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¹ Now the Pelishtim gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Sokho, which belongs to Yehudah, and encamped between Sokho and `Azeka, in Efes-Dammim. ² Sha'ul and the men of Yisra'el were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Pelishtim. ³ The Pelishtim stood on the mountain on the one side, and Yisra'el stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. ⁴ There went out a champion out of the camp of the Pelishtim, named Golyat, of Gat, whose height was six cubits and a span. ⁵ He had a helmet of brass on his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. ⁶ He had brass shin-armor on his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders. ⁷ The staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head [weighed] six hundred shekels of iron: and his shield-bearer went before him. ⁸ He stood and cried to the armies of Yisra'el, and said to them, Why are you come out to set your battle in array? am I not a Pelishti, and you servants to Sha'ul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. ⁹ If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall you be our servants, and serve us. ¹⁰ The Pelishti said, I defy the armies of Yisra'el this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. ¹¹ When Sha'ul and all Yisra'el heard those words of the Pelishti, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

¹² Now David was the son of that Efratite of Beit-Lechem-Yehudah, whose name was Yishai; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days of Sha'ul, stricken [in years] among men. ¹³ The three eldest sons of Yishai had gone after Sha'ul to the battle: and the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eli'av the firstborn, and next to him Avinadav, and the third Shammah. ¹⁴ David was the youngest; and the three eldest followed Sha'ul. ¹⁵ Now David went back and forth from Sha'ul to feed his father's sheep at Beit-Lechem. ¹⁶ The Pelishti drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. ¹⁷ Yishai said to David his son, Take now for your brothers an efah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry [them] quickly to the camp to your brothers; ¹⁸ and bring these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and look how your brothers fare, and take their pledge. ¹⁹ Now Sha'ul, and they, and all the men of Yisra'el, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Pelishtim. ²⁰ David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Yishai had commanded him; and he came to the place of the wagons, as the host which was going forth to the fight shouted for the battle. ²¹ Yisra'el and the Pelishtim put the battle in array, army against army. ²² David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. ²³ As he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Pelishti of Gat, Golyat by name, out of the ranks of the Pelishtim, and spoke according to the same words: and David heard them. ²⁴ All the men of Yisra'el, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. ²⁵ The men of Yisra'el said, Have you seen this man who is come up? surely to defy Yisra'el is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who kills him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Yisra'el. ²⁶ David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man who kills this Pelishti, and takes away the reproach from Yisra'el? for who is this uncircumcised Pelishti, that he should defy the armies of the living God? ²⁷ The people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man who kills him. ²⁸ Eli'av his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eli'av's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why are you come down? and with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride, and the naughtiness of your heart; for you have come down that you might see the battle. ²⁹ David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? ³⁰ He turned away from him toward another, and spoke after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.

³¹ When the words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before Sha'ul; and he sent for him. ³² David said to Sha'ul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Pelishti. ³³ Sha'ul said to David, You are not able to go against this Pelishti to fight with him; for you are but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. ³⁴ David said to Sha'ul, Your servant was keeping his father's sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, ³⁵ I went out after him, and struck him, and delivered it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and struck him, and killed him. ³⁶ Your servant struck both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Pelishti shall be as one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷ David said, the LORD who 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 Pelishti. Sha'ul said to David, Go, and the LORD shall be with you. ³⁸ Sha'ul clad David with his clothing, and he put a helmet of brass on his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. ³⁹ David girded his sword on his clothing, and he tried to go; for he had not proved it. David said to Sha'ul, I can't go with these; for I have not proved them. David put them off him.

⁴⁰ He took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his wallet; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Pelishti. ⁴¹ The Pelishti came on and drew near to David; and the man who bore the shield went before him. ⁴² When the Pelishti looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair face. ⁴³ The Pelishti said to David, Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks? The Pelishti cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ The Pelishti said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky, and to the animals of the field. ⁴⁵ Then said David to the Pelishti, You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Yisra'el, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day will the LORD deliver you into my hand; and I will strike you, and take your head from off you; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Pelishtim this day to the birds of the sky, and to the wild animals of the eretz; that all the eretz may know that there is a God in Yisra'el, ⁴⁷ and that all this assembly may know that the LORD doesn't save with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand.

⁴⁸ It happened, when the Pelishti arose, and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried, and ran toward the army to meet the Pelishti. ⁴⁹ David put his hand in his bag, and took there a stone, and slang it, and struck the Pelishti in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the eretz. ⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Pelishti with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Pelishti, and killed him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. ⁵¹ Then David ran, and stood over the Pelishti, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath of it, and killed him, and cut off his head therewith. When the Pelishtim saw that their champion was dead, they fled. ⁵² The men of Yisra'el and of Yehudah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Pelishtim, until you come to Gai, and to the gates of `Ekron. The wounded of the Pelishtim fell down by the way to Sha`arayim, even to Gat, and to `Ekron. ⁵³ The children of Yisra'el returned from chasing after the Pelishtim, and they plundered their camp. ⁵⁴ David took the head of the Pelishti, and brought it to Yerushalayim; but he put his armor in his tent. ⁵⁵ When Sha'ul saw David go forth against the Pelishti, he said to Aviner, the captain of the host, Aviner, whose son is this youth? Aviner said, As your soul lives, O king, I can't tell. ⁵⁶ The king said, "Inquire whose son the young man is!" ⁵⁷ As David returned from the slaughter of the Pelishti, Aviner took him, and brought him before Sha'ul with the head of the Pelishti in his hand. ⁵⁸ Sha'ul said to him, Whose son are you, you young man? David answered, I am the son of your servant Yishai the Beit-Hallachmite.