Goliath’s Challenge

1 Samuel 17:1-30

Bible Stories

1 Samuel 17:1 Now the Philistines, gathering their troops for battle, assembled at Socoh of Judah. And they made camp between Socoh and Azekah, within the borders of Dammim.

1 Samuel 17:2 But Saul and the sons of Israel, having gathered together, went to the Valley of Terebinth. And they positioned the army so as to fight against the Philistines.

1 Samuel 17:3 And the Philistines were standing on a mountain on the one side, and Israel was standing on a mountain on the other side. And there was a valley between them.

1 Samuel 17:4 And there went out from the camp of the Philistines, a man of illegitimate birth, named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a palm.

1 Samuel 17:5 And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clothed with a breastplate of scales. Moreover, the weight of his breastplate was five thousand shekels of brass.

1 Samuel 17:6 And he had plates of brass on his lower legs, and a small shield of brass was covering his shoulders. #1 Samuel 17:7 Now the shaft of his spear was like the beam used by a weaver. And the iron of his spear held six hundred shekels of iron. And his armor bearer went before him.

1 Samuel 17:8 And standing still, he cried out to the battle lines of Israel, and he said to them: “Why have you arrived, prepared for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose one man from among you, and let him descend to do battle alone.

1 Samuel 17:9 If he is able to fight with me and to strike me down, we will be your servants. But if I will prevail over him, and strike him down, you will be the servants, and you will serve us.”

1 Samuel 17:10 And the Philistine was saying: “I have reproached the troops of Israel today. Present a man to me, and let him undertake a fight against me alone.”

1 Samuel 17:11 And Saul and all the Israelites, hearing these words of the Philistine in this manner, were stupefied and exceedingly afraid.

1 Samuel 17:12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite man, the one mentioned above, from Bethlehem of Judah, whose name was Jesse. He had eight sons, and during the days of Saul, he was an elderly man, and of great age among men.

1 Samuel 17:13 Now his three eldest sons followed Saul into battle. And the names of his three sons, who went to the battle, were Eliab, the firstborn, and the second, Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

1 Samuel 17:14 But David was the youngest. Therefore, when the three eldest had followed Saul,

1 Samuel 17:15 David went away from Saul, and he returned, so that he might pasture the flock of his father at Bethlehem.

1 Samuel 17:16 Truly, the Philistine advanced morning and evening, and he stood forth, for forty days.

1 Samuel 17:17 Now Jesse said to his son David: “Take, for your brothers, an ephah of cooked grain, and these ten loaves, and hurry to the camp, to your brothers.

1 Samuel 17:18 And you shall carry these ten little cheeses to the tribune. And visit your brothers, to see if they are doing well. And learn with whom they have been stationed.”

1 Samuel 17:19 But they were in the valley of Terebinth, with Saul and all the sons of Israel, fighting against the Philistines.

1 Samuel 17:20 And so, David rose up in the morning, and he commended the flock to the caretaker. And he went away burdened, just as Jesse had instructed him. And he went to the place of the battle line, and to the army, which, in going out to fight, was shouting in the conflict.

1 Samuel 17:21 For Israel had positioned their troops, but the Philistines also had prepared themselves against them.

1 Samuel 17:22 Then, leaving the items that he had brought under the hand of the keeper of baggage, David ran to the place of the conflict. And he was asking if all was going well with his brothers.

1 Samuel 17:23 And while he was still speaking with them, there appeared the man of spurious descent, whose name was Goliath, the Philistine of Gath, ascending from the camp of the Philistines. And he was speaking in these same words, which David heard.

1 Samuel 17:24 Then all the Israelites, when they had seen the man, fled from his face, fearing him greatly.

1 Samuel 17:25 And someone of Israel said: “Have you seen this man, who has risen up. For he ascended in order to reproach Israel. Therefore, the man who will strike him down, the king will enrich with great wealth, and will give to him his daughter, and will cause his father’s house to be free of tribute in Israel.”

1 Samuel 17:26 And David spoke to the men who were standing with him, saying: “What will be given to the man who will have struck down this Philistine, and who will have taken away the disgrace from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should reproach the soldiers of the living God?”

1 Samuel 17:27 Then the people repeated to him the same words, saying, “These things shall be given to the man who will have struck him down.”

1 Samuel 17:28 Now when Eliab, his eldest brother, had heard this, as he was speaking with the others, he became angry against David, and he said: “Why did you come here? And why did you leave behind those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the wickedness of your heart, that you have come down so that you might see the battle.”

1 Samuel 17:29 And David said: “What have I done? Is there any word against me?”

1 Samuel 17:30 And he turned away from him a little, toward another. And he asked the same question. And the people responded to him as before.