1Samuel 17
17The Philistines gathered for battle in Socoh, a town in Judah; they camped at a place called Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah.H6430H622H4264H4421H622H7755H3063H2583H7755H5825H6582Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in Elah Valley, where they got ready to fight the Philistines.H7586H376H3478H622H2583H6010H425H4421H6186H7125H64303The Philistines lined up on one hill and the Israelites on another, with a valley between them.H6430H5975H2022H3478H5975H2022H15164A man named Goliath, from the city of Gath, came out from the Philistine camp to challenge the Israelites. He was over nine feet tallH3318H376H1143H4264H6430H8034H1555H1661H1363H8337H520H22395and wore bronze armor that weighed about 125 pounds and a bronze helmet.H3553H5178H7218H3847H8302H7193H4948H8302H2568H505H8255H51786His legs were also protected by bronze armor, and he carried a bronze javelin slung over his shoulder.H4697H5178H7272H3591H5178H38027His spear was as thick as the bar on a weaver's loom, and its iron head weighed about fifteen pounds. A soldier walked in front of him carrying his shield.H6086H2671H2595H707H4500H2595H3852H8337H3967H8255H1270H5375H6793H1980H64408Goliath stood and shouted at the Israelites, "What are you doing there, lined up for battle? I am a Philistine, you slaves of Saul! Choose one of your men to fight me.H5975H7121H4634H3478H559H3318H4421H6186H6430H5650H7586H1262H376H33819If he wins and kills me, we will be your slaves; but if I win and kill him, you will be our slaves.H3201H3898H5221H5650H3201H5221H5650H564710Here and now I challenge the Israelite army. I dare you to pick someone to fight me!"H6430H559H2778H4634H3478H3117H5414H376H3898H316211When Saul and his men heard this, they were terrified.H7586H3478H8085H1697H6430H2865H3966H337212David was the son of Jesse, who was an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and at the time Saul was king, he was already a very old man.H1732H1121H376H673H1035H3063H8034H3448H8083H1121H376H935H582H2204H3117H758613His three oldest sons had gone with Saul to war. The oldest was Eliab, the next was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah.H7969H1419H1121H3448H3212H310H7586H4421H8034H7969H1121H1980H4421H446H1060H4932H41H7992H804814David was the youngest son, and while the three oldest brothers stayed with Saul,H1732H6996H7969H1419H1980H310H758615David would go back to Bethlehem from time to time, to take care of his father's sheep.H1732H1980H7725H7586H7462H1H6629H103516Goliath challenged the Israelites every morning and evening for forty days.H6430H5066H7925H6150H3320H705H311717One day Jesse said to David, "Take a half-bushel of this roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and hurry with them to your brothers in the camp.H3448H559H1732H1121H3947H251H374H2088H7039H6235H3899H7323H4264H25118And take these ten cheeses to the commanding officer. Find out how your brothers are getting along and bring back something to show that you saw them and that they are well.H935H6235H2461H2757H8269H505H6485H251H7965H3947H616119King Saul, your brothers, and all the other Israelites are in Elah Valley fighting the Philistines."H7586H376H3478H6010H425H3898H643020David got up early the next morning, left someone else in charge of the sheep, took the food, and went as Jesse had told him to. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelites were going out to their battle line, shouting the war cry.H1732H7925H1242H5203H6629H8104H5375H3212H3448H6680H935H4570H2428H3318H4634H7321H442121The Philistine and the Israelite armies took positions for battle, facing each other.H3478H6430H6186H4634H7125H463422David left the food with the officer in charge of the supplies, ran to the battle line, went to his brothers, and asked how they were getting along.H1732H5203H3627H3027H8104H3627H7323H4634H935H7592H7965H25123As he was talking with them, Goliath came forward and challenged the Israelites as he had done before. And David heard him.H1696H5927H376H1143H6430H1661H1555H8034H4634H4630H6430H1696H428H1697H1732H808524When the Israelites saw Goliath, they ran away in terror.H376H3478H7200H376H5127H6440H3966H337225"Look at him!" they said to each other. "Listen to his challenge! King Saul has promised to give a big reward to the man who kills him; the king will also give him his daughter to marry and will not require his father's family to pay taxes."H376H3478H559H7200H376H5927H2778H3478H5927H376H5221H4428H6238H1419H6239H5414H1323H6213H1H1004H2670H347826David asked the men who were near him, "What will the man get who kills this Philistine and frees Israel from this disgrace? After all, who is this heathen Philistine to defy the army of the living God?"H1732H559H582H5975H559H6213H376H5221H1975H6430H5493H2781H3478H6189H6430H2778H4634H2416H43027They told him what would be done for the man who killed Goliath.H5971H559H1697H559H6213H376H522128Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard David talking to the men. He became angry with David and said, "What are you doing here? Who is taking care of those sheep of yours out there in the wilderness? You smart aleck, you! You just came to watch the fighting!"H446H1419H251H8085H1696H582H446H639H2734H1732H559H3381H5203H2007H4592H6629H4057H3045H2087H7455H3824H3381H7200H442129"Now what have I done?" David asked. "Can't I even ask a question?"H1732H559H6213H169730He turned to another man and asked him the same question, and every time he asked, he got the same answer.H5437H681H4136H312H559H1697H5971H1697H7725H7223H169731Some men heard what David had said, and they told Saul, who sent for him.H1697H8085H1732H1696H5046H6440H7586H394732David said to Saul, "Your Majesty, no one should be afraid of this Philistine! I will go and fight him."H1732H559H7586H120H3820H5307H5650H3212H3898H643033"No," answered Saul. "How could you fight him? You're just a boy, and he has been a soldier all his life!"H7586H559H1732H3201H3212H6430H3898H5288H376H4421H527134"Your Majesty," David said, "I take care of my father's sheep. Any time a lion or a bear carries off a lamb,H1732H559H7586H5650H7462H1H6629H935H738H1677H5375H7716H2089H573935I go after it, attack it, and rescue the lamb. And if the lion or bear turns on me, I grab it by the throat and beat it to death.H3318H310H5221H5337H6310H6965H2388H2206H5221H419136I have killed lions and bears, and I will do the same to this heathen Philistine, who has defied the army of the living God.H5650H5221H738H1677H6189H6430H259H2778H4634H2416H43037The LORD has saved me from lions and bears; he will save me from this Philistine." "All right," Saul answered. "Go, and the LORD be with you."H1732H559H3068H5337H3027H738H3027H1677H5337H3027H6430H7586H559H1732H3212H306838He gave his own armor to David for him to wear: a bronze helmet, which he put on David's head, and a coat of armor.H7586H3847H1732H4055H5414H6959H5178H7218H3847H830239David strapped Saul's sword over the armor and tried to walk, but he couldn't, because he wasn't used to wearing them. "I can't fight with all this," he said to Saul. "I'm not used to it." So he took it all off.H1732H2296H2719H4055H2974H3212H5254H1732H559H7586H3201H3212H5254H1732H549340He took his shepherd's stick and then picked up five smooth stones from the stream and put them in his bag. With his sling ready, he went out to meet Goliath.H3947H4731H3027H977H2568H2512H68H5158H7760H7462H3627H3219H7050H3027H5066H643041The Philistine started walking toward David, with his shield bearer walking in front of him. He kept coming closer,H6430H3212H1980H7131H1732H376H5375H6793H644042and when he got a good look at David, he was filled with scorn for him because he was just a nice, good-looking boy.H6430H5027H7200H1732H959H5288H132H3303H475843He said to David, "What's that stick for? Do you think I'm a dog?" And he called down curses from his god on David.H6430H559H1732H3611H935H4731H6430H7043H1732H43044"Come on," he challenged David, "and I will give your body to the birds and animals to eat."H6430H559H1732H3212H5414H1320H5775H8064H929H770445David answered, "You are coming against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the Israelite armies, which you have defied.H559H1732H6430H935H2719H2595H3591H935H8034H3068H6635H430H4634H3478H277846This very day the LORD will put you in my power; I will defeat you and cut off your head. And I will give the bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds and animals to eat. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a God,H3117H3068H5462H3027H5221H5493H7218H5414H6297H4264H6430H3117H5775H8064H2416H776H776H3045H3426H430H347847and everyone here will see that the LORD does not need swords or spears to save his people. He is victorious in battle, and he will put all of you in our power."H6951H3045H3068H3467H2719H2595H4421H3068H5414H302748Goliath started walking toward David again, and David ran quickly toward the Philistine battle line to fight him.H6430H6965H3212H7126H7125H1732H1732H4116H7323H4634H7125H643049He reached into his bag and took out a stone, which he slung at Goliath. It hit him on the forehead and broke his skull, and Goliath fell face downward on the ground.H1732H7971H3027H3627H3947H68H7049H5221H6430H4696H68H2883H4696H5307H6440H77650And so, without a sword, David defeated and killed Goliath with a sling and a stone!H1732H2388H4480H6430H7050H68H5221H6430H4191H2719H3027H173251He ran to him, stood over him, took Goliath's sword out of its sheath, and cut off his head and killed him. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they ran away.H1732H7323H5975H6430H3947H2719H8025H8593H4191H3772H7218H6430H7200H1368H4191H512752The men of Israel and Judah shouted and ran after them, pursuing them all the way to Gath and to the gates of Ekron. The Philistines fell wounded all along the road that leads to Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron.H582H3478H3063H6965H7321H7291H6430H935H1516H8179H6138H2491H6430H5307H1870H8189H1661H613853When the Israelites came back from pursuing the Philistines, they looted their camp.H1121H3478H7725H1814H310H6430H8155H426454David got Goliath's head and took it to Jerusalem, but he kept Goliath's weapons in his own tent.H1732H3947H7218H6430H935H3389H7760H3627H16855When Saul saw David going out to fight Goliath, he asked Abner, the commander of his army, "Abner, whose son is he?" "I have no idea, Your Majesty," Abner answered.H7586H7200H1732H3318H7125H6430H559H74H8269H6635H74H1121H5288H74H559H5315H2416H4428H518H304556"Then go and find out," Saul ordered.H4428H559H7592H1121H595857So when David returned to camp after killing Goliath, Abner took him to Saul. David was still carrying Goliath's head.H1732H7725H5221H6430H74H3947H935H6440H7586H7218H6430H302758Saul asked him, "Young man, whose son are you?" "I am the son of your servant Jesse from Bethlehem," David answered.H7586H559H1121H5288H1732H559H1121H5650H3448H1022
Columbus, OH
