THE GIANT KILLER
1 Samuel 1:1-51
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.
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