And the Philistines gathered their armies to wage war; and they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to the tribe of Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes dammim.

And Saul and the men of Israel gathered themselves, and encamped in the Valley of the Terebinth, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines.

And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them.

And there came out from between them from the camp of the Philistines a man, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

A helmet of bronze was on his head, and he was dressed with a breastplate with notches, and the weight of the breastplate was five thousand shekels of bronze.

Greaves of bronze upon his legs, and a shield of bronze, coming forth from the helmet, borne between his shoulders.

And the wood of his spear was like a weaver’s heddle rod, and the point of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield bearer went before him.

And he arose and shouted against the ranks of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.

If 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.”

And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day: give me a man, that we may wage battle together.”

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

Now David was the son of this Ephrathite man, from Bethlehem, of the House of Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was old and counted among the chosen ones.

The three eldest sons of Jesse went, they went after Saul to wage war; and the names of his three sons who went in battle were Eliab the first born, and his second Abinadab and the third Shammah.

David himself was the youngest, but the three eldest went after Saul.

And David used to go back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

For forty days the Philistine drew near, early and late, and took his stand.

And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers a measure of this parched grain, and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them to the camp, to your brothers.

And take these ten cheeses of milk to the commander of a thousand. Inquire after your brothers’ welfare and bring their report back.

And Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the Valley of the Terebinth, waging war against the Philistines.”

And David rose early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper. He loaded up and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the bulwarks, and the host of the wagers of war went out to the battle line, shouting the war cry.

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

And David left the baggage in charge of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the ranks. And he went and asked for his brothers’ welfare.

As he talked with them, behold the man from between them came up, named Goliath the Philistine from Gath, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and he spoke the same words. And David listened.

All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, retreated from before him, and were greatly afraid.

And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Because he has come up to defy Israel. And the man who kills him, the king will enrich with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house commanders in Israel.”

And David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills that Philistine, and takes away the defiance from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he could defy the ranks of the people of the living LORD?”

And he people answered him in the same way, saying, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”

Now 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 exuberance, and the evil of your heart; for you have come down to see the wagers of war.”

And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?”

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

When the words which David spoke were heard, they told them before Saul; and they brought him.

And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart be dismayed because of him. Your servant will go and wage battle with that Philistine.”

And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to wage battle with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man, doing battles from his youth.”

But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to tend sheep for his father; and when there came a lion, or even a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,

I went after him and smote him and delivered it from his mouth; and if he arose against me, I caught him by his jaw and smote him and killed him.

Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he defied the ranks of the people of the living LORD.”

And 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 paw of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the speech of the LORD be in your aid.”

Then Saul clothed David with his clothes; he put a helmet of bronze on his head, and clothed him with a breastplate.

And David girded his sword over his clothes, but he did not want to go, for he had not learned so. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for there is no wonder in them.” And David put them off.

Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose the five smoothest stones from the brook, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, and in his bag. His sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.

And the Philistine came, nearer and nearer to David, and the man who wore his shield went before him.

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

And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a mad dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his idol.

The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of heaven and to the beasts of the field.”

Then 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 with the name of the LORD Sebaoth, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have defied.

This day the LORD will surrender you into my hand, and I will kill you, and cut off your head. And I will give the corpse of the Philistine camp this day to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the land, that all the land may know that there is a God in Israel,

and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear; for the victory of the battles is the LORD’s and He will surrender you into my hand.”

When the Philistine arose and came nearer toward David, David ran quickly to the battle line, toward the Philistine.

And David stretched his hand out to the bag and took from there a stone, and slung and struck the Philistine against his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face on the ground.

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in David’s hand!

Then David ran and stood by the Philistine. And he 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 hero was dead, they retreated.

And the men of Israel and Judah rose and shouted and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and the gates of Ekron, so that the Philistines fell wounded on the way of Sha ararim, as far as Gath and Ekron.

And the sons of Israel came back from pursuing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.

And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.

When Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is the young man?” And Abner said, “By your own life, O king, I do not know.”

And the king said, “You, inquire whose son this young man is.”

And as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner led him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.

And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse, who is from Bethlehem.”