1 Samuel 17
17
David Slays Goliath with Sling and Stone
1Now the Philistines assembled their armies to battle. They were gathered at Socoh of Judah, and camped in Ephes-dammim, between Socoh and Azekah.
2Saul and the men of Israel gathered and camped in the valley of Elah, then lined up in battle array against the Philistines.
3The Philistines were standing on the mountain on one side, and Israel was standing on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them.
4Then a champion stepped out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
5He had a bronze helmet on his head and a breastplate of scale armor; the weight of the bronze breastplate was 5,000 shekels.
6He also had bronze shin-guards on his legs and a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders.
7The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed 600 shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer was marching ahead of him.
8Then he stood and shouted out to the ranks of Israel saying to them, “Why come out to line up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and aren’t you Saul’s servants? Choose for yourselves a man and let him come down to me.
9If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then will we become your slaves; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then will you become our slaves and serve us.”
10The Philistine added, “Today I defy the ranks of Israel—give me a man, so we may fight together!”
11But when Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and very terrified.
12Now David was son of a certain Ephrathite man of Beth-lehem of Judah, whose name was Jesse. He had eight sons and during the days of Saul the man was old, advanced in years among men.
13Now the three oldest sons of Jesse had already left and gone after Saul to the battle; the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
14David was the youngest. So the three oldest followed Saul.
15Now David would go back and forth from Saul to tending his father’s sheep by Beth-lehem.
16For forty days that Philistine would come out every morning and evening to present himself.
17Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take now, for your brothers, an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers.
18Also take these ten slices of cheese to the captain of their thousand—and check out the welfare of your brothers and bring back some token from them.
19They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.”
20So David rose up early in the morning, left the flock with a keeper, took the provisions and went as Jesse had commanded him. When he reached the camp, the army was going out to the battle line shouting the war cry.
21Israel and the Philistines drew up their battle lines, army against army.
22Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line and entered to check out his brothers’ welfare.
23But as he was talking with them, behold the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the ranks of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard them.
24Upon seeing him, all the men of Israel fled from him in great fear.
25All the men of Israel were saying, “Have you seen this man who keeps coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel! The man who kills him, the king will enrich him with great riches, give him his daughter in marriage and make his father’s house tax-free in Israel!”
26Then David asked 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 defy the ranks of the living God?”
27The people answered him with the same speech saying, “Thus it will be done for the man who strikes him down.”
28Now when Eliab his oldest brother heard him speaking to the men, Eliab’s anger was kindled against David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “So with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart! For you’ve come down here to watch the battle.”
29“What have I done now?” David said. “It was only a question!”
30Then he turned away from him toward someone else and asked the same question. So the people gave him the same answer as before.
31The words that David said were overheard and reported before Saul. So he was taken to him.
32David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
33Then Saul said to David, “You can’t go fight this Philistine—for you’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since his youth.”
34But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb out of the flock,
35I went out after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb out of its mouth. If it rose up against me, I grabbed him by its fur, struck it and killed it.
36Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, so this uncircumcised Philistine will become like one of them—since he has defied the ranks of the living God.”
37Then David said, “Adonai, who has delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” “Go!” said Saul to David, “and may Adonai be with you.”
38Then Saul clothed David with his own garb, put a bronze helmet on his head, and clothed him in armor.
39David strapped his sword on his garment and tried to walk, but he was not used to it. So David said to Saul, “I cannot walk in these, for I am not used to them.” So David took them off.
40Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the valley, put them in the pocket of the shepherd’s bag that he had, and with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.
41Meanwhile, the Philistine drew nearer and approached David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.
42Now when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was just a ruddy boy with a handsome appearance.
43Then the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, so I may give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.”
45Then David said to the Philistine, “You are coming to me with a sword, a spear and a javelin, but I am coming to you in the Name of Adonai-Tzva’ot, God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
46This very day Adonai will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and take your head off you, and I will give the carcasses of the Philistines’ camp today to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth. Then all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel,
47and so all this assembly will know that Adonai delivers not with sword and spear—for the battle belongs to Adonai—and He will give you into our hands.”
48Then when the Philistine rose and began to advance, drawing near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.
49David put his hand in his bag, took from it a stone and slung it, striking the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.
50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, struck the Philistine down and killed him. Since there was no sword in David’s hand,
51David ran, stood over the Philistine, picked up his sword, drew it from its sheath, slew 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 rose up, shouted and pursued the Philistines all the way to the valley up to the gates of Ekron. The slain Philistines fell down along the way to Shaaraim, even up to Gath and Ekron.
53When Bnei-Yisrael returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.
54David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his own tent.
55Now when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this boy?” Abner said, “As your soul lives, your majesty, I don’t know.”
56So the king said, “Then, find out whose son this young man is.”
57So when David returned from killing 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 said to him. David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Beth-lehemite.”
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1 Samuel 17: TLV
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
1 Samuel 17
17
David and Goliath
1Now the Philistines #ch. 13:5 gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at #Josh. 15:35 Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and #Josh. 10:10; Neh. 11:30 Azekah, in #[1 Chr. 11:13]Ephes-dammim. 2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in #ver. 19; ch. 21:9the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. 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. 4And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named #[2 Sam. 21:19; 1 Chr. 20:4] Goliath of #ch. 21:10; Josh. 11:22; 13:3Gath, whose height was six#17:4 Hebrew; Septuagint, Dead Sea Scroll and Josephus four cubits#17:4 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters and a span. 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#17:5 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams of bronze. 6And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a #ver. 45javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. #ver. 41And his shield-bearer went before him. 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 #ch. 8:17are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 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 #[ch. 11:1]and serve us.” 10And the Philistine said, #ver. 25, 26, 36, 45; [2 Sam. 21:21]“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 of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
12Now David was #ver. 58; ch. 16:1, 18; Ruth 4:22 the son of an #Gen. 35:19 Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, #ver. 58; ch. 16:1, 18 named Jesse, #ch. 16:10, 11; [1 Chr. 2:13-15]who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.#17:12 Septuagint, Syriac; Hebrew advanced among men 13The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And #ch. 16:6, 8, 9; [1 Chr. 2:13]the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14#ch. 16:11David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, 15but David went back and forth from Saul #ch. 16:19to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.
17And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah#17:17 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. 18#[ch. 16:20] Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. #[Gen. 37:14]See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.”
19Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 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 #ch. 26:5, 7the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22And David left the #[Isa. 10:28; Acts 21:15]things in charge of the keeper of the #[Isa. 10:28; Acts 21:15]baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. 23As he talked with them, behold, #ver. 4 the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke #ver. 8the same words as before. And David heard him.
24All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to #ver. 10, 36, 45 defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches #[Josh. 15:16]and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” 26And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away #ch. 11:2 the reproach from Israel? For who is this #See Judg. 14:3 uncircumcised Philistine, that he should #[See ver. 25 above] defy the armies of #Deut. 5:26; Josh. 3:10the living God?” 27And the people answered him in the same way, #ver. 25“So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”
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.” 29And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” 30And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke #ver. 26, 27in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.
31When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32And David said to Saul, #[Deut. 20:3] “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. #[ch. 16:18]Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 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 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 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 struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, #ver. 10, 26for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37And David said, #[2 Tim. 4:17] “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, #[ch. 20:13; 1 Chr. 22:11, 16]and the Lord be with you!”
38Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 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 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.
41And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, #ver. 7with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, #ch. 16:12ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43And the Philistine said to David, “Am I #ch. 24:14; 2 Sam. 3:8; 9:8; 16:9; 2 Kgs. 8:13a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh #ver. 46to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with #ver. 6 a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, #[See ver. 36 above]whom you have defied. 46This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. #Deut. 28:26 And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day #ver. 44 to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, #1 Kgs. 18:36; [Josh. 4:24]that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47and that all this assembly may know that #Hos. 1:7; [Ps. 44:6, 7; Zech. 4:6] the Lord saves not with sword and spear. #2 Chr. 20:15For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
48When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 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 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. 51Then David ran and stood over the Philistine #ch. 21:9; [2 Sam. 23:21] 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, #[Heb. 11:34]they fled. 52And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath#17:52 Septuagint; Hebrew Gai and the gates of #Josh. 15:11 Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from #Josh. 15:36 Shaaraim as far as #See ver. 4Gath and Ekron. 53And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54And David took #ver. 57 the head of the Philistine #[2 Sam. 5:6, 7]and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
55As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, #2 Sam. 2:8 the commander of the army, “Abner, #[ch. 16:21, 22] whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, #See ch. 1:26“As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” 56And the king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.” 57And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul #ver. 54with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, #ver. 12“I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
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