New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.
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Now the Philistines got their armies together for war, and came together at Socoh in the land of Judah, and took up their position between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim.
2 Saul and the Israelites gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah, and formed ranks against the Philistines.
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And Saul and the men of Israel came together and took up their position in the valley of Elah, and put their forces in order against the Philistines.
3 The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.
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The Philistines were stationed on the mountain on one side and Israel on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
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And a fighter came out from the tents of the Philistines, named Goliath of Gath; he was more than six cubits tall.
5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
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And he had a head-dress of brass on his head, and he was dressed in a coat of metal, the weight of which was five thousand shekels of brass.
6 He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.
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His legs were covered with plates of brass and hanging on his back was a javelin of brass.
7 The shaft 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.
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The stem of his spear was as long as a cloth-worker's rod, and its head was made of six hundred shekels' weight of iron: and one went before him with his body-cover.
8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.
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He took up his position and in a loud voice said to the armies of Israel, Why have you come out to make war? Am I not a Philistine and you servants of Saul? Send out a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.
9 If 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."
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If he is able to have a fight with me and overcome me, then we will be your servants: but if I am able to overcome him, then you will be our servants and do work for us.
10 And the Philistine said, "Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together."
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And the Philistine said, I have put to shame the armies of Israel this day; give me a man so that we may have a fight together.
11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
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And Saul and all Israel, hearing those words of the Philistine, were troubled and full of fear.
12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.
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Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah named Jesse, who had eight sons; and he was an old man in Saul's day, and far on in years.
13 The three eldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle; the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
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And the three oldest sons of Jesse had gone with Saul to the fight: the names of the three who went to the fight were Eliab, the oldest, and Abinadab the second, and Shammah the third.
14 David was the youngest; the three eldest followed Saul,
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And David was the youngest: and the three oldest were with Saul's army.
15 but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.
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Now David went to and from Saul, looking after his father's sheep at Beth-lehem.
16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.
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And the Philistine came near every morning and evening for forty days.
17 Jesse said to his son David, "Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers;
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And Jesse said to his son David, Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dry grain and these ten cakes of bread, and go quickly with them to the tents to your brothers;
18 also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See how your brothers fare, and bring some token from them."
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And take these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers are and come back with a sign to say how they are.
19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
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Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
20 David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry.
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And David got up early in the morning, and, giving the sheep into the care of a keeper, took the things and went as Jesse had said; and he came to the lines where the carts were, when the army was going out to the fight giving their war-cry.
21 Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army.
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And Israel and the Philistines had put their forces in position, army against army.
22 David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers.
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And David gave his parcels into the hands of the keeper of the army stores, and went running to the army and came to his brothers to get knowledge about them.
23 As he talked with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.
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And while he was talking to them, the fighter, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came out from the Philistines' lines and said the same words, in David's hearing.
24 All the Israelites, when they saw the man, fled from him and were very much afraid.
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And all the men of Israel, when they saw him, went in flight, overcome with fear.
25 The Israelites said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. The king will greatly enrich the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter and make his family free in Israel."
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And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man? Clearly he has come out to put shame on Israel: and it is certain that if any man overcomes him, the king will give that man great wealth, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's family free in Israel.
26 David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall 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 defy the armies of the living God?"
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And David said to the men near him, What will be done to the man who overcomes this Philistine and takes away the shame from Israel? for who is this Philistine, a man without circumcision, that he has put shame on the armies of the living God?
27 The people answered him in the same way, "So shall it be done for the man who kills him."
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And the people gave him this answer, So it will be done to the man who overcomes him.
28 His eldest brother Eliab heard him talking to the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David. He said, "Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart; for you have come down just to see the battle."
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And Eliab, his oldest brother, hearing what David said to the men, was moved to wrath against David, and said, Why have you come here? Into whose care have you given that little flock of sheep in the waste land? I have knowledge of your pride and the evil of your heart, you have come down to see the fight.
29 David said, "What have I done now? It was only a question."
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And David said, What have I done now? was it not only a word?
30 He turned away from him toward another and spoke in the same way; and the people answered him again as before.
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And turning away from him to one of the other men, he said the same words: and the people gave him the same answer.
31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul; and he sent for him.
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And, hearing what David said, they gave Saul word of it: and he sent for him.
32 David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."
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And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart become feeble because of him; I, your servant, will go out and have a fight with this Philistine.
33 Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth."
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And Saul said to David, You are not able to go out against this Philistine and have a fight with him: for you are only a boy, and he has been a man of war from his earliest days.
34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock,
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And David said to Saul, Your servant has been keeper of his father's sheep; and if a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,
35 I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it.
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I went out after him, and overcame him, and took it out of his mouth: and if, turning on me, he came at me, I took him by the hair and overcame him and put him to death.
36 Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God."
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Your servant has overcome lion and bear: and the fate of this Philistine, who is without circumcision, will be like theirs, seeing that he has put shame on the armies of the living God.
37 David said, "The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine." So Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you!"
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And David said, The Lord, who kept me safe from the grip of the lion and the bear, will be my saviour from the hands of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go! and may the Lord be with you.
38 Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail.
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Then Saul gave David his clothing of war, and put a head-dress of brass on his head and had him clothed with a coat of metal.
39 David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." So David removed them.
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And David took Saul's sword and put the band round him over the metal coat, and was unable to go forward; for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, It is not possible for me to go out with these, for I am not used to them. So David took them off.
40 Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
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Then he took his stick in his hand, and got five smooth stones from the bed of the stream and put them in a bag such as is used by sheep-keepers; and in his hand was a leather band used for sending stones: and so he went in the direction of the Philistine.
41 The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.
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And the Philistine came nearer to David; and the man who had his body-cover went before him.
42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.
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And when the Philistine, taking note, saw David, he had a poor opinion of him: for he was only a boy, red-haired and good-looking.
43 The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
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And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that you come out to me with sticks? And the Philistine put curses on David by all his gods.
44 The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field."
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And the Philistine said to David, Come here to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.
45 But David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
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Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin: but I come to you in the name of the Lord of armies, the God of the armies of Israel on which you have put shame.
46 This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
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This day the Lord will give you up into my hands, and I will overcome you, and take your head off you; and I will give the bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth today, so that all the earth may see that Israel has a God;
47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand."
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And all these people who are here today may see that the Lord does not give salvation by sword and spear: for the fight is the Lord's, and he will give you up into our hands.
48 When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.
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Now when the Philistine made a move and came near to David, David quickly went at a run in the direction of the army, meeting the Philistine face to face.
49 David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.
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And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and sent it from his leather band straight at the Philistine, and the stone went deep into his brow, and he went down to the earth, falling on his face.
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, striking down the Philistine and killing him; there was no sword in David's hand.
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So David overcame the Philistine with his leather band and a stone, wounding the Philistine and causing his death: but David had no sword in his hand.
51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine; he grasped his sword, drew it out of its sheath, and killed him; then he cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
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So running up to the Philistine and putting his foot on him, David took his sword out of its cover, and put him to death, cutting off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their fighter was dead, they went in flight.
52 The troops of Israel and Judah rose up with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron.
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And the men of Israel and of Judah got up, and gave a cry, and went after the Philistines as far as Gath and the town doors of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines were falling down by the road from Shaaraim all the way to Gath and Ekron.
53 The Israelites came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.
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Then the children of Israel came back from going after the Philistines, and took their goods from the tents.
54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent.
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And David took the head of the Philistine to Jerusalem, but the metal war-dress and the arms he put in his tent.
55 When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is this young man?" Abner said, "As your soul lives, O king, I do not know."
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And when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, Abner, whose son is this young man? And Abner said, On your life, O king, I have no idea.
56 The king said, "Inquire whose son the stripling is."
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And the king said, Make search and see whose son this young man is.
57 On David's return from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
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And when David was coming back after the destruction of the Philistine, Abner took him to Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
58 Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" And David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."
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And Saul said to him, Young man, whose son are you? And David in answer said, I am the son of your servant Jesse of Beth-lehem.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.