1Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered together at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. 2And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. 3The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with the valley between them. 4And a man came out from the camp of the Philistines between the two armies, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was wearing a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6And he had armor of bronze on his legs, and a bronze gorget between his shoulders. 7The stock of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield bearer went before him. 8And he stood and called out to the ranks of Israel, and said to them, Why have you come out to be arrayed for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the 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 and serve us. 10And the Philistine said, 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 the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons. And the man was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men. 13The three oldest sons of Jesse went out after Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14David was the youngest, and the three oldest had gone after Saul. 15And David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16And the Philistine drew near and presented himself morning and evening, forty days. 17And Jesse said to his son David, Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp. 18And carry these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them. 19Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20And David arose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the battle line and shouting for the battle. 21For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, rank against rank. 22And David left the things in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and inquired after the welfare of his brothers. 23And as he talked with them, behold the man came out from the ranks of the armies of the Philistines, between the two armies, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name; and he spoke according to the same words. And David heard. 24And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were very much afraid. 25And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who comes up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And it shall be that the man who kills him, the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free from taxes in Israel. 26And David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, 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 ranks of the living God! 27And the people answered him in this manner, saying, Thus shall it be done for the man who kills him. 28Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David, and he said, Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and your naughty heart, for you have come down to see the battle. 29And David said, What have I done now? Was it not just words? 30And he turned from him toward another and spoke the same words; and these people answered him according to the first words. 31And when the words which David had spoken were heard, they were reported before Saul; and he sent for him. 32And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant shall 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 a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 34And David said to Saul, Your servant was grazing his father’s sheep; and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35I went out after it and struck it, and rescued the lamb out of its mouth; and when it arose against me, I took hold of it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 36Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has reproached the ranks of the living God. 37Moreover David said, Jehovah, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and Jehovah be with you! 38And Saul clothed David with his garments, and he put a bronze helmet on his head, and clothed him with body armor. 39And David girded his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them. And David took them off. 40Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. 41And the Philistine proceeded to come near to David, with the man carrying the shield before him. 42And when the Philistine considered and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and of good appearance. 43And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that you are coming to me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field! 45Then David said to the Philistine, You are coming to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I am coming to you in the name of Jehovah of Hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have reproached. 46This day Jehovah will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the heavens and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47Then all this assembly shall know that Jehovah does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is Jehovah’s, and He has given you into our hands. 48So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hastened and ran toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. 51Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their strong man was dead, they fled. 52And the men of Israel and Judah rose up and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the way to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. 53And the sons of Israel returned from hotly pursuing the Philistines, and plundered their camps. 54And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent. 55Now when Saul saw David going out to meet 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. 56So the king said, Inquire whose son this young man is. 57So when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58And Saul said to him, Lad, whose son are you? And David answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.