David killed Goliath

41 Goliath walked toward David, with the soldier who was carrying his shield walking in front of him. When he got near David, 42 he looked at David closely. He saw that David had a handsome face and healthy body, but that he was only a young man. So he sneered at David. 43 He said to David, “Are you coming to me with a stick because you think that I am a dog?” Then he called out to his gods to harm David. 44 He said to David, “Come here to me, and I will kill you and give your dead body to the birds and wild animals to eat!”

45 David replied, “You are coming to me with a sword and a dagger and a spear. But I am coming to you ◄in the name/with the authority► of almighty Yahweh. He is the God whom the army of Israel worships, and he is the God whom you have defied/ridiculed. 46 Today Yahweh will enable me to defeat you. I will strike you down and cut off your head. And we Israelis will kill many Philistine soldiers and give their bodies to the birds and wild animals to eat. And everyone in the world will hear about it and know that we Israeli people worship an all-powerful God. 47 And everyone here will know that Yahweh can rescue people without a sword or a spear. Yahweh always wins his battles, and he will enable us to defeat all of you Philistines.”

48 As Goliath came closer to attack David, David ran quickly toward him. 49 He put his hand into his shoulder-bag and took out one stone. He put it in his sling and hurled it toward Goliath. The stone hit Goliath on the forehead and penetrated his skull, and he fell face down onto the ground.

50-51 50-51Then David ran and stood over Goliath. He pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath and killed him with it, and then cut off his head. In that way David defeated the Philistine without having his own sword. He used only a sling and a stone!

When the other Philistines saw that their great warrior was dead, they ran away. 52 The Israeli men shouted and ran after them. They pursued them all the way to Gath and to the gates of Ekron city. They struck them as they went, with the result that dead/wounded Philistines were lying on the road all the way from Shaaraim to Gath and Ekron towns. 53 When the Israelis returned from chasing the Philistines, they ◄plundered/took everything from► the Philistine camp. 54 David later took the head of Goliath to Jerusalem, but he kept Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.

55 As Saul watched David going toward Goliath, he said to Abner, the commanded of his army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?” Abner replied, “◄As sure as you are alive/Truly► [IDM], I do not know.”

56 Then the king said, “Find out whose son he is!”

57 Later, as David returned from killing Goliath, Abner took him to Saul. David was carrying Goliath’s head.

58 Saul asked him, “Young man, whose son are you?” David replied, “Sir, perhaps you have forgotten that I am the son of your servant Jesse, who has served you faithfully, who lives in Bethlehem.”