English Standard Version

International Standard Version

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.

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.

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.

2Saul and the Israelis assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where they set up their forces to meet 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.

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.

4And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

4A champion named Goliath from Gath came out from the Philistine camp. He was four cubits and a span tall,

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.

5wore a bronze helmet on his head, and wore bronze scale armor that weighed about 5,000 shekels.

6And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.

6He had bronze armor on his legs and carried a bronze javelin 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. And his shield-bearer went before him.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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."

10And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.”

10The Philistine said, "I defy the ranks of Israel today. Send me one man and let's fight together."

11When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

11When Saul and all the Israelis heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and very frightened.

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.

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.

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.

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.

14David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul,

14David was the youngest, while the three oldest had followed Saul.

15but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

15And David would go back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep in Bethlehem.

16For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.

16For 40 days the Philistine would come forward, morning and evening, to take his position.

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.

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.

18Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.”

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.

19Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

19Saul, your brothers, and all the men of Israel are 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 the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry.

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.

21And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army.

21Israel and the Philistines moved into position for battle, battle line facing battle line.

22And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers.

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.

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.

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.

24All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid.

24When all the Israelis saw the man, they fled from him and were very frightened.

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.”

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."

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?”

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?"

27And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”

27The people also told him the same thing, saying, "This is what will be done for 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.”

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!"

29And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?”

29"What have I done now?" David asked. "It was just a question, wasn't it?"

30And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.

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.

31When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him.

31When the words that David had spoken were heard, they were reported to Saul, and he sent for him.

32And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

32David told Saul, "Let no one's courage fail because of him; your servant will go fight 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.”

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."

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,

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,

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.

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.

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.”

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."

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!”

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."

38Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail,

38Saul put his garments on David, set a bronze helmet on his head, and put armor on him.

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.

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.

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.

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.

41And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.

41With a man carrying his shield in front of him, the Philistine kept coming closer to David.

42And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.

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.

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.

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

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.”

44told David, "Come to me! I'll give your flesh to the birds of the sky 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 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.

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.

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,

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,

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.”

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."

48When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.

48When the Philistine got up and came closer to meet David, David quickly ran to 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

53And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.

53The Israelis returned from pursuing the Philistines and plundered their camp.

54And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

54David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put Goliath's weapons in his tent.

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.”

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."

56And the king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.”

56The king replied, "Go find out whose son the young man is."

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.

57When David returned from striking down the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him to Saul with the Philistine's head in his hand.

58And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

58Saul told him, "Whose son are you, young man?" David said, "The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem."

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