International Standard Version

New American Standard Bible 1995

1The Philistines assembled their army for battle. They were assembled at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and they 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 Israelis assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where they set up their forces to meet 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 the hill on one side while the Israelis were standing on the hill on the other side, with the valley 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.

4A champion named Goliath from Gath came out from the Philistine camp. He was four cubits and a span tall,

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

5wore a bronze helmet on his head, and wore bronze scale armor that weighed about 5,000 shekels.

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

6He had bronze armor on his legs and carried a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders.

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

7The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam and the iron point of his spear weighed 600 shekels. A man carrying his shield walked 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 still and called out to the ranks of Israel, "Why should you move into position for battle? Am I not a Philistine and you Saul's servants? Choose a man for yourselves to 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's able to fight me and strike me down, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and strike him down, then you will become 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."

10The Philistine said, "I defy the ranks of Israel today. Send me one man and let's fight together."

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 the Israelis heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and very frightened.

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

12David was the son of that Ephrathite man named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah. He had eight sons; at the time when Saul was king he was old, having lived to an advanced age.

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.

13The three oldest sons of Jesse followed Saul into battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were his firstborn Eliab, Abinadab, his second son, 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.

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

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

15And David would go back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep in Bethlehem.

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

16For 40 days the Philistine would come forward, morning and evening, to take his position.

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

17Jesse told his son David, "Take this ephah of roasted grain to your brothers, along with these ten loaves of bread, and quickly take them to your brothers in the 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.

18Take these ten pieces of cheese to the commander of the unit, check on the well-being of your brothers, and bring something back 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.

19Saul, your brothers, and all the men of Israel are 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."

20David got up early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the supplies, and went as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the encampment as the army was going out to the battle line, shouting the 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 moved into position for battle, battle line facing battle line.

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

22David left the supplies he had with him in the care of the supply keeper and ran to the battle line. When he arrived there, he asked his brothers about their well-being.

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.

23As he was speaking with them, the Philistine champion named Goliath from Gath came up from the Philistine battle lines and spoke his usual words, as David listened.

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 Israelis saw the man, they fled from him and were very frightened.

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

25"Did all of you see this man coming up?" one Israeli asked. "He comes up to defy Israel, and the king will richly reward the man who kills him. He will give his daughter to him and will make his father's house tax free 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 asked the men who were standing by him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? Indeed, 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 people also told him the same thing, saying, "This 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."

28Eliab his oldest brother heard him talking to the men. Eliab was angry with David and said, "Why did you come down here? And who did you leave those few sheep with in the wilderness? I know your insolence and wicked intentions. You came down just 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?" David asked. "It was just a question, wasn't it?"

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

30Then he turned from him toward another person and asked the same thing. The people replied to him the same way as the first one had.

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

31When the words that David had spoken were heard, they were reported to Saul, and he sent for him.

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

32David told Saul, "Let no one's courage fail because of him; your servant will go 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."

33Saul told David, "You can't go against this Philistine and fight him. You are only a young man, but he has been a warrior since his youth."

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 told Saul, "Your servant has been a shepherd for his father. When a lion or bear came and took 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 would go out after it, strike it down, and rescue the lamb from its mouth. Then when it rose 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 struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he 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."

37David continued, "The LORD who delivered me from the power of the lion and the power of the bear will also deliver me from the power of this Philistine." Saul told 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."

38Saul put his garments on David, set a bronze helmet on his head, and put armor on him.

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

39David strapped Saul's sword over his garments and tried to walk, but he was not used to the armor. David told Saul, "I can't walk in these because I'm not used to them," and then 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.

40He took his staff in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook and put them in the pouch in his shepherd's bag. He approached the Philistine with his sling in his hand.

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.

41With a man carrying his shield in front of him, the Philistine kept coming closer to David.

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

42When the Philistine looked and saw David, he had contempt for him, because he was only a young man. David had a dark, healthy complexion and was handsome.

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

43The Philistine asked David, "Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?" Then the Philistine cursed David by his own gods and

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

44told David, "Come to me! I'll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and to the beasts of the field."

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."

45Then David told the Philistine, "You come at me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied.

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.

46This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I'll strike you down and remove your head from you. And this very day I'll give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and to the animals of the earth, so that all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel,

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 congregation will know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or spear. Indeed, the battle is the LORD's and he will give you into our hands."

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 got up and came closer to meet David, David quickly ran 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 reached his hand into the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead. The stone sunk into his forehead, and he fell on his face 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; he struck down the Philistine and killed him, and there was no sword in David's hand.

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 the Philistine. He took the Philistine's sword, pulled it from its sheath, killed him, and then he cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion 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 got up with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance to the valley and to the gates of Ekron. Wounded Philistines fell along the way to Shaaraim as far as 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.

53The Israelis returned from pursuing the Philistines and plundered their camp.

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

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

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

55When Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of the army, "Whose son is this young man, Abner?" Abner said, "As surely as you live, your majesty, I don't know."

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 replied, "Go find out whose son the young man is."

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

57When David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him to Saul with the Philistine's head 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 told him, "Whose son are you, young man?" David said, "The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem."

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

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

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