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1 Samuel 17
Legacy Standard Bible

Goliath Challenges Israel

17 Now (A)the Philistines gathered their camps for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between (B)Socoh and (C)Azekah, in (D)Ephes-dammim. 2 But Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in (E)the valley of Elah and arranged themselves for battle to meet the Philistines. 3 Now the Philistines stood on the mountain on one side while Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them. 4 Then a champion came out from the camps of the Philistines named (F)Goliath, from (G)Gath, whose height was [a]six cubits and a [b]span. 5 And he had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor, and the weight of that scale-armor was five thousand [c]shekels of bronze. 6 He also had bronze [d]greaves on his legs and a (H)bronze [e]javelin slung between his shoulders. 7 (I)And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; (J)his shield-carrier also walked before him. 8 And he stood and called out to the [f]battle lines of Israel and said to them, “Why do you come out to arrange yourselves for battle? Am I not the Philistine and you (K)slaves of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. 9 (L)If he is able to fight with me and strike me down, then we will become your slaves; but if I prevail against him and strike him down, then you shall become our slaves and serve us.” 10 Again the Philistine said, “(M)I openly [g]reproach the battle lines of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

12 Now David was (N)the son of [h]the (O)Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, and (P)he had eight sons. And [i]Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men. 13 And the three older sons of Jesse had gone. They had gone after Saul to the battle. And (Q)the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 (R)But David was the youngest. Now the three oldest had gone after Saul, 15 (S)but David went back and forth from Saul (T)to shepherd his father’s flock at Bethlehem.

16 Then the Philistine approached, morning and evening, for forty days and took his stand.

17 Then Jesse said to David his son, “(U)Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers. 18 (V)You shall also bring these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, (W)and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back [j]a token from them. 19 And Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.”

20 So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper and carried the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the (X)circle of the camp while the military force was going out in battle lines shouting the war cry. 21 And Israel and the Philistines arranged themselves in battle lines, battle line [k]against battle line. 22 Then David left his (Y)baggage in the [l]care of the baggage keeper and ran to the battle line and entered in order to greet his brothers. 23 As he was speaking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the battle lines of the Philistines, and he spoke (Z)these same words; and David heard them.

24 Now all the men of Israel saw the man, and they fled from him and were greatly afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to [m]reproach Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who strikes him down with great riches and (AA)will give him his daughter and make his father’s house [n]free in Israel.”

26 Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who strikes down this Philistine and takes away (AB)the reproach from Israel? For who is this (AC)uncircumcised Philistine, that he should [o](AD)reproach the battle lines of (AE)the living God?” 27 And the people spoke to him in accord with this word, saying, “(AF)Thus it will be done for the man who strikes him down.”

28 Then Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and (AG)Eliab’s anger burned against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I myself know your arrogance and the wickedness of your heart, for you have come down in order to see the battle.” 29 But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a word?” 30 Then he turned [p]away from him to another and (AH)said the same word; and the people responded to him with the same word as [q]before.

David Puts Goliath to Death

31 Then the words which David spoke were heard. And they told them [r]to Saul, and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, “(AI)Let no man’s heart fail on account of him; (AJ)your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 Then Saul said to David, “(AK)You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant was shepherding his father’s sheep. And a lion and a bear would come and take a lamb from the flock, 35 and I would go out after it and strike it and (AL)rescue the lamb from its mouth. Then it rose up against me, and I would seize it by its beard and strike it down and put it to death. 36 Your servant has struck down both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has [s]reproached the battle lines of the living God.” 37 And David said, “(AM)Yahweh, who delivered me from the hand of the lion and from the hand of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “(AN)Go, and may Yahweh be with you.” 38 Then Saul clothed David with his robes and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor. 39 And David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” And David took them [t]off. 40 Then he took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and (AO)his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.

41 Then the Philistine came on and drew near to David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And the Philistine looked and saw David. And (AP)he despised him; for he was but a youth and (AQ)ruddy, with a handsome appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, “(AR)Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And (AS)the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine also said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh (AT)to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, (AU)but I come to you in the name of Yahweh of hosts, the God of the battle lines of Israel, whom you have [u]reproached. 46 This day Yahweh will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the (AV)dead bodies of the camp of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth, (AW)that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that (AX)Yahweh does not save by sword or by spear; (AY)for the battle is Yahweh’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

48 Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that (AZ)David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David sent his hand down into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.

50 Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and put him to death; but there was no sword in David’s hand. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and (BA)took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and put him to death and cut off his head with it. (BB)Then the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, so they fled. 52 But the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines [v]as far as the valley and to the gates of (BC)Ekron. And the slain Philistines lay fallen along the way to (BD)Shaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron. 53 Then the sons of Israel returned from hotly pursuing the Philistines and plundered their camps. 54 And David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.

55 Now when Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is (BE)this young man?” And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.” 56 And the king said, “You inquire whose son the youth is.” 57 So when David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and (BF)brought him before Saul with the Philistine’s head in his hand. 58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “(BG)I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 17:4 Approx. 9 ft. or 2.7 m, a cubit was approx. 18 in. or 45 cm
  2. 1 Samuel 17:4 A span was approx. 9 in. or 23 cm
  3. 1 Samuel 17:5 A shekel was approx. 0.4 oz. or 11 gm
  4. 1 Samuel 17:6 Or shin guards
  5. 1 Samuel 17:6 Or scimitar
  6. 1 Samuel 17:8 Lit lines, so in ch
  7. 1 Samuel 17:10 Or defy
  8. 1 Samuel 17:12 Lit this
  9. 1 Samuel 17:12 Lit the man
  10. 1 Samuel 17:18 Lit their pledge
  11. 1 Samuel 17:21 Lit to meet
  12. 1 Samuel 17:22 Lit hand
  13. 1 Samuel 17:25 Or defy
  14. 1 Samuel 17:25 Free from taxes and public service
  15. 1 Samuel 17:26 Or defy
  16. 1 Samuel 17:30 Lit from beside him
  17. 1 Samuel 17:30 Lit the former word
  18. 1 Samuel 17:31 Lit before
  19. 1 Samuel 17:36 Or defied
  20. 1 Samuel 17:39 Lit off from himself
  21. 1 Samuel 17:45 Or defied
  22. 1 Samuel 17:52 Lit until your coming to
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1 Samuel 17
Holman Christian Standard Bible

David versus Goliath

17 The Philistines(A) gathered their forces for war at Socoh in Judah and camped between Socoh(B) and Azekah(C) in Ephes-dammim.(D) 2 Saul and the men of Israel gathered and camped in the Valley of Elah;(E) then they lined up in battle formation to face the Philistines.

3 The Philistines were standing on one hill, and the Israelites were standing on another hill with a ravine between them. 4 Then a champion named Goliath, from Gath,(F) came out from the Philistine camp. He was nine feet, nine inches tall[a][b] 5 and wore a bronze helmet[c] and bronze scale armor that weighed 125 pounds.[d] 6 There was bronze armor on his shins, and a bronze sword(G) was slung between his shoulders. 7 His spear shaft(H) was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed 15 pounds.[e] In addition, a shield-bearer(I) was walking in front of him.

8 He stood and shouted to the Israelite battle formations: “Why do you come out to line up in battle formation?” He asked them, “Am I not a Philistine and are you not servants of Saul?(J) Choose one of your men and have him come down against me. 9 If he wins in a fight against me and kills me, we will be your servants. But if I win against him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us.”(K) 10 Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel today.(L) Send me a man so we can fight each other!” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.

12 Now David was the son of the Ephrathite(M) from Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons(N) and during Saul’s reign was already an old man. 13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war, and their names(O) were Eliab, the firstborn, Abinadab, the next, and Shammah, the third, 14 and David was the youngest.(P) The three oldest had followed Saul, 15 but David kept going back and forth from Saul(Q) to tend his father’s flock in Bethlehem.

16 Every morning and evening for 40 days the Philistine came forward and took his stand. 17 One day Jesse had told his son David: “Take this half-bushel[f] of roasted grain along with these 10 loaves of bread(R) for your brothers and hurry to their camp. 18 Also take these 10 portions of cheese to the field commander.[g] Check on the welfare of your brothers(S) and bring a confirmation from them. 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.”

20 So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with someone to keep it, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had instructed him.

He arrived at the perimeter of the camp(T) as the army was marching out to its battle formation shouting their battle cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines lined up in battle formation facing each other. 22 David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster(U) and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were. 23 While he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the Philistine battle line and shouted his usual words,(V) which David heard. 24 When all the Israelite men saw Goliath, they retreated from him terrified.

25 Previously, an Israelite man had declared: “Do you see this man who keeps coming out? He comes to defy Israel. The king will make the man who kills him very rich and will give him his daughter.(W) The king will also make the household of that man’s father exempt from paying taxes in Israel.”(X)

26 David spoke to the men who were standing with him: “What will be done for the man who kills that Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel?(Y) Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine(Z) that he should defy the armies(AA) of the living God?”(AB)

27 The people told him about the offer, concluding, “That is what will be done for the man who kills him.”(AC)

28 David’s oldest brother Eliab listened as he spoke to the men, and became angry with him.(AD) “Why did you come down here?” he asked. “Who did you leave those few sheep with in the wilderness? I know your arrogance and your evil heart—you came down to see the battle!”

29 “What have I done now?” protested David. “It was just a question.” 30 Then he turned from those beside him to others in front of him and asked about the offer. The people gave him the same answer as before.(AE)

31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, so he had David brought to him. 32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged by[h] him;(AF) your servant will go(AG) and fight this Philistine!”

33 But Saul replied, “You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young.”

34 David answered Saul: “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth.(AH) If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur,[i] strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Then David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”(AI)

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

38 Then Saul had his own military clothes put on David. He put a bronze helmet on David’s head and had him put on armor. 39 David strapped his sword on over the military clothes and tried to walk, but he was not used to them. “I can’t walk in these,” David said to Saul, “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off. 40 Instead, he took his staff in his hand(AK) and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pouch, in his shepherd’s bag. Then, with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.

41 The Philistine came closer and closer to David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him(AL) because he was just a youth, healthy[j](AM) and handsome. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog(AN) that you come against me with sticks?”[k] Then he cursed David by his gods.(AO) 44 “Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!”(AP)

45 David said to the Philistine: “You come against me with a dagger, spear, and sword, but I come against you in the name of Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel’s armies—you have defied Him.(AQ) 46 Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, cut your head off, and give the corpses[l] of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God,(AR) 47 and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves,(AS) for the battle is the Lord’s.(AT) He will hand you over to us.”

48 When the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine.(AU) 49 David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 50 David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. Even though David had no sword, he struck down the Philistine and killed him. 51 David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword,(AV) pulled it from its sheath, and used it to kill him. Then he cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they ran.(AW) 52 The men of Israel and Judah rallied, shouting their battle cry, and chased the Philistines to the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron.[m](AX) Philistine bodies were strewn all along the Shaaraim road(AY) to Gath and Ekron.

53 When the Israelites returned from the pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps. 54 David took Goliath’s[n] head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.

55 [o] When Saul had seen David going out to confront the Philistine, he asked Abner the commander of the army, “Whose son is this youth, Abner?”(AZ)

“My king, as surely as you live, I don’t know,” Abner replied.

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

57 When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine’s head still in his hand.(BA) 58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?”

“The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,”(BB) David answered.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 17:4 DSS, LXX read four cubits and a span
  2. 1 Samuel 17:4 Lit was six cubits and a span
  3. 1 Samuel 17:5 Lit helmet on his head
  4. 1 Samuel 17:5 Lit 5,000 shekels
  5. 1 Samuel 17:7 Lit 600 shekels
  6. 1 Samuel 17:17 Lit this ephah
  7. 1 Samuel 17:18 Lit the leader of 1,000
  8. 1 Samuel 17:32 Lit let a man’s heart fall over
  9. 1 Samuel 17:35 LXX reads throat; lit beard
  10. 1 Samuel 17:42 Or ruddy
  11. 1 Samuel 17:43 Some LXX mss add and stones?” And David said, “No! Worse than a dog!”
  12. 1 Samuel 17:46 LXX reads give your limbs and the limbs
  13. 1 Samuel 17:52 LXX reads Ashkelon
  14. 1 Samuel 17:54 Lit the Philistine’s
  15. 1 Samuel 17:55 LXX omits 1Sm 17:55–18:5
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