說：「押尼珥，那年輕人是誰的兒子？」押尼珥說：「王啊，我在你面前起誓，我不知道。」 56 王說：「你可以問問那孩子是誰的兒子。」 57 大衛打死那非利士人回來，押尼珥領他到掃羅面前，大衛手中拿着非利士人的頭。 58 掃羅問他說：「年輕人，你是誰的兒子？」大衛說：「我是你僕人伯利恆人耶西的兒子。」

Footnotes

  1. 17．12 「這人…受敬重」：七十士譯本和其他古譯本是「這人已經年紀老邁了」。
  2. 17．52 「該」：七十士譯本和其他古譯本是「迦特」。
Listen to 1 Samuel 17
Close NIV

1 Samuel 17
New International Version

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.

16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.

17 Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah[d](U) of roasted grain(V) and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. 18 Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers(W) are and bring back some assurance[e] from them. 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”

20 Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies,(X) ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual(Y) defiance, and David heard it. 24 Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.

25 Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter(Z) in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes(AA) in Israel.”

26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace(AB) from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised(AC) Philistine that he should defy(AD) the armies of the living(AE) 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.”

28 When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger(AF) at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

29 “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” 30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. 31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.

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

33 Saul replied,(AH) “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(AI) 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(AJ) it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion(AK) 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(AL) me from the paw of the lion(AM) 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(AN) you.”

38 Then Saul dressed David in his own(AO) 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.

41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer(AP) in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome,(AQ) and he despised(AR) him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog,(AS) that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds(AT) and the wild animals!(AU)”

45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin,(AV) but I come against you in the name(AW) of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.(AX) 46 This day the Lord will deliver(AY) you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses(AZ) of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world(BA) will know that there is a God in Israel.(BB) 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword(BC) or spear that the Lord saves;(BD) for the battle(BE) 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.

50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling(BF) and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut(BG) off his head with the sword.(BH)

When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. 52 Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath[f] and to the gates of Ekron.(BI) Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim(BJ) road to Gath and Ekron. 53 When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.

54 David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.

55 As Saul watched David(BK) going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner,(BL) whose son is that young man?”

Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.”

56 The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”

57 As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head.

58 “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him.

David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse(BM) of Bethlehem.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 17:4 That is, about 9 feet 9 inches or about 3 meters
  2. 1 Samuel 17:5 That is, about 125 pounds or about 58 kilograms
  3. 1 Samuel 17:7 That is, about 15 pounds or about 6.9 kilograms
  4. 1 Samuel 17:17 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
  5. 1 Samuel 17:18 Or some token; or some pledge of spoils
  6. 1 Samuel 17:52 Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew of a valley
Next
1 Samuel 16
1 Samuel 18
Next
dropdown
New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Revised Chinese Union Version (Traditional Script) Shen Edition (RCU17TS)

和合本修訂版經文 © 2006, 2010, 2017 香港聖經公會。蒙允許使用。 Scripture Text of Revised Chinese Union Version © 2006, 2010, 2017 Hong Kong Bible Society. www.hkbs.org.hk/en/ Used by permission.

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV