Study Desk

Now ^(a)the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between ^(b)Socoh and ^(c)Azekah, in ^(d)Ephes-dammim.

Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in ^(e)the valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines.

The Philistines stood on the mountain on one side while Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them.

Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named ^(f)Goliath, from ^(g)Gath, whose height was six ^[a]cubits and a span.

He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor ^[b]which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze.

He also had bronze ^[c]greaves on his legs and a ^(h)bronze javelin slung between his shoulders.

⁽ⁱ⁾The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; ^(j)his shield-carrier also walked before him.

He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and said to them, "Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you ^(k)servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.

^(l)If he is able to fight with me and ^[d]kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and ^[e]kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us."

Again the Philistine said, "^(m)I defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together."

When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

Now David was ⁽ⁿ⁾the son of ^[f]the ^(o)Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, and ^(p)he had eight sons. And ^[g]Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.

The three older sons of Jesse had ^[h]gone after Saul to the battle. And ^(q)the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

^(r)David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul,

^(s)but David went back and forth from Saul ^(t)to tend his father's flock at Bethlehem.

The Philistine came ^[i]forward morning and evening for forty days and took his stand.

Then Jesse said to David his son, "^(u)Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers.

^(v)Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, ^(w)and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back ^[j]news of them.

For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines."

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 ^(x)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 ^(y)baggage in the ^[k]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 ^(z)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 ^(aa)will give him his daughter and make his father's house ^[l]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 ^(ab)the reproach from Israel? For who is this ^(ac)uncircumcised Philistine, that he should ^(ad)taunt the armies of ^(ae)the living God?"

The people ^[m]answered him in accord with this word, saying, "^(af)Thus it will be done for the man who kills him."