Goliath's Challenge

1And the Philistines gather their armies to battle, and gather themselves to Socchoth of Judaea, and encamp between Socchoth and Azeca Ephermen. 2And Saul and the men of Israel gather together, and they encamp in the valley, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 3And the Philistines stand on the mountain on one side, and Israel stands on the mountain on the other side, and the valley was between them. 4And there went forth a mighty man out of the army of the Philistines, Goliath, by name, out of Geth, his height was four cubits and a span. 5And he had a helmet upon his head, and he wore a breastplate of chain armour; and the weight of his breastplate was five thousand shekels of brass and iron. 6And greaves of grass were upon his legs, and a brazen target was between his shoulders. 7And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and the spear's head was formed of six hundred shekels of iron; and his armour-bearer went before him. 8And he stood and cried to the army of Israel, and said to them, Why are ye come forth to set yourselves in battle array against us? Am not I a Philistine, and ye He brews of Saul? Choose for yourselves a man, and let him come down to me. 9And if he shall be able to fight against me, and shall smite me, then will we be your servants: but if I should prevail and smite him, ye shall be our servants, and serve us. 10And the Philistine said, Behold, I have defied the armies of Israel this very day: give me a man, and we will both of us fight in single combat. 11And Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, and they were dismayed, and greatly terrified.

Jesse Sends David

David Accepts the Challenge

David Slays Goliath

32And David said to Saul, Let not, I pray thee, the heart of my lord be dejected within him: thy servant will go, and fight with this Philistine. 33And Saul said to David, Thou wilt not in anywise be able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for thou art a mere youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 34And David said to Saul, Thy servant was tending the flock for his father; and when a lion came and a she-bear, and took a sheep out of the flock, 35then I went forth after him, and smote him, and drew the spoil out of his mouth: and as he rose up against me, then I caught hold of his throat, and smote him, and slew him. 36Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear, and the uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them: shall I not go and smite him, and remove this day a reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised one, who has defied the army of the living God? 37The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this uncircumcised Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord shall be with thee. 38And Saul clothed David with a military coat, and put his brazen helmet on his head. 39And he girt David with his sword over his coat: and he made trial walking with them once and again: and David said to Saul, I shall not be able to go with these, for I have not proved them: so they remove them from him. 40And he took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's scrip which he had for his store, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.

42And Goliath saw David, and despised him; for he was a lad, and ruddy, with a fair countenance. 43And the Philistine said to David, Am I as a dog, that thou comest against me with a staff and stones? and David said, Nay, but worse than a dog. And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh to the birds of the air, and to the beasts of the earth. 45And David said to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with sword, and with spear, and with shield; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord God of hosts of the army of Israel, which thou hast defied 46this day. And the Lord shall deliver thee this day into my hand; and I will slay thee, and take away thy head from off thee, and will give thy limbs and the limbs of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky, and to the wild beasts of the earth; and all the earth shall know that there is a God in Israel. 47And all this assembly shall know that the Lord delivers not by sword or spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and the Lord will deliver you into our hands.

48And the Philistine arose and went to meet David. 49And David stretched out his hand to his scrip, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine on his forehead, and the stone penetrated through the helmet into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the ground.

51And David ran, and stood upon him, and took his sword, and slew him, and cut off his head: and the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, and they fled. 52And the men of Israel and Juda arose, and shouted and pursued them as far as the entrance to Geth, and as far as the gate of Ascalon: and the slain men of the Philistines fell in the way of the gates, both to Geth, and to Accaron. 53And the men of Israel returned from pursuing after the Philistines, and they destroyed their camp. 54And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.

Saul Notices David