Goliath’s Challenge 2 ULT And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and they camped by the Valley of Elah. And they arrayed for battle to meet the Philistines. BSB BSB: Saul and the men of Israel assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah, arraying themselves for battle against the Philistines.
3 ULT Now the Philistines were standing on the mountain from this, and Israel were standing on the mountain from that, and the valley{ was} between them. BSB BSB: The Philistines stood on one hill and the Israelites stood on another, with the valley between them.
5 ULT And a helmet of bronze{ was} on his head, and he was clothed{ with} a coat of scales. And the weight of the coat{ was} 5, 000 shekels of bronze. BSB BSB: and he had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore a bronze coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels,
6 ULT And greaves of bronze{ were} on his legs, and a curved sword of bronze{ was} between his shoulders. BSB BSB: and he had armor of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.
7 ULT And the wood of his spear{ was} like a beam of weavers, and the flame of his spear{ was} 600 iron shekels. And the carrier of his shield was going to his face. BSB BSB: The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. In addition, his shield bearer went before him.
8 ULT And he stood and called out to the arrays of Israel, and he said to them,“Why have you come out to array for battle?{ Am} I not the Philistine, and you, servants of Saul? Choose for yourselves a man, and let him come down to me. BSB BSB: And Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and array yourselves for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.
9 ULT If he is able to fight with me and he strikes me, then we will become servants to you. But if I am able against him and I strike him, then you will become servants to us, and you will serve us.” BSB BSB: If he is able to fight 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 work for us.”
10 ULT And the Philistine said,“I myself taunt the arrays of Israel this day! Give to me a man, and let us fight together!” BSB BSB: Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day! Give me a man to fight!”
11 ULT And Saul and all of Israel heard these words of the Philistine, and they were dismayed and feared greatly. BSB BSB: On hearing the words of the Philistine, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and greatly afraid.
David Accepts the Challenge 12 ULT Now David{ was} the son of this Ephrathite man from Bethlehem{ in} Judah, and his name{ was} Jesse. And eight sons{ were} to him. And in the days of Saul the man had aged, having come among men. BSB BSB: Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons. And in the days of Saul, Jesse was old and well along in years.
13 ULT And the oldest three of the sons of Jesse went, they went after Saul to the battle. And the names of the three of his sons who went into the battle{ were} Eliab, the firstborn, and his second, Abinadab, and the third, Shammah. BSB BSB: The three older sons of Jesse had followed Saul into battle: The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, and the third was Shammah.
14 ULT And David, he{ was} the youngest. And the three oldest went after Saul. BSB BSB: And David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul,
15 ULT But David was going and returning from with Saul to tend the flock of his father{ at} Bethlehem. BSB BSB: but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.
16 ULT And the Philistine approached{ when} it was early and{ when} it was getting dark. And he stationed himself 40 days. BSB BSB: For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening to take his stand.
17 ULT Now Jesse said to David his son,“Please take to your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and ten{ loaves of} this bread, and rush{ them}{ to} the camp, to your brothers. BSB BSB: One day Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp.
18 ULT And bring these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of the thousand. And observe your brothers about peace, and take their pledge. BSB BSB: Take also these ten portions of cheese to the commander of their unit. Check on the welfare of your brothers and bring back an assurance from them.
19 ULT Now Saul and they and all of the men of Israel{ are} in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.” BSB BSB: They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”
20 ULT So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper. And he carried and went, just as Jesse had commanded him. And he came{ to} the wagon- track, and the army was going out to the array, and they shouted for the battle. BSB BSB: So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with a keeper, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had instructed him. He reached the camp as the army was marching out to its position and shouting the battle cry.
21 ULT And Israel and the Philistines arrayed, array to meet array. BSB BSB: And Israel and the Philistines arrayed in formation against each other.
22 ULT And David left the vessels from upon him in the hand of the keeper of the vessels, and he ran{ to} the array. And he came and asked his brothers about peace. BSB BSB: Then David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were doing.
23 ULT And he was speaking with them, and behold, the man of the betweens was coming up, Goliath the Philistine{ was} his name, from Gath, from the array of the Philistines, and he spoke like these words. And David heard. BSB BSB: And as he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the ranks of the Philistines and shouted his usual words, which David also heard.
24 ULT And all of the men of Israel, when they saw the man, then they fled from his face and feared greatly. BSB BSB: When all the men of Israel saw Goliath, they fled from him in great fear.
25 ULT And the men of Israel said,“Have you seen this man coming up? Indeed{ he is} coming up to taunt Israel! And it will be, the man who strikes him, the king will make him wealthy{ with} great wealth, and he will give his daughter to him, and he will make the house of his father free in Israel.” BSB BSB: Now the men of Israel had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out to defy Israel? To the man who kills him the king will give great riches. And he will give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father’s house from taxation in Israel.”
26 ULT And David spoke to the men standing with him, saying,“What will be done for the man who strikes this Philistine and turns away the disgrace from upon Israel? For who{ is} this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the arrays of the living God?” BSB BSB: David asked the men who were standing with him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
27 ULT And the people spoke to him like this word, saying,“Thus it will be done for the man who strikes him.” BSB BSB: The people told him about the offer, saying, “That is what will be done for the man who kills him.”
28 ULT Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And the nose of Eliab burned against David, and he said,“Why{ is} this, you have come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I myself know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down in order to see the battle!” BSB BSB: Now when David’s oldest brother Eliab heard him speaking to the men, his anger burned against David. “Why have you come down here?” he asked. “And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and wickedness of heart—you have come down to see the battle!”
29 ULT And David said,“What have I done now?{ Was} it not a word?” BSB BSB: “What have I done now?” said David. “Was it not just a question?”
30 ULT And he turned from beside him toward the front of another, and he spoke like this word. And the people returned to him a word like the first word. BSB BSB: Then he turned from him toward another and asked about the offer, and those people answered him just as the first ones had answered.
31 ULT And they heard the words that David spoke. And they declared to the face of Saul, and he got him. BSB BSB: Now David’s words were overheard and reported to Saul, who sent for him.
32 ULT And David said to Saul,“Do not let the heart of a man fall because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” BSB BSB: And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him!”
33 ULT But Saul said to David,“You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him. For you{ are} a youth, but he, a man of war from his youth.” BSB BSB: But Saul replied, “You cannot go out against this Philistine to fight him. You are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
34 ULT And David said to Saul,“Your servant has been tending the flock for his father. And a lion or a bear has come and carried away a sheep from the flock, BSB BSB: David replied, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock,
35 ULT but I have gone out after it and struck it and delivered from its mouth. If it arose against me, then I would seize its beard and strike it and kill it. BSB BSB: I went after it, struck it down, and delivered the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it.
36 ULT Your servant has struck both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has taunted the arrays of the living God.” BSB BSB: Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
37 ULT And David said,“Yahweh who delivered me from the hand of the lion and from the hand of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David,“Go, and may Yahweh be with you.” BSB BSB: David added, “The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” “Go,” said Saul, “and may the LORD be with you.”
David Slays Goliath 38 ULT Then Saul clothed David{ with} his garments and put a helmet of bronze on his head, and he clothed him{ with} a coat. BSB BSB: Then Saul clothed David in his own tunic, put a bronze helmet on his head, and dressed him in armor.
39 ULT And David strapped on his sword over his garments, and he tried to walk, for he had not tested{ them}. And David said to Saul,“I am not able to walk with these, for I have not tested{ them}.” And David removed them from on him. BSB BSB: David strapped his sword over the tunic and tried to walk, but he was not accustomed to them. “I cannot walk in these,” David said to Saul. “I am not accustomed to them.” So David took them off.
40 ULT And he took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the wadi, and he put them in the bag of shepherds that{ was} to him, even in the pouch, and his sling{ was} in his hand. And he approached toward the Philistine. BSB BSB: And David took his staff in his hand, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine.
41 ULT And the Philistine came, coming and near to David. And the man carrying the shield{ was} to his face. BSB BSB: Now the Philistine came closer and closer to David, with his shield-bearer before him.
42 ULT And the Philistine looked and saw David, and he despised him, for he was a youth, and ruddy with a beautiful appearance. BSB BSB: When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome.
44 ULT And the Philistine said to David,“Come to me, and let me give your flesh to the bird of the heavens and to the beast of the field.” BSB BSB: “Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
45 ULT And David said to the Philistine,“You are coming to me with a sword and with a spear and with a curved sword. But I am coming to you in the name of Yahweh of Armies, the God of the arrays of Israel, which you have taunted. BSB BSB: But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
46 ULT This day Yahweh will enclose you in my hand, and I will strike you and remove your head from upon you. And this day I will give the corpse of the camp of the Philistines to the bird of the heavens and to the animal of the earth. And all of the earth will know that there is a God to Israel. BSB BSB: This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
47 ULT And all of this assembly will know that Yahweh does not save by sword or by spear. For the battle{ is} to Yahweh, and he will give you into our hand.” BSB BSB: And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”
48 ULT And it happened, when the Philistine arose and went and approached to meet David, that David hurried and ran{ toward} the array to meet the Philistine. BSB BSB: As the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.
49 ULT And David put his hand into the bag and took a stone from there, and he slung{ it}. And it struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. BSB BSB: Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50 ULT So David was stronger than the Philistine with the sling and with the stone. And he struck the Philistine and killed him. Now no sword{ was} in the hand of David. BSB BSB: Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
51 ULT But David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it from its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. And the Philistines saw that their warrior had died, and they fled. BSB BSB: David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword and pulled it from its sheath and killed him, and he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.
53 ULT And the sons of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. BSB BSB: When the Israelites returned from their pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps.
54 ULT And David took the head of the Philistine, and he brought it{ to} Jerusalem, and he put his equipment in his tent. BSB BSB: David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.
55 ULT Now as Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army,“Of whom{ is} this youth the son, Abner?” And Abner said,“The life of your soul, O king, if I know!” BSB BSB: As Saul had watched David going out to confront the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” “As surely as you live, O king,” Abner replied, “I do not know.”
56 ULT And the king said,“You ask of whom this youth{ is} the son.” BSB BSB: “Find out whose son this young man is!” said the king.
57 ULT So as David returned from striking the Philistine, then Abner took him and brought him to the face of Saul. And the head of the Philistine{ was} in his hand. BSB BSB: So when David returned from killing the Philistine, still holding his head in his hand, Abner took him and brought him before Saul.
58 ULT And Saul said to him,“Of whom{ are} you the son, O young man?” And David said,“The son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.” BSB BSB: “Whose son are you, young man?” asked Saul. “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David replied.
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