| New International Version | English Standard Version |
| 1Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah. | 1Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. |
| 2Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. | 2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. |
| 3The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. | 3And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. |
| 4A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. | 4And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. |
| 5He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; | 5He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. |
| 6on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. | 6And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. |
| 7His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him. | 7The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him. |
| 8Goliath 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 a man and have him come down to me. | 8He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. |
| 9If 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." | 9If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” |
| 10Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." | 10And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” |
| 11On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. | 11When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. |
| 12Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul's time he was very old. | 12Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years. |
| 13Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. | 13The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. |
| 14David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, | 14David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, |
| 15but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem. | 15but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. |
| 16For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand. | 16For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening. |
| 17Now Jesse said to his son David, "Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. | 17And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. |
| 18Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. | 18Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.” |
| 19They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines." | 19Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. |
| 20Early 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. | 20And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. |
| 21Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. | 21And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. |
| 22David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. | 22And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. |
| 23As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. | 23As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. |
| 24Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear. | 24All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. |
| 25Now 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 in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel." | 25And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And 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 standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" | 26And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall 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 defy the armies of the living God?” |
| 27They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him." | 27And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.” |
| 28When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger 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." | 28Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled 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 presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” |
| 29"Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?" | 29And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” |
| 30He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. | 30And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before. |
| 31What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. | 31When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. |
| 32David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." | 32And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” |
| 33Saul replied, "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." | 33And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” |
| 34But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, | 34But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, |
| 35I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. | 35I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. |
| 36Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. | 36Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” |
| 37The 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 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 will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!” |
| 38Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. | 38Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, |
| 39David 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. | 39and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. |
| 40Then 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. | 40Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. |
| 41Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. | 41And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. |
| 42He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. | 42And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. |
| 43He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. | 43And the 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," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!" | 44The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” |
| 45David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. | 45Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with 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 defied. |
| 46This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. | 46This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, |
| 47All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands." | 47and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.” |
| 48As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. | 48When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. |
| 49Reaching 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. | 49And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. |
| 50So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. | 50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. |
| 51David 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 off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. | 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. |
| 52Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. | 52And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. |
| 53When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. | 53And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. |
| 54David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine's weapons in his own tent. | 54And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent. |
| 55As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is that young man?" Abner replied, "As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don't know." | 55As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” |
| 56The king said, "Find out whose son this young man is." | 56And the king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.” |
| 57As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine's head. | 57And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. |
| 58"Whose son are you, young man?" Saul asked him. David said, "I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem." | 58And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.” |
| 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. | ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. |
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