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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.
02 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.
03 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.
04 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.
05 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.
06 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and
a target of brass between his shoulders.
07 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.
08 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.
09 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 of 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.
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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 hastened, 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.
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