1 Samuel 17
Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. 2Talut and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 3The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. 4There went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Jalut, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6He had bronze shin-armour on his legs, and a javelin of bronze between his shoulders. 7The 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. 8He stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, Why have you come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you servants of Talut? Choose yourselves a man, and let him come down to me. 9If he is able to fight with me, and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then you shall be our servants, and serve us. 10The Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. 11When Talut and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and terrified. 12Now Dawud was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days of Talut, stricken in years among men. 13The three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Talut to the battle: and the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14Dawud was the youngest; and the three eldest followed Talut. 15Now Dawud went back and forth from Talut to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. 16The Philistine came forward morning and evening for forty days. 17Jesse said to Dawud his son, Now take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers; 18and bring these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and look how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them. 19Now Talut, and the sons of Jesse, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20Dawud rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the place of the wagons, as the army which was going forth to the fight shouted for the battle. 21Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army. 22Dawud left his things in the hand of the keeper of the supplies, and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. 23As he talked with them, up came the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Jalut by name, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words: and Dawud heard them. 24All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were terrified. 25The men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who is come up? Surely to defy Israel has 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 Israel. 26Dawud spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? 27The people answered him in this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man who kills him. 28Eliab his eldest brother heard when Dawud spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger was aroused against Dawud, and he said, Why have 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. 29Dawud said, What have I done now? Don't I have a reason? 30He turned away from his brother toward another person, and spoke in the same manner: and the people answered him again in the same way. 31When the words which Dawud spoke were heard, they were told to Talut; and Talut sent for him. 32Dawud said to Talut, Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine. 33Talut said to Dawud, You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 34Dawud said to Talut, 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, 35I went after it, and struck it, and delivered the lamb out of its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck it, and killed it. 36Your servant struck both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. 37Dawud said, Allah 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 Philistine. Talut said to Dawud, Go, and Allah shall be with you. 38Talut clad Dawud with his armour, and he put a helmet of bronze on his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. 39Dawud fastened his sword on his armour, and he tried to go; for he had not tested it. Dawud said to Talut, I cannot go with these; for I have not tested them. Dawud took them off. 40He took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones out of 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 drew near to the Philistine. 41The Philistine came on and drew near to Dawud; and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42When the Philistine looked around, and saw Dawud, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, ruddy and of a fair face. 43The Philistine said to Dawud, Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks? The Philistine cursed Dawud by his gods. 44The Philistine said to Dawud, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky, and to the animals of the field. 45Then Dawud said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to you in the name of Allah, Lord of the universe, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46This day Allah will 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 army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky, and to the wild animals of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47and that all this assembly may know that Allah does not save with sword and spear: for the battle is Allah's, and he will give you into our hand. 48It happened, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew near to meet Dawud, that Dawud hurried, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49Dawud put his hand in his bag, and took there a stone, and slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50So Dawud prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine, and killed him; but there was no sword in the hand of Dawud. 51Then Dawud 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. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52The men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until you come to Gai, and to the gates of Ekron. The wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath, and to Ekron. 53Bani-Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54Dawud took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put Jalut's armour in his tent. 55When Talut saw Dawud go forth against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, Abner, whose son is this youth? Abner said, As your soul lives, O king, I don't know. 56The king said, "Inquire whose son the young man is!"
57As Dawud returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Talut with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58Talut said to him, Whose son are you, young man? Dawud answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.