1Samuel 17
17The Philistines drew up their troops for battle. They deployed them at Socoh in Judah, and set up camp between Socoh and Azekah at Ephes Dammim.H6430H622H4264H4421H622H7755H3063H2583H7755H5825H6582Saul and the Israelites came together, camped at Oak Valley, and spread out their troops in battle readiness for the Philistines.H7586H376H3478H622H2583H6010H425H4421H6186H7125H64303The Philistines were on one hill, the Israelites on the opposing hill, with the valley between them.H6430H5975H2022H3478H5975H2022H15164A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the Philistine line into the open, Goliath from Gath.H3318H376H1143H4264H6430H8034H1555H1661H1363H8337H520H22395He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed in armor—126 pounds of it!H3553H5178H7218H3847H8302H7193H4948H8302H2568H505H8255H51786He wore bronze shin guards and carried a bronze sword.H4697H5178H7272H3591H5178H38027His spear was like a fence rail—the spear tip alone weighed over fifteen pounds. His shield bearer walked ahead of him.H6086H2671H2595H707H4500H2595H3852H8337H3967H8255H1270H5375H6793H1980H64408Goliath stood there and called out to the Israelite troops, "Why bother using your whole army? Am I not Philistine enough for you? And you're all committed to Saul, aren't you? So pick your best fighter and pit him against me.H5975H7121H4634H3478H559H3318H4421H6186H6430H5650H7586H1262H376H33819If he gets the upper hand and kills me, the Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I get the upper hand and kill him, you'll all become our slaves and serve us.H3201H3898H5221H5650H3201H5221H5650H564710I challenge the troops of Israel this day. Give me a man. Let us fight it out together!"H6430H559H2778H4634H3478H3117H5414H376H3898H316211When Saul and his troops heard the Philistine's challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope.H7586H3478H8085H1697H6430H2865H3966H337212Enter David. He was the son of Jesse the Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse, the father of eight sons, was himself too old to join Saul's army.H1732H1121H376H673H1035H3063H8034H3448H8083H1121H376H935H582H2204H3117H758613Jesse's three older sons had followed Saul to war. The names of the three sons who had joined up with Saul were Eliab, the firstborn; next, Abinadab; and third, Shammah.H7969H1419H1121H3448H3212H310H7586H4421H8034H7969H1121H1980H4421H446H1060H4932H41H7992H804814David was the youngest son. While his three oldest brothers went to war with Saul, David went back and forth from attending to Saul to tending his father's sheep in Bethlehem.H1732H6996H7969H1419H1980H310H758615(SEE 17:14)H1732H1980H7725H7586H7462H1H6629H103516Each morning and evening for forty days, Goliath took his stand and made his speech.H6430H5066H7925H6150H3320H705H311717One day, Jesse told David his son, "Take this sack of cracked wheat and these ten loaves of bread and run them down to your brothers in the camp.H3448H559H1732H1121H3947H251H374H2088H7039H6235H3899H7323H4264H25118And take these ten wedges of cheese to the captain of their division. Check in on your brothers to see whether they are getting along all right, and let me know how they're doing—H935H6235H2461H2757H8269H505H6485H251H7965H3947H616119Saul and your brothers, and all the Israelites in their war with the Philistines in the Oak Valley."H7586H376H3478H6010H425H3898H643020David was up at the crack of dawn and, having arranged for someone to tend his flock, took the food and was on his way just as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the army was moving into battle formation, shouting the war cry.H1732H7925H1242H5203H6629H8104H5375H3212H3448H6680H935H4570H2428H3318H4634H7321H442121Israel and the Philistines moved into position, facing each other, battle-ready.H3478H6430H6186H4634H7125H463422David left his bundles of food in the care of a sentry, ran to the troops who were deployed, and greeted his brothers.H1732H5203H3627H3027H8104H3627H7323H4634H935H7592H7965H25123While they were talking together, the Philistine champion, Goliath of Gath, stepped out from the front lines of the Philistines, and gave his usual challenge. David heard him.H1696H5927H376H1143H6430H1661H1555H8034H4634H4630H6430H1696H428H1697H1732H808524The Israelites, to a man, fell back the moment they saw the giant—totally frightened.H376H3478H7200H376H5127H6440H3966H337225The talk among the troops was, "Have you ever seen anything like this, this man openly and defiantly challenging Israel? The man who kills the giant will have it made. The king will give him a huge reward, offer his daughter as a bride, and give his entire family a free ride."H376H3478H559H7200H376H5927H2778H3478H5927H376H5221H4428H6238H1419H6239H5414H1323H6213H1H1004H2670H347826David, who was talking to the men standing around him, asked, "What's in it for the man who kills that Philistine and gets rid of this ugly blot on Israel's honor? Who does he think he is, anyway, this uncircumcised Philistine, taunting the armies of God-Alive?"H1732H559H582H5975H559H6213H376H5221H1975H6430H5493H2781H3478H6189H6430H2778H4634H2416H43027They told him what everyone was saying about what the king would do for the man who killed the Philistine.H5971H559H1697H559H6213H376H522128Eliab, his older brother, heard David fraternizing with the men and lost his temper: "What are you doing here! Why aren't you minding your own business, tending that scrawny flock of sheep? I know what you're up to. You've come down here to see the sights, hoping for a ringside seat at a bloody battle!"H446H1419H251H8085H1696H582H446H639H2734H1732H559H3381H5203H2007H4592H6629H4057H3045H2087H7455H3824H3381H7200H442129"What is it with you?" replied David. "All I did was ask a question."H1732H559H6213H169730Ignoring his brother, he turned to someone else, asked the same question, and got the same answer as before.H5437H681H4136H312H559H1697H5971H1697H7725H7223H169731The things David was saying were picked up and reported to Saul. Saul sent for him.H1697H8085H1732H1696H5046H6440H7586H394732"Master," said David, "don't give up hope. I'm ready to go and fight this Philistine."H1732H559H7586H120H3820H5307H5650H3212H3898H643033Saul answered David, "You can't go and fight this Philistine. You're too young and inexperienced—and he's been at this fighting business since before you were born."H7586H559H1732H3201H3212H6430H3898H5288H376H4421H527134David said, "I've been a shepherd, tending sheep for my father. Whenever a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock,H1732H559H7586H5650H7462H1H6629H935H738H1677H5375H7716H2089H573935I'd go after it, knock it down, and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I'd grab it by the throat, wring its neck, and kill it.H3318H310H5221H5337H6310H6965H2388H2206H5221H419136Lion or bear, it made no difference—I killed it. And I'll do the same to this Philistine pig who is taunting the troops of God-Alive.H5650H5221H738H1677H6189H6430H259H2778H4634H2416H43037GOD, who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine." Saul said, "Go. And GOD help you!"H1732H559H3068H5337H3027H738H3027H1677H5337H3027H6430H7586H559H1732H3212H306838Then Saul outfitted David as a soldier in armor. He put his bronze helmet on his head and belted his sword on him over the armor.H7586H3847H1732H4055H5414H6959H5178H7218H3847H830239David tried to walk but he could hardly budge. David told Saul, "I can't even move with all this stuff on me. I'm not used to this." And he took it all off.H1732H2296H2719H4055H2974H3212H5254H1732H559H7586H3201H3212H5254H1732H549340Then David took his shepherd's staff, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pocket of his shepherd's pack, and with his sling in his hand approached Goliath.H3947H4731H3027H977H2568H2512H68H5158H7760H7462H3627H3219H7050H3027H5066H643041As the Philistine paced back and forth, his shield bearer in front of him, he noticed David.H6430H3212H1980H7131H1732H376H5375H6793H644042He took one look down on him and sneered—a mere youngster, apple-cheeked and peach-fuzzed.H6430H5027H7200H1732H959H5288H132H3303H475843The Philistine ridiculed David. "Am I a dog that you come after me with a stick?" And he cursed him by his gods.H6430H559H1732H3611H935H4731H6430H7043H1732H43044"Come on," said the Philistine. "I'll make roadkill of you for the buzzards. I'll turn you into a tasty morsel for the field mice."H6430H559H1732H3212H5414H1320H5775H8064H929H770445David answered, "You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel's troops, whom you curse and mock.H559H1732H6430H935H2719H2595H3591H935H8034H3068H6635H430H4634H3478H277846This very day GOD is handing you over to me. I'm about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there's an extraordinary God in Israel.H3117H3068H5462H3027H5221H5493H7218H5414H6297H4264H6430H3117H5775H8064H2416H776H776H3045H3426H430H347847And everyone gathered here will learn that GOD doesn't save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to GOD—he's handing you to us on a platter!"H6951H3045H3068H3467H2719H2595H4421H3068H5414H302748That roused the Philistine, and he started toward David. David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine.H6430H6965H3212H7126H7125H1732H1732H4116H7323H4634H7125H643049David reached into his pocket for a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine hard in the forehead, embedding the stone deeply. The Philistine crashed, facedown in the dirt.H1732H7971H3027H3627H3947H68H7049H5221H6430H4696H68H2883H4696H5307H6440H77650That's how David beat the Philistine—with a sling and a stone. He hit him and killed him. No sword for David!H1732H2388H4480H6430H7050H68H5221H6430H4191H2719H3027H173251Then David ran up to the Philistine and stood over him, pulled the giant's sword from its sheath, and finished the job by cutting off his head. When the Philistines saw that their great champion was dead, they scattered, running for their lives.H1732H7323H5975H6430H3947H2719H8025H8593H4191H3772H7218H6430H7200H1368H4191H512752The men of Israel and Judah were up on their feet, shouting! They chased the Philistines all the way to the outskirts of Gath and the gates of Ekron.H582H3478H3063H6965H7321H7291H6430H935H1516H8179H6138H2491H6430H5307H1870H8189H1661H613853Wounded Philistines were strewn along the Shaaraim road all the way to Gath and Ekron. After chasing the Philistines, the Israelites came back and looted their camp.H1121H3478H7725H1814H310H6430H8155H426454David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem. But the giant's weapons he placed in his own tent.H1732H3947H7218H6430H935H3389H7760H3627H16855When Saul saw David go out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, "Tell me about this young man's family." Abner said, "For the life of me, O King, I don't know."H7586H7200H1732H3318H7125H6430H559H74H8269H6635H74H1121H5288H74H559H5315H2416H4428H518H304556The king said, "Well, find out the lineage of this raw youth."H4428H559H7592H1121H595857As soon as David came back from killing the Philistine, Abner brought him, the Philistine's head still in his hand, straight to Saul.H1732H7725H5221H6430H74H3947H935H6440H7586H7218H6430H302758Saul asked him, "Young man, whose son are you?" "I'm the son of your servant Jesse," said David, "the one who lives in Bethlehem."H7586H559H1121H5288H1732H559H1121H5650H3448H1022
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