So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him.
And he came to the circle of the camp while the army was going out in battle array shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines
drew up in battle array, army against army. Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line
and entered in order to greet his brothers. As he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named
Goliath,
was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard them.
When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid. The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man
who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches
and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying,
“What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine,
that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” The people answered him in accord with this word, saying, “Thus it will be done for the
man who kills him.”
When the words which David spoke were heard, they told them to Saul, and he sent for him. David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail
on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine
to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his
father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his
mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the
bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.” And David said,
“The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.” Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his
head, and he clothed him with armor. David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said
to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” And David took them off. He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself
five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand;
and he approached the Philistine.
Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he
disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance. The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come
to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine also said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to
the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.” Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin,
but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.
This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies
of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God
in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and
He will give you into our hands.”
Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to
meet the Philistine. And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And
the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.
Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand.
Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the
Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. The men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines as far as the
valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the slain Philistines lay along the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron. The sons of Israel returned from
chasing the Philistines and plundered their camps. Then David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.
Now when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?”
And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.”
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