1 Samuel Chapter 17

1 Samuel Chapter 17
1 Now the Philistines gathered their
armies to battle, and came together to
Shochoh, which is in Judah, and pitched
between Shochoh and Azekah, in the
coast of Dammim.
2 And Saul, and the men of Israel
assembled, and pitched in the valley of
Elah, and put themselves in battle array
to meet the Philistines. 3 And the
Philistines stood on a mountain on the
one side, and Israel stood on a mountain
on the other side: so a valley was
between them. 4 Then came a man
between them both out of the tents of the
Philistines, named Goliath of Gath: his
height was six cubits and an hand
breadth, 5 And had an helmet of brass
upon his head, and a brigandine upon
him: and the weight of his brigandine
was five thousand shekels of brass. 6
And he had boots of brass upon his legs,
and a shield of brass upon his shoulders.
7 And the shaft of his spear was like a
weaver's beam: and his spear head
weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and
one bearing a shield went before him.
8 And he stood, and cried against the
host of Israel, and said unto them, Why
are ye come to set your battle in array?
Am not I a Philistine, and you servants to
Saul? Choose you a man for you, and let
him come down to me. 9 If he be able to
fight with me, and kill me, then will we
be your servants: but if I overcome him,
and kill him, then shall ye be our
servants, and serve us. 10 Also the
Philistine said, I defy the host of Israel
this day: give me a man that we may
fight together.
11 When Saul and all Israel heard those
words of the Philistine, they were
discouraged, and greatly afraid.
12 Now this David was the son of an
Ephrathite of Beth-lehem Judah, named
Jesse, which had eight sons: and this
man was taken for an old man in the days
of Saul.
13 And the three eldest sons of Jesse
went and followed Saul to the battle:
and the names of his three sons that went
to battle, were Eliab the eldest, and the
next Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
14 So David was the least: and the three
eldest went after Saul. `
15 David also went, but he returned
from Saul to feed his father's sheep in
Beth-lehem.
16 And the Philistine drew near in the
morning, and evening, and continued
forty days.
17 And Jesse said unto David his son,
Take now for thy brethren an ephah of
this parched corn, and these ten cakes,
and run to the host to thy brethren. 18
Also carry these ten fresh cheeses unto
the captain, and look how thy brethren
fare, and receive their pledge.
19 (Then Saul and they, and all the men
of Israel were in the valley of Elah,
fighting with the Philistines)
20 So David rose up early in the
morning, and left the sheep with a
keeper, and took and went as Jesse had
commanded him, and came within the
compass of the host: and the host went
out in array, and shouted in the battle. 21
For Israel and the Philistines had put
themselves in array, army against army.
22 And David left the things, which he
bear, under the hands of the keeper of the
carriage, and ran into the host, and came,
and asked his brethren how they did.
23 And as he talked with them, behold,
the man that was between the two
armies, came up, (whose name was
Goliath the Philistine of Gath) out of the
army of the Philistines, and spake such
words, and David heard them. 24 And
all the men of Israel, when they saw the
man, ran away from him, and were sore
afraid.
25 For every man of Israel said, Saw ye
not this man that cometh up? Even to
revile Israel is he come up: and to him
that killeth him, will the king give great
riches, and will give him his daughter,
yea, and make his father's house free in
Israel.
26 Then David spake to the men that
stood with him, and said, What shall be
done to the man that killeth this
Philistine, and taketh away the shame
from Israel? For who is this
uncircumcised Philistine, that he should
revile the host of the living God?
27 And the people answered him after
this manner, saying, Thus shall it be
done to the man that killeth him.
28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard
when he spake unto the men, and Eliab
was very angry with David, and said,
Why camest thou down hither? And with
whom hast thou left those few sheep in
the wilderness? I know thy pride and the
malice of thine heart, that thou art come
down to see the battle. 29 Then David
said, What have I now done? Is there not
a cause?
30 And he departed from him into the
presence of another, and spake of the
same manner, and the people answered
him according to the former words. 31
And they that heard the words which
David spake, rehearsed them before
Saul, which caused him to be brought.
32 So David said to Saul, Let no man's
heart fail him, because of him: thy
servant will go, and fight with this
Philistine.
33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not
able to go against this Philistine to fight
with him: for thou art a boy, and he is a
man of war from his youth. 34 And
David answered unto Saul, Thy servant
kept his father's sheep, and there came a
lion, and likewise a bear, and took a
sheep out of the flock, 35 And I went out
after him and smote him, and took it out
of his mouth: and when he arose against
me, I caught him by the beard, and smote
him, and slew him.
36 So thy servant slew both the lion, and
the bear: therefore this uncircumcised
Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing
he hath railed on the host of the living
God.
37 Moreover David said, The Lord that
delivered me out of the paw of the lion,
and out of the paw of the bear, he will
deliver me out of the hand of this
Philistine. Then Saul said unto David,
Go, and the Lord be with thee. 38 And
Saul put his raiment upon David, and put
an helmet of brass upon his head, and put
a brigandine upon him.
39 Then girded David his sword upon
his raiment, and began to go: for he
never proved it: and David said unto
Saul, I cannot go with these: for I am not
accustomed. wherefore David put them
off him.
40 Then took he his staff in his hand, and
chose him five smooth stones out of a
brook, and put them in his shepherd's
bag or scrip, and his sling was in his
hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
41 And the Philistine came and drew
near unto David, and the man that bear
the shield went before him.
42 Now when the Philistine looked
about and saw David, he disdained him:
for he was but young, ruddy, and of a
comely face.
43 And the Philistine said unto David,
Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with
staves? And the Philistine cursed David
by his gods.
44 And the Philistine said to David,
Come to me, and I will give thy flesh
unto the fowls of the heaven, and to the
beasts of the field.
45 Then said David to the Philistine,
Thou comest to me with a sword, and
with a spear, and with a shield, but I
come to thee in the name of the Lord of
hosts, the God of the host of Israel,
whom thou hast railed upon. 46 This day
shall the Lord close thee in mine hand,
and I shall smite thee, and take thine
head from thee, and I will give the
carcasses of the host of the Philistines
this day unto the fowls of the heaven,
and to the beasts of the earth, that all the
world may know that Israel hath a God,
47 And that all this assembly may know,
that the Lord saveth not with sword nor
with spear (for the battle is the Lord's)
and he will give you into our hands. 48
And when the Philistine arose to come
and draw near unto David, David hasted
and ran to fight against the Philistine.
49 And David put his hand in his bag,
and took out a stone, and slung it, and
smote the Philistine in his forehead, that
the stone sticked in his forehead, and he
fell groveling to the earth.
50 So David overcame the Philistine
with a sling and with a stone, and smote
the Philistine, and slew him, when
David had no sword in his hand. 51
Then David ran, and stood upon the
Philistine, and took his sword and drew
it out of his sheath, and slew him, and
cut off his head therewith. So when the
Philistines saw, that their champion was
dead, they fled. 52 And the men of Israel
and Judah arose, and shouted, and
followed after the Philistines, until they
came to the valley, and unto the gates of
Ekron: and the Philistines fell down
wounded by the way of Shaaraim, even
to Gath and to Ekron.
53 And the children of Israel returned
from pursuing the Philistines, and
spoiled their tents.
54 And David took the head of the
Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem,
and put his armor in his tent.
55 When Saul saw David go forth
against the Philistine, he said unto Abner
the captain of his host, Abner, whose son
is this young man? And Abner answered,
As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.
56 Then the king said, Inquire thou
whose son this young man is. 57 And
when David was returned from the
slaughter of the Philistine, then Abner
took him, and brought him before Saul
with the head of the Philistine in his
hand.
58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art
thou, thou young man? And David
answered, I am the son of thy servant
Jesse the Bethlehemite.