Christian Standard Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

1The Philistines gathered their forces for war at Socoh in Judah and camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim.

1Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.

2Saul and the men of Israel gathered and camped in the Valley of Elah; then they lined up in battle formation to face the Philistines.

2Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in the valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines.

3The Philistines were standing on one hill, and the Israelites were standing on another hill with a ravine between them.

3The Philistines stood on the mountain on one side while Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them.

4Then a champion named Goliath, from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was nine feet, nine inches tall

4Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

5and wore a bronze helmet and bronze scale armor that weighed one hundred twenty-five pounds.

5He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze.

6There was bronze armor on his shins, and a bronze javelin was slung between his shoulders.

6He also had bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders.

7His spear shaft was like a weaver's beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed fifteen pounds. In addition, a shield-bearer was walking in front of him.

7The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; his shield-carrier also walked before him.

8He 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? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.

8He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and said to them, "Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.

9If 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."

9"If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us."

10Then the Philistine said, "I defy the ranks of Israel today. Send me a man so we can fight each other!"

10Again the Philistine said, "I defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together."

11When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.

11When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

12Now David was the son of the Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons and during Saul's reign was already an old man.

12Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.

13Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war, and their names were Eliab, the firstborn, Abinadab, the next, and Shammah, the third,

13The three older sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle. And 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.

14and David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul,

14David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul,

15but David kept going back and forth from Saul to tend his father's flock in Bethlehem.

15but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's flock at Bethlehem.

16Every morning and evening for forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand.

16The Philistine came forward morning and evening for forty days and took his stand.

17One day Jesse had told his son David: "Take this half-bushel of roasted grain along with these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp.

17Then Jesse said to David his son, "Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers.

18Also take these ten portions of cheese to the field commander. Check on the well-being of your brothers and bring a confirmation from them.

18"Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them.

19They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines."

19"For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines."

20So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with someone to keep it, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had charged him. He arrived at the perimeter of the camp as the army was marching out to its battle formation shouting their battle cry.

20So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the circle of the camp while the army was going out in battle array shouting the war cry.

21Israel and the Philistines lined up in battle formation facing each other.

21Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle array, army against army.

22David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were.

22Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line and entered in order to greet his brothers.

23While 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, which David heard.

23As he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard them.

24When all the Israelite men saw Goliath, they retreated from him terrified.

24When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid.

25Previously, 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. The king will also make the family of that man's father exempt from paying taxes in Israel."

25The men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel."

26David 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? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

26Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?"

27The troops told him about the offer, concluding, "That is what will be done for the man who kills him."

27The people answered him in accord with this word, saying, "Thus it will be done for the man who kills him."

28David's oldest brother Eliab listened as he spoke to the men, and he became angry with him. "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!"

28Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and 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 know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle."

29"What have I done now?" protested David. "It was just a question."

29But David said, "What have I done now? Was it not just a question?"

30Then 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.

30Then he turned away from him to another and said the same thing; and the people answered the same thing as before.

31What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, so he had David brought to him.

31When the words which David spoke were heard, they told them to Saul, and he sent for him.

32David said to Saul, "Don't let anyone be discouraged by him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine!"

32David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."

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

33Then Saul said to David, "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."

34David 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,

34But David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,

35I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it.

35I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him.

36Your 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."

36"Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God."

37Then 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." Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you."

37And David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you."

38Then Saul had his own military clothes put on David. He put a bronze helmet on David's head and had him put on armor.

38Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor.

39David 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.

39David 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 off.

40Instead, he took his staff in his hand 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.

40He 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 his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.

41The Philistine came closer and closer to David, with the shield-bearer in front of him.

41Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him.

42When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a youth, healthy and handsome.

42When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance.

43He said to David, "Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks?" Then he cursed David by his gods.

43The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

44"Come here," the Philistine called to David, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!"

44The Philistine also said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field."

45David said to the Philistine: "You come against me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel--you have defied him.

45Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.

46Today, the LORD will hand you over to me. Today, I'll strike you down, remove your head, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the wild creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God,

46"This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,

47and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the LORD saves, for the battle is the LORD's. He will hand you over to us."

47and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD'S and He will give you into our hands."

48When the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine.

48Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.

49David 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 facedown to the ground.

49And David put his hand 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.

50David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. David overpowered the Philistine and killed him without having a sword.

50Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David's hand.

51David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine's sword, 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 fled.

51Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

52The 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. Philistine bodies were strewn all along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.

52The men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines as far as the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the slain Philistines lay along the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron.

53When the Israelites returned from the pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps.

53The sons of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines and plundered their camps.

54David took Goliath's head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put Goliath's weapons in his own tent.

54Then David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.

55When Saul had seen David going out to confront the Philistine, he asked Abner the commander of the army, "Whose son is this youth, Abner?" "Your Majesty, as surely as you live, I don't know," Abner replied.

55Now when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is this young man?" And Abner said, "By your life, O king, I do not know."

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

56The king said, "You inquire whose son the youth is."

57When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine's head still in his hand.

57So when David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine's head in his hand.

58Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" "The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem," David answered.

58Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" And David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

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