1 Samuel 17:1–10

Goliath Challenges Israel

¹Now ^athe Philistines gathered their camps for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between ^bSocoh and ^cAzekah, in ^dEphes-dammim.

²But Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in ^athe valley of Elah and arranged themselves for battle to meet the Philistines.

³Now the Philistines stood on the mountain on one side while Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them.

⁴Then a champion came out from the camps of the Philistines named ^aGoliath, from ^bGath, whose height was ¹six cubits and a ²span.

⁵And he had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor, and the weight of that scale-armor was five thousand ¹shekels of bronze.

⁶He also had bronze ¹greaves on his legs and a ^abronze ²javelin slung between his shoulders.

^7aAnd the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; ^bhis shield-carrier also walked before him.

⁸And he stood and called out to the ¹battle lines of Israel and said to them, “Why do you come out to arrange yourselves for battle? Am I not the Philistine and you ^aslaves of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.

⁹“^aIf he is able to fight with me and strike me down, then we will become your slaves; but if I prevail against him and strike him down, then you shall become our slaves and serve us.”

¹⁰Again the Philistine said, “^aI openly ¹reproach the battle lines of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together.”