The Philistine champion Goliath challenges Israel for forty days. David, bringing food to his brothers, volunteers to fight him with only a sling and five stones, and kills Goliath, saying the battle is the LORD's.
1 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle , and were gathered together at Shochoh , which belongeth to Judah , and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah , in Ephesdammim .
2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together , and pitched by the valley of Elah , and set the battle in array against the Philistines .
3 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines , named Goliath , of Gath , whose height was six cubits and a span .
5 And he had an helmet of brass upon his head , and he was armed with a coat of mail ; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass .
6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs , and a target of brass between his shoulders .
7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam ; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron : and one bearing a shield went before him.
8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel , and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array ? am not I a Philistine , and ye servants to Saul ? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants : but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants , and serve us.
10 And the Philistine said , I defy the armies of Israel this day ; give me a man , that we may fight together .
11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine , they were dismayed , and greatly afraid .
12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah , whose name was Jesse ; and he had eight sons : and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul .
13 And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle : and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn , and next unto him Abinadab , and the third Shammah .
14 And David was the youngest : and the three eldest followed Saul .
15 But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem .
16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening , and presented himself forty days .
17 And Jesse said unto David his son , Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves , and run to the camp to thy brethren ;
18 And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand , and look how thy brethren fare , and take their pledge .
19 Now Saul , and they, and all the men of Israel , were in the valley of Elah , fighting with the Philistines .
20 And David rose up early in the morning , and left the sheep with a keeper , and took , and went , as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench , as the host was going forth to the fight , and shouted for the battle .
21 For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array , army against army .
22 And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage , and ran into the army , and came and saluted his brethren .
23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion , the Philistine of Gath , Goliath by name , out of the armies of the Philistines , and spake according to the same words : and David heard them.
24 And all the men of Israel , when they saw the man , fled from him , and were sore afraid .
25 And the men of Israel said , Have ye seen this man that is come up ? surely to defy Israel is he come up : and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches , and will give him his daughter , and make his father's house free in Israel .
26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying , What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine , and taketh away the reproach from Israel ? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine , that he should defy the armies of the living God ?
27 And the people answered him after this manner , saying , So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men ; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David , and he said , Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness ? I know thy pride , and the naughtiness of thine heart ; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle .
29 And David said , What have I now done ? Is there not a cause ?
30 And he turned from him toward another , and spake after the same manner : and the people answered him again after the former manner .
31 And when the words were heard which David spake , they rehearsed them before Saul : and he sent for him.
32 And David said to Saul , Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine .
33 And Saul said to David , Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth , and he a man of war from his youth .
34 And David said unto Saul , Thy servant kept his father's sheep , and there came a lion , and a bear , and took a lamb out of the flock :
35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth : and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard , and smote him, and slew him.
36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear : and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God .
37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion , and out of the paw of the bear , he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine . And Saul said unto David , Go , and the LORD be with thee.
38 And Saul armed David with his armour , and he put an helmet of brass upon his head ; also he armed him with a coat of mail .
39 And David girded his sword upon his armour , and he assayed to go ; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul , I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
40 And he took his staff in his hand , and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook , and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip ; and his sling was in his hand : and he drew near to the Philistine .
41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David ; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
42 And when the Philistine looked about , and saw David , he disdained him: for he was but a youth , and ruddy , and of a fair countenance .
43 And the Philistine said unto David , Am I a dog , that thou comest to me with staves ? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods .
44 And the Philistine said to David , Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air , and to the beasts of the field .
45 Then said David to the Philistine , Thou comest to me with a sword , and with a spear , and with a shield : but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts , the God of the armies of Israel , whom thou hast defied .
46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand ; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air , and to the wild beasts of the earth ; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel .
47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear : for the battle is the LORD'S , and he will give you into our hands .
48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose , and came and drew nigh to meet David , that David hasted , and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine .
49 And David put his hand in his bag , and took thence a stone , and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead , that the stone sunk into his forehead ; and he fell upon his face to the earth .
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone , and smote the Philistine , and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David .
51 Therefore David ran , and stood upon the Philistine , and took his sword , and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead , they fled .
52 And the men of Israel and of Judah arose , and shouted , and pursued the Philistines , until thou come to the valley , and to the gates of Ekron . And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim , even unto Gath , and unto Ekron .
53 And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines , and they spoiled their tents .
54 And David took the head of the Philistine , and brought it to Jerusalem ; but he put his armour in his tent .
55 And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine , he said unto Abner , the captain of the host , Abner , whose son is this youth ? And Abner said , As thy soul liveth , O king , I cannot tell .
56 And the king said , Enquire thou whose son the stripling is.
57 And as 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 .
58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man ? And David answered , I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite .