| International Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 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. | 1The Philistines gathered their troops for battle. They assembled at Socoh in Judah. They camped in Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. |
| 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 Israelite army assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where they arranged their battle lines to fight against 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 were standing on one hill, and the Israelites on another hill, 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 camp of the Philistines. His name was Goliath; he was from Gath. He was close to seven feet tall. |
| 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 was wearing scale body armor. The weight of his bronze body armor was five thousand shekels. |
| 6He had bronze armor on his legs and carried a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. | 6He had bronze shin guards on his legs, and a bronze javelin was slung over 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 iron point of his spear weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer was walking 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. | 8Goliath stood and called to Israel's troops, "Why do you come out to prepare for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose for yourselves a man so he may 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." | 9If 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." |
| 10The Philistine said, "I defy the ranks of Israel today. Send me one man and let's fight together." | 10Then the Philistine said, "I defy Israel's troops this day! Give me a man so we can fight each other!" |
| 11When Saul and all the Israelis heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and very frightened. | 11When Saul and all the Israelites heard these words of the Philistine, they were upset and very 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 this Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem in Judah. He had eight sons, and in Saul's days he was old and well advanced in years. |
| 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. | 13Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul to war. The names of the three sons who went to war were Eliab, his firstborn, Abinadab, the second oldest, and Shammah, the third oldest. |
| 14David was the youngest, while the three oldest had followed Saul. | 14Now David was the youngest. While the three oldest sons followed Saul, |
| 15And David would go back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep in Bethlehem. | 15David was going back and forth from Saul in order to care for his father's sheep in Bethlehem. |
| 16For 40 days the Philistine would come forward, morning and evening, to take his position. | 16Meanwhile for forty days the Philistine approached every morning and evening and took his position. |
| 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. | 17Jesse said to his son David, "Take your brothers this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread; go quickly 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. | 18Also take these ten portions of cheese to their commanding officer. Find out how your brothers are doing and bring back their pledge that they received the goods. |
| 19Saul, your brothers, and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines." | 19They are with Saul and the whole Israelite army 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 got up early in the morning and entrusted the flock to someone else who would watch over it. After loading up, he went just as Jesse had instructed him. He arrived at the camp as the army was going out to the battle lines shouting its battle cry. |
| 21Israel and the Philistines moved into position for battle, battle line facing battle line. | 21Israel and the Philistines drew up their battle lines opposite one another. |
| 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. | 22After David had entrusted his cargo to the care of the supply officer, he ran to the battlefront. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing. |
| 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 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, and David heard it. |
| 24When all the Israelis saw the man, they fled from him and were very frightened. | 24When all the men of Israel saw this man, they retreated from his presence and were very 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? He does so 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." |
| 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?" | 26David 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? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he defies 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 soldiers told him what had been promised, saying, "This is what will be done for the man who can strike him down." |
| 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!" | 28When David's oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, he became angry with David and said, "Why have you come down here? To whom did you entrust those few sheep in the desert? I am familiar with your pride and deceit! You have come down here to watch the battle!" |
| 29"What have I done now?" David asked. "It was just a question, wasn't it?" | 29David replied, "What have I done now? Can't I say anything?" |
| 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 from those who were nearby to someone else and asked the same question, but they gave him the same answer as before. |
| 31When the words that David had spoken were heard, they were reported to Saul, and he sent for him. | 31When David's words were overheard and reported to Saul, he called 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, "Don't let anyone be discouraged. Your servant will go and fight 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." | 33But 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!" |
| 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, | 34David 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, |
| 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 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. |
| 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." | 36Your servant has struck down both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine will be just like one of them. For he has defied 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." | 37David 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." |
| 38Saul put his garments on David, set a bronze helmet on his head, and put armor on him. | 38Then Saul clothed David with his own fighting attire and put a bronze helmet on his head. He also put body armor on him. |
| 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 strapped on his sword over his fighting attire and tried to walk around, but he was not used to them. David said to Saul, "I can't walk in these things, for I'm not used to them." So David removed them. |
| 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 staff in his hand, picked out five smooth stones from the stream, placed them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag, took his sling in hand, and approached the Philistine. |
| 41With a man carrying his shield in front of him, the Philistine kept coming closer to David. | 41The Philistine kept coming closer to David, with his shield bearer walking 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 carefully at David, he despised him, for he was only a ruddy and handsome boy. |
| 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 are coming after me with sticks?" Then 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 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!" |
| 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. | 45But 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 hosts, the God of Israel's armies, whom you have defied! |
| 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, | 46This 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 |
| 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 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." |
| 48When the Philistine got up and came closer to meet David, David quickly ran to the battle line to meet the Philistine. | 48The Philistine drew steadily closer to David to attack him, while David quickly ran toward the battle line to attack 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. | 49David 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. |
| 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. | 50David 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. |
| 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. | 51David ran and stood over the Philistine. He grabbed Goliath's sword, drew it from its sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they ran away. |
| 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. | 52Then the men of Israel and Judah charged forward, shouting a battle cry. They chased the Philistines to the valley and to the very gates of Ekron. The Philistine corpses lay fallen along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. |
| 53The Israelis returned from pursuing the Philistines and plundered their camp. | 53When the Israelites returned from their hot pursuit of the Philistines, they looted their camp. |
| 54David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put Goliath's weapons in his tent. | 54David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath's 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 as Saul watched David going out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the general in command of the army, "Whose son is this young man, Abner?" Abner replied, "As surely as you live, O king, I don't know." |
| 56The king replied, "Go find out whose son the young man is." | 56The king said, "Find out whose son this boy 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 striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul. He still had the head of the Philistine 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?" David replied, "I am the son of your servant Jesse in Bethlehem." |
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