17:1 Now the Pelishtim gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which [belongeth] to Yehudah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Efas-dammim.
17:2 And Sha'ul and the men of Yisrael were gathered together, and pitched by the Emek ha Elah (Valley of Elah), and set the battle in array against the Pelishtim .
17:3 And the Pelishtim stood on a mountain on the one side, and Yisrael stood on a mountain on the other side: and [there was] a valley between them.
17:4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Pelishtim , named Golyat (Goliath), of Gat, whose height [was] six cubits and a span. [abt ten feet]
17:5 And [he had] an helmet of brass upon his head, and he [was] armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat [was] five thousand shekels of brass.
17:6 And [he had] greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.
17:7 And the staff of his spear [was] like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head [weighed] six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.
17:8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Yisrael, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set [your] battle in array? [am] not I a P'lishti, and ye avadim to Sha'ul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
17:9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your avadim: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our avadim, and serve us.
17:10 And the P'lishti said:
I defy the armies of Yisrael this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
17:11 When Sha'ul and all Yisrael heard those Devarim the P'lishti, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
17:12 Now David Ben Efrati ha zemi Beit Lechem Yehudah, whose name [was] Yishai; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men [for] an old man in the days of Sha'ul.
17:13 And the three eldest sons of Yishai went [and] followed Sha'ul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle [were]
Eli'av the firstborn, and next unto him Avinadav, and the third Shammah.
17:14 And David [was] the youngest: and the three eldest followed Sha'ul.
17:15 But David went and returned from Sha'ul to feed his father's sheep at Beit Lechem.
17:16 And the P'lishti drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
17:17 And Yishai said unto David his son:
Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched [corn], and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren;
17:18 And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of [their] thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.
17:19 Now Sha'ul, and they, and all the men of Yisrael, [were] in the Emek ha Elah (Valley of Elah), fighting with the Pelishtim .
17:20 And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Yishai had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle.
17:21 For Yisrael and the Pelishtim had put the battle in array, army against army.
17:22 And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
17:23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the P'lishti of Gat, Golyat (Goliath) by name, out of the armies of the Pelishtim , and spake according to the same words: and David heard [them].
17:24 And all the men of Yisrael, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
17:25 And the men of Yisrael said:
Have ye seen this man that is come up? Surely to defy Yisrael is he come up: and it shall be, [that] the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's bayit free in Yisrael.
17:26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying:
What shall be done to the man that killeth this P'lishti, and taketh away the reproach from Yisrael?
For who [is] this uncircumcised P'lishti, that he should defy the armies of the living Elohim (אלהים)?
17:27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
17:28 And Eli'av his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eli'av's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.
17:29 And David said:
What have I now done?
[Is there] not a cause?
17:30 And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.
17:31 And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed [them] before Sha'ul: and he sent for him.
17:32 And David said to Sha'ul:
Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy eved will go and fight with this P'lishti.
17:33 And Sha'ul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this P'lishti to fight with him: for thou [art but] a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
17:34 And David said unto Sha'ul:
Thy eved kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
17:35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered [it] out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught [him] by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
17:36 Thy eved slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised P'lishti shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living Elohim (אלהים).
17:37 David said moreover, YHWH (יהוה) that 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 P'lishti. And Sha'ul said unto David, Go, and YHWH (יהוה) be with thee.
17:38 And Sha'ul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.
17:39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved [it]. And David said unto Sha'ul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved [them]. And David put them off him.
17:40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling [was] in his hand: and he drew near to the P'lishti.
17:41 And the P'lishti came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield [went] before him.
17:42 And when the P'lishti looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was [but] a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
17:43 And the P'lishti said unto David, [Am] I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the P'lishti cursed David by his gods.
17:44 And the P'lishti said to David:
Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
17:45 Then said David to the P'lishti:
Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the Name of YHWH (יהוה) Tzva'ot (צבאות) Elohei (אלהי) of the armies of Yisrael, whom thou hast defied.
17:46 This day will YHWH (יהוה) deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Pelishtim this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a Elohim (אלהים) in Yisrael.
17:47 And all this assembly shall know that YHWH (יהוה) saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle [is] YHWH (יהוה)'S, and he will give you into our hands.
17:48 And it came to pass, when the P'lishti arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the P'lishti.
17:49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang [it], and smote the P'lishti in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
17:50 So David prevailed over the P'lishti with a sling and with a stone, and smote the P'lishti, and slew him; but [there was] no sword in the hand of David.
17:51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the P'lishti, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Pelishtim saw their champion was dead, they fled.
17:52 And the men of Yisrael and of Yehudah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Pelishtim , until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Pelishtim fell down by the way to Shaarayim, even unto Gat, and unto Ekron.
17:53 And the benai Yisrael returned from chasing after the Pelishtim , and they spoiled their tents.
17:54 And David took the head of the P'lishti, and brought it to Yerushalayim; but he put his armour in his tent.
17:55 And when Sha'ul saw David go forth against the P'lishti, he said unto Avner (אבנר), the captain of the host, Avner (אבנר), whose son [is] this youth? And Avner said, [As] thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.
17:56 And the king said, Enquire thou whose son the stripling [is].
17:57 And as David returned from the slaughter of the P'lishti, Avner took him, and brought him before Sha'ul with the head of the P'lishti in his hand.
17:58 And Sha'ul said to him:
Whose son [art] thou, [thou] young man? And David answered, I [am] the son of thy eved Yishai the Beit Lechemite.
The name means "terebinth" or "oak."
It corresponds to Wadi es-Sant located 18 miles southwest of Jerusalem. Warring armies could speak to each other across the valley.