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1 Samuel / David and Goliath
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Hannah's Prayer for a Son Hannah Presents Samuel to the Lord Hannah's Song of Praise Eli's Corrupt Sons and Samuel's Childhood Prophecy of Judgment on Eli's House Samuel's Call and the Lord's Word to Eli Israel Defeated and the Ark Captured Eli's Death and the Birth of Ichabod The Ark Brings Judgment in Philistine Cities The Ark Returned to Israel Samuel Judges Israel and Delivers Them at Mizpah Israel Demands a King Saul Chosen and Given Signs Saul Proclaimed King by Lot Saul's Victory at Jabesh-Gilead Saul Confirmed as King at Gilgal Samuel's Farewell and Exhortation to Israel Saul's Unauthorized Sacrifice and Rebuke Philistine Pressure and Israel's Lack of Arms Jonathan's Bold Assault and Victory Saul's Rash Oath and Its Consequences Saul's Pursuit and Jonathan's Exploits Saul's Family and Mighty Men Saul's Disobedience and Rejection as King David Anointed by Samuel David Serves Saul and Eases His Torment David and Goliath David's Rise and Saul's Jealousy Saul's Attempts on David's Life and Jonathan's Intervention David and Jonathan's Covenant David at Nob: Bread and Goliath's Sword David Feigns Madness at Gath David Gathers Followers and Seeks Priestly Aid Massacre at Nob and Abiathar Joins David David Delivers Keilah and Inquires of God Saul's Pursuit, Ziphite Betrayal, and David's Escape David Spares Saul in a Cave Nabal's Folly and Abigail's Intervention David Again Spares Saul in His Camp David Seeks Refuge with Achish Saul and the Witch of Endor The Philistines Reject David David Recovers His Family and Defeats the Amalekites The Death of Saul and His Sons

David and Goliath

1 Samuel 17:1-58

17
Chapter 17
1 The Philistines gathered their camps for war and gathered at Socoh, which is in Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. 2 Saul and the men of Israel gathered and encamped in the Valley of Elah, arrayed for battle to meet the Philistines. 3 And the Philistines stood on the mountain on this side, and Israel stood on the mountain on that side, with the valley between them. 4 A champion went out from the Philistine camp. His name was Goliath, from Gath. His height was six cubits and a span. 5 And he has a bronze helmet on his head and a coat of mail of scales, and the weight of the coat of mail is five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 and bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. 7 And the wood of his spear was like weavers' beams, and the blade of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And the shield bearer was walking before him. 8 He stood and called out to the battle lines of Israel and said to them, "Why have you come out to arrange for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and he will come down to me." 9 If he is able to fight with me and strike me down, then we will be your slaves. But if I prevail against him and strike him down, then you will be our slaves, and you will serve us. 10 The Philistine said, "I have taunted the battle arrays of Israel this day. Give me a man, and we will fight together." 11 And Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, and they were shattered and greatly feared. 12 And David was the son of an Ephrathite man, this one from Bethlehem of Judah, whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And the man was an elder among men in the days of Saul. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse went; they went after Saul to the war. And his three sons who went to the war were: Eliab the firstborn, Abinadab the second, and Shammah the third. 14 And David and the small one and the three great ones went after Saul. 15 And David went and returned from Saul to shepherd his father's flock in Bethlehem. 16 The Philistine drew near morning and evening and stationed himself for forty days. 17 And Jesse said to his son David, "Please take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread to your brothers, and run to the camp to your brothers." 18 And these ten portions of the fat you shall bring to the commander of the thousand, and you shall visit your brother for peace, and you shall take his peace. 19 And Saul and the men and every man of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 And David arose early in the morning and left the sheep with the keeper and took and went as Jesse had commanded him and came to the circular track and the force, the one going out to the battle array, and they shouted in warfare. 21 Israel arrayed in battle line, and the Philistines in battle line to meet one another. 22 And David left the utensils that were on him in the hand of the keeper of the utensils, and he ran toward the battle line and came and asked his brothers about their peace. 23 And as he was speaking with them, behold, a champion of the sons of the giants ascended—Goliath the Philistine was his name, from Gath—from the battle lines of the Philistines. And he spoke according to these words, and David heard. 24 And every man of Israel, when they saw him, fled from his face and was greatly afraid. 25 And he said, "Men of Israel, have you seen this man who has come up, because he has come up to taunt Israel? And it will be, the man who strikes him down, the king will enrich him with great riches, and he will give his daughter to him, and the house of his father he will make free in Israel." 26 He said to the men standing with him, "What will be done for the man who strikes that Philistine and removes reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he has reproached the battle arrays of the living God?" 27 And the people said to him according to this word, saying, "In this way shall one do to the man who strikes it down." 28 And Eliab his older brother heard him speaking to the men, and Eliab burned with anger at David and said, "Why have you come down here, and with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your high-handedness and the evil of your heart, for you have come down here to see the battle." 29 And David said, "What have I done now? Is it not a word?" 30 And he turned from beside him to face another and said the same thing, and the people answered him the same way as the first time. 31 And they heard the words that David spoke and told them before Saul, and he took him. 32 And David said to Saul, "Let not the heart of my lord fail; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." 33 And Saul said to David, "You cannot go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are a youth and he is a man of war from his youth." 34 And David said to Saul, "Your servant was a shepherd for his father in the flock, and the lion came and the bear, and bore off a sheep from the flock." 35 And I went out after it and struck it and rescued from its mouth, and it arose against me, and I grasped its beard and struck it and put it to death. 36 Your servant also struck down the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the battle array of the living God. 37 And David said, "The LORD 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 the LORD will be with you." 38 Saul clothed David with his armor, put a bronze helmet on his head, and clothed him with armor. 39 And David girded his sword over his greaves, and he tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them." And David removed them from upon him. 40 And he took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the stream, and he put them in the shepherds' vessel that he had, and in the pouch. And the sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. 41 And the Philistine came forward, approaching David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42 And the Philistine looked and saw David and despised him, because he was a youth and ruddy, with a beautiful appearance. 43 The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine blasphemed David in his God. 44 And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the field." 45 And David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the battles of Israel, whom you have taunted." 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and remove your head from upon you, and I will give the corpses of the camp of the Philistines this day to the birds of the heavens and to the beasts of the land, and all the land will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly will know that not by sword and spear does the LORD save, for the warfare belongs to the LORD, and he will give you into our hand. 48 And it was when the Philistine rose and went and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the Philistine battle line. 49 And David put his hand into the vessel and took a stone from there and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead, and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50 And David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and he struck the Philistine and put him to death, and there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 And David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it from its sheath and put him to death with it and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their mighty man was dead, they fled. 52 And the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and as far as the gates of Ekron. And the slain of the Philistines fell along the way to the gates of dung and as far as Gath and as far as Ekron. 53 And the sons of Israel returned from pursuing the Philistines, and they plundered their camps. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put his utensils there in his tent. 55 And when Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, "Whose son is this boy, Abner?" And Abner said, "As your nephesh lives, the king, I do not know." 56 And the king said, "Ask about this youth's father." 57 And when David returned from striking 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 are you, young man?" And he said, "I am the son of your servant Jesse, the Bethlehemite."