English Standard Version

New Living Translation

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 now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at 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 countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah.

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.

3So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, 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.

4Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet 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.

5He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds.

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

6He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder.

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 as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield.

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.

8Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight 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 kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves!

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

10I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!”

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

11When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken. Jesse Sends David to Saul’s Camp

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.

12Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. Jesse was an old man at that time, and he had eight sons.

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.

13Jesse’s three oldest sons—Eliab, Abinadab, and Shimea —had already joined Saul’s army to fight the Philistines.

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

14David was the youngest son. David’s three oldest brothers stayed with Saul’s army,

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

15but David went back and forth so he could help his father with the sheep in Bethlehem.

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

16For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army.

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.

17One day Jesse said to David, “Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers.

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

18And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring back a report on how they are doing. ”

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

19David’s brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against 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.

20So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts, as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries.

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

21Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army.

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 his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers.

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 talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel.

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

24As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright.

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“Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!”

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 soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to 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.”

27And these men gave David the same reply. They said, “Yes, that is the reward for killing 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.”

28But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want 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 replied. “I was only asking a question!”

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

30He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer.

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

31Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him. David Kills Goliath

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

32“Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”

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.”

33“Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war 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,

34But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal 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 go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death.

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.”

36I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has 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!”

37The LORD who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “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,

38Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and 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.

39David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again.

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 picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.

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

41Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him,

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

42sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy.

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.

43“Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods.

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.”

44“Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled.

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.

45David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s 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,

46Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world 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 everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!”

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

48As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him.

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.

49Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on 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.

50So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword.

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.

51Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head. Israel Routs the Philistines When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran.

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.

52Then the men of Israel and Judah gave a great shout of triumph and rushed after the Philistines, chasing them as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron. The bodies of the dead and wounded Philistines were strewn all along the road from Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron.

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

53Then the Israelite army returned and plundered the deserted Philistine camp.

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

54(David took the Philistine’s head to Jerusalem, but he stored the man’s armor in his own 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.”

55As Saul watched David go out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of his army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” “I really don’t know,” Abner declared.

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

56“Well, find out who he is!” the king told him.

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.

57As soon as David returned from killing Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul with the Philistine’s head still 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.”

58“Tell me about your father, young man,” Saul said. And David replied, “His name is Jesse, and we live in Bethlehem.”

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.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.