1 Samuel 17
17
David and Goliath
1The Philistines assembled their armies for war. They assembled at Socoh, which is in Judah, and camped between Socoh and Azekah at Ephes Dammim. 2So Saul and the army of Israel assembled and camped in the Elah Valley. They formed a battle line to fight the Philistines. 3The Philistines were stationed on a hill on one side, and the Israelites were stationed on a hill on the other side. There was a ravine between the two of them.
4The Philistine army’s champion came out of their camp. His name was Goliath from Gath. He was ten feet tall.#17:4 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek “seven feet tall.” 5He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he wore a bronze coat of armor scales weighing 125 pounds. 6On his legs he had bronze shin guards and on his back a bronze javelin. 7The shaft of his spear was like the beam used by weavers. The head of his spear was made of 15 pounds of iron. The man who carried his shield walked ahead of him.
8Goliath stood and called to the Israelites, “Why do you form a battle line? Am I not a Philistine, and aren’t you Saul’s servants? Choose a man, and let him come down to ⌞fight⌟ me. 9If he can fight me and kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I overpower him and kill him, then you will be our slaves and serve us.” 10The Philistine added, “I challenge the Israelite battle line today. Send out a man so that we can fight each other.” 11When Saul and all the Israelites heard what this Philistine said, they were gripped with fear.
12David was a son of a man named Jesse from the region of Ephrath and the city of Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s day he was an old man.#17:12 Greek; Masoretic Text “he came a leader among men.” 13Jesse’s three oldest sons joined Saul’s army for the battle. The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, the third was Shammah, 14and David was the youngest. The three oldest joined Saul’s army. 15David went back and forth from Saul’s camp to Bethlehem, where he tended his father’s flock.
16Each morning and evening for 40 days, the Philistine came forward and made his challenge.
17Jesse told his son David, “Take this half-bushel of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread to your brothers. Take them to your brothers in the camp right away. 18And take these ten cheeses to the captain of the regiment. See how your brothers are doing, and bring back some news about them. 19They, along with Saul and all the soldiers of Israel, are in the Elah Valley fighting the Philistines.”
20David got up early in the morning and had someone else watch ⌞the sheep⌟. He took ⌞the food⌟ and went, as Jesse ordered him. He went to the camp as the army was going out to the battle line shouting their war cry. 21Israel and the Philistines formed their battle lines facing each other. 22David left the supplies behind in the hands of the quartermaster, ran to the battle line, and greeted his brothers. 23While he was talking to them, the Philistine champion, Goliath from Gath, came from the battle lines of the Philistines. He repeated his words, and David heard them. 24When all the men of Israel saw Goliath, they fled from him because they were terrified. 25The men of Israel said, “Did you see that man coming ⌞from the Philistine lines⌟? He keeps coming to challenge Israel. The king will make the man who kills this Philistine very rich. He will give his daughter to that man to marry and elevate the social status of his family.”
26David asked the men who were standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and gets rid of Israel’s disgrace? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should challenge the army of the living God?”
27The soldiers repeated ⌞to David⌟ how the man who kills Goliath would be treated.
28Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard David talking to the men. Then Eliab became angry with David. “Why did you come here,” he asked him, “and with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how overconfident and headstrong you are. You came here just to see the battle.”
29“What have I done now?” David snapped at him. “Didn’t I ⌞merely⌟ ask a question?” 30He turned to face another man and asked the same question, and the other soldiers gave him the same answer.
31What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, who then sent for him. 32David told Saul, “No one should be discouraged because of this. I will go and fight this Philistine.”
33Saul responded to David, “You can’t fight this Philistine. You’re just a boy, but he’s been a warrior since he was your age.”
34David replied to Saul, “I am a shepherd for my father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35I went after it, struck it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth. If it attacked me, I took hold of its mane, struck it, and killed it. 36I have killed lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them because he has challenged the army of the living God.” 37David added, “The Lord, who saved me from the lion and the bear, will save me from this Philistine.”
“Go,” Saul told David, “and may the Lord be with you.”
38Saul put his battle tunic on David; he put a bronze helmet on David’s head and dressed him in armor. 39David fastened Saul’s sword over his clothes and tried to walk, but he had never practiced doing this. “I can’t walk in these things,” David told Saul. “I’ve never had any practice doing this.” So David took all those things off.
40He took his stick with him, picked out five smooth stones from the riverbed, and put them in his shepherd’s bag. With a sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine. 41The Philistine, preceded by the man carrying his shield, was coming closer and closer to David. 42When the Philistine got a good look at David, he despised him. After all, David was a young man with a healthy complexion and good looks.
43The Philistine asked David, “Am I a dog that you come to ⌞attack⌟ me with sticks?” So the Philistine called on his gods to curse David. 44“Come on,” the Philistine told David, “and I’ll give your body to the birds.”
45David told the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the army of Israel, whom you have insulted. 46Today the Lord will hand you over to me. I will strike you down and cut off your head. And this day I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals. The whole world will know that Israel has a God. 47Then everyone gathered here will know that the Lord can save without sword or spear, because the Lord determines every battle’s outcome. He will hand all of you over to us.”
48When the Philistine moved closer in order to attack, David quickly ran toward the opposing battle line to attack the Philistine. 49Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, hurled it from his sling, and struck the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank into Goliath’s forehead, and he fell to the ground on his face. 50So using ⌞only⌟ a sling and a stone, David proved to be stronger than the Philistine. David struck down and killed the Philistine, even though David didn’t have a sword in his hand. 51David ran and stood over the Philistine. He took Goliath’s sword, pulled it out of its sheath, and made certain the Philistine was dead by cutting off his head.
When the Philistines saw their hero had been killed, they fled. 52Then the soldiers of Israel and Judah rose up, shouted a battle cry, and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Wounded Philistines lay on the road to Shaaraim and all the way to Gath and Ekron. 53When the Israelites came back from their pursuit of the Philistines, they looted all the goods in the Philistine camp. 54David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he kept Goliath’s armor in his tent.
55As Saul watched David going out against the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?”
Abner answered, “I solemnly swear, as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.”
56The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”
57When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner brought him to Saul. David had the Philistine’s head in his hand.
58Saul asked him, “Whose son are you, young man?”
“The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David answered.
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1 Samuel 17: GW
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Shmuel Alef 17
17
1Now the Pelishtim gathered together their machanot (camps, military forces), for milchamah and were gathered together at Sokhoh, which belongeth to Yehudah, and encamped between Sokhoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim.
2And Sha'ul and the Ish Yisroel were gathered together, and encamped by the Emek (valley) of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Pelishtim (Philistines).
3And the Pelishtim stood on the har on the one side, and Yisroel stood on the har on the other side; and there was a gey between them.
4And there went out an Ish HaBenayim#17:4 i.e., a middle-man champion whose single combat saves the day and decides the victor out of the machanot of the Pelishtim, shmo Golyat (Goliath), of Gat, whose height was shesh cubits and a span.
5And he had a kova (helmet) of nechoshet upon his rosh, and he was wearing a coat of mail armor; and the weight of the coat of armor was five thousand shekels of nechoshet.
6And he had mitzchah (greaves, i.e., leg plate armor) of nechoshet upon his legs, and a kidron (javelin) of nechoshet [slung] between his shoulders.
7And the khetz (shaft) of his khanit (spear) was like a weaverʼs beam; and his spearʼs blade weighed six hundred barzel (iron) shekels; and the no'se tzinnah (great shield bearer) walked ahead of him.
8And he stood and cried out unto the ma'arkhot Yisroel (ranks of Israel), and said unto them, Why are ye come out to line up for milchamah? Am not I a Pelishti, and ye avadim of Sha'ul? Choose you an ish for you, and let him come down to me.
9If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your avadim; but if I prevail over him, and kill him, then shall ye be to us for avadim, and serve us.
10And the Pelishti said, I defy the maarkhot Yisroel this day; give me ish, that we may fight together.
11When Sha'ul and kol Yisroel heard those divrei haPelishti, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
12Now Dovid was the ben ish of that Ephrati from Beit-Lechem Yehudah, shmo Yishai; and he had shmoneh banim; and the ish#17:12 Yishai was zaken in the days of Sha'ul, advanced in age among anashim.
13And the shloshet Bnei Yishai hagedolim went and followed Sha'ul to the milchamah; and the shem of his three banim that went to the milchamah were Eliav the bechor, and mishneh unto him Avinadav, and hashelishi (the third) Shammah.
14And Dovid was the katan; and the shloshah hagedolim followed Sha'ul.
15But Dovid went and returned from Sha'ul to tend tzon aviv at Beit-Lechem.
16And the Pelishti drew near morning and evening, and presented himself arba'im yom.
17And Yishai said unto Dovid bno, Take now for thy achim an ephah of this roasted grain, and these ten lechem, and run to the machaneh of thy achim;
18And carry these ten charitzei hecholov (cuts of milk, hence cheeses) unto the sar of their elef (unit, thousand), and look how thy achim fare for shalom, and take their arvut (pledge).
19Now Sha'ul, and they, and all the Ish Yisroel, were in the Emek (Valley) of Elah (Oak), fighting with the Pelishtim (Philistines).
20And Dovid rose up early in the boker, and left the tzon with a shomer (watchman), and loaded up, and embarked, as Yishai had commanded him; and he came to the camp, as the army was going forth to the fight and shouted for the milchamah (battle).
21For Yisroel and the Pelishtim took their positions, ma'arakhah (battle array) facing ma'arakhah.
22And Dovid left his supplies in the yad of the shomer hakelim (supply master), and ran into the ma'arakhah (battle line), and came and gave shalom greeting to his achim.
23And as he talked with them, hinei, there came up the Ish HaBenayim Golyat HaPelishti shmo, from Gat, out of the lines of the Pelishtim, and spoke according to these words; and Dovid heard them.
24And all the Ish Yisroel, when they saw the ish, fled from before him, and were greatly afraid.
25And the Ish Yisroel said, Have ye seen this ish that is come up? Surely to defy Yisroel is he come up; and it shall be, that the ish who killeth him, the melech will give ashires gadol and will give him bitto (his daughter) [in marriage], and bais aviv make khofshi b'Yisroel (free, tax-exempt in Israel).
26And Dovid spoke to the anashim that stood by him, saying, What shall be done for the ish that killeth this Pelishti, and taketh away the cherpah (reproach) from Yisroel? For who is this Pelishti hearel (uncircumcised Philistine) that he should defy the ma'arkhot Elohim Chayyim (arrayed battle forces of the living G-d)?
27And HaAm answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the ish that killeth him.
28And Eliav achiv hagadol heard when he spoke unto the anashim; and af Eliav was kindled against Dovid, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? And with whom hast thou left those few tzon in the midbar? I know thy zadon (presumptuousness), and the evil of thine levav; for thou art come down l'ma'an (in order that) thou mightest watch the milchamah.
29And Dovid said, What have I done now? It was only a davar (word) [I said], wasn't it?
30And he turned from him toward another, and spoke after the same manner; and HaAm answered him again according to the davar harishon (the previous word).
31And when the devarim (words) were heard which Dovid spoke, they rehearsed them before Sha'ul: and he sent for him.
32And Dovid said to Sha'ul, Let no lev adam fail because of him; thy eved will go and fight with this Pelishti.
33And Sha'ul said to Dovid, Thou art not able to go against this Pelishti to fight with him: for thou art but a na'ar (boy), and he an ish milchamah (man of war) from his youth.
34And Dovid said unto Sha'ul, Thy eved is ro'eh (shepherd) of tzon of aviv, and there came the ari, and the dov, and carried off seh out of the eder (flock):
35And I went out after him, and struck him, and saved out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught hold by his zakan (beard), and struck him, and killed him.
36Thy eved slaughtered both the ari and the dov: and this Pelishti hearel (uncircumcised Philistine) shall be as one of them, seeing he hath charaf (taunted, defied, disgraced) the maarkhot Elohim Chayyim.
37Dovid said moreover, Hashem that saved me out of the paw of the ari, and out of the paw of the dov, He will save me out of the yad of this Pelishti. And Sha'ul said unto Dovid, Go, and Hashem be with thee.
38And Sha'ul dressed Dovid with his armor-clothes, put a kova of nechoshet upon his rosh; also he dressed him with a coat of mail armor.
39And Dovid girded his cherev over his armor-clothes, and he tried to walk; for lo nissah (he had not tested, proved) it. And Dovid said unto Sha'ul, I cannot go with these; for lo nissti (I have not proved them). And Dovid took them off him.
40And he took his makel (stick, staff) in his yad, and chose him chamishah chalukei avanim (five smooth stones) out of the nachal (brook), and put them in a keli haro'im (shepherdʼs bag) which he had, even in a wayfarerʼs bag; and his kela (slingshot) was in his yad; and he drew near to the Pelishti.
41And the Pelishti came on and drew near unto Dovid; and the ish, the no'se hatzinnah, went ahead of him.
42And when the Pelishti squinted and saw Dovid, he despised him: for he was but a na'ar (boy), and admoni (ruddy), and yafeh mareh (good-looking).
43And the Pelishti said unto Dovid, Am I a kelev (dog), that thou comest to me with maklot (sticks)? And the Pelishti cursed Dovid by his g-ds.
44And the Pelishti said to Dovid, Come to me, and I will give thy basar unto the oph hashomayim, and to the behemat hasadeh.
45Then said Dovid to the Pelishti, Thou comest against me with a cherev (sword), and with a khanit (spear), and with a kidon (javelin); but I come against thee b'Shem Hashem Tzva'os Elohei Ma'arkhot Yisroel, whom thou hast defied.
46This day will Hashem hand thee over into mine yad; and I will strike thee down, and take thine rosh from thee; and I will give the peger machaneh Pelishtim this day unto the oph hashomayim, and to the chayyat ha'aretz; that kol ha'aretz may know that there is Elohim in Yisroel.
47And kol hakahal hazeh shall know that Hashem yehoshi'a (saveth) not with cherev or khanit; for the milchamah is Hashemʼs, and He will give you (plural) into yadenu (our hands).
48And it came to pass, when the Pelishti arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet Dovid, that Dovid hastened, and ran toward the ma'arakhah (battle line) to meet the Pelishti.
49And Dovid put his yad in his keli (bag), and took from there an even (stone), and slung it, and struck the Pelishti in his metzach (forehead), that the even (stone) sunk into his metzach; and he fell upon his face to the ground.
50So Dovid prevailed chazak over the Pelishti with a sling and with an even (stone), and struck down the Pelishti, and killed him; but there was no cherev in the yad Dovid.
51Therefore Dovid ran, and stood over the Pelishti, and took hold of his cherev, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slaughtered him, v'yikhrat (and cut off)#17:51 See Dan 9:26, Moshiach yikaret (will be cut off) but in Daniel the phrase means “Moshiach will be violently killed” his rosh therewith. And when the Pelishtim saw their gibbor was dead, they fled.
52And the Anshei Yisroel and of Yehudah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Pelishtim, until thou come to the gey (valley), and to the Sha'arei Ekron. And the challei Pelishtim fell by the derech to Sha'arayim, even unto Gat, and unto Ekron.
53And the Bnei Yisroel returned from chasing after the Pelishtim, and they plundered their machanot.
54And Dovid took the rosh of the Pelishti, and brought it to Yerushalayim; but he put his kelim (weapons) in his ohel.
55And when Sha'ul saw Dovid go forth to meet the Pelishti, he said unto Avner, the sar hatzavah, Avner, whose ben is this na'ar? And Avner said, As thy nefesh liveth, O Melech, I cannot tell.
56And the Melech said, Inquire thou whose ben this elem (young man) is.
57And as Dovid returned from the slaughter of the Pelishti, Avner took him, and brought him before Sha'ul with the rosh of the Pelishti in his yad.
58And Sha'ul said to him, Whose ben art thou, na'ar? And Dovid answered, I am the ben avdecha Yishai of Beit-Lechem.
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