Goliath Challenges Israel's Army
1 The Philistines got ready for war and brought their troops together to attack the town of Socoh in Judah. They set up camp at Ephes-Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. 2-3 King Saul and the Israelite army set up camp on a hill overlooking Elah Valley, and they got ready to fight the Philistine army that was on a hill on the other side of the valley.
4 The Philistine army had a hero named Goliath who was from the town of Gath and was about three meters tall. 5-6 He wore a bronze helmet and had bronze armor to protect his chest and legs. The chest armor alone weighed about 57 kilograms. He carried a bronze sword strapped on his back, 7 and his spear was so big that the iron spearhead alone weighed about seven kilograms. A soldier always walked in front of Goliath to carry his shield.
8 Goliath went out and shouted to the army of Israel:
Why are you lining up for battle? I'm the best soldier in our army, and all of you are in Saul's army. Choose your best soldier to come out and fight me! 9 If he can kill me, our people will be your slaves. But if I kill him, your people will be our slaves. 10 Here and now I challenge Israel's whole army! Choose someone to fight me!
11 Saul and his men heard what Goliath said, but they were so frightened of Goliath that they couldn't do a thing.
David Decides To Challenge Goliath
12 David's father Jesse was an old man, who belonged to the Ephrath clan and lived in Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons: 13-14 the oldest was Eliab, the next was Abinadab, and Shammah was the third. The three of them had gone off to fight in Saul's army.
David was Jesse's youngest son. 15 He took care of his father's sheep, and he went back and forth between Bethlehem and Saul's camp.
16 Goliath came out and gave his challenge every morning and every evening for 40 days.
17 One day, Jesse told David, “Hurry and take this sack of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread to your brothers at the army camp. 18 And here are ten large chunks of cheese to take to their commanding officer. Find out how your brothers are doing and bring back something that shows that they're all right. 19 They're with Saul's army, fighting the Philistines in Elah Valley.”
20 David obeyed his father. He got up early the next morning and left someone else in charge of the sheep; then he loaded the supplies and started off. He reached the army camp just as the soldiers were taking their places and shouting the battle cry. 21 The army of Israel and the Philistine army stood there facing each other.
22 David left his things with the man in charge of supplies and ran up to the battle line to ask his brothers if they were well. 23 While David was talking with them, Goliath came out from the line of Philistines and started boasting as usual. David heard him.
24 When the Israelite soldiers saw Goliath, they were scared and ran off. 25 They said to each other, “Look how he keeps coming out to insult us. The king is offering a big reward to the man who kills Goliath. That man will even get to marry the king's daughter, and no one in his family will ever have to pay taxes again.”
26 David asked some soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and stopping him from insulting our people? Who does that worthless Philistine think he is? He's making fun of the army of the living God!”
27 The soldiers told David what the king would give the man who killed Goliath.
28 David's oldest brother Eliab heard him talking with the soldiers. Eliab was angry with him and said, “What are you doing here, anyway? Who's taking care of your little flock of sheep out in the desert? You spoiled brat! You came here just to watch the fighting, didn't you?”
29 “Now what have I done?” David answered. “Can't I even ask a question?” 30 Then he turned and asked another soldier the same thing he had asked the others, and he got the same answer.
31 Some soldiers overheard David talking, so they told Saul what David had said. Saul sent for David, and David came. 32 “Your Majesty,” he said, “this Philistine shouldn't turn us into cowards. I'll go out and fight him myself!”
33 “You don't have a chance against him,” Saul replied. “You're only a boy, and he's been a soldier all his life.”
34 But David told him:
Your Majesty, I take care of my father's sheep. And when one of them is dragged off by a lion or a bear, 35 I go after it and beat the wild animal until it lets the sheep go. If the wild animal turns and attacks me, I grab it by the throat and kill it.
36 Sir, I have killed lions and bears that way, and I can kill this worthless Philistine. He shouldn't have made fun of the army of the living God! 37 The Lord has rescued me from the claws of lions and bears, and he will keep me safe from the hands of this Philistine.
“All right,” Saul answered, “go ahead and fight him. And I hope the Lord will help you.”
38 Saul had his own military clothes and armor put on David, and he gave David a bronze helmet to wear. 39 David strapped on a sword and tried to walk around, but he was not used to wearing those things.
“I can't move with all this stuff on,” David said. “I'm just not used to it.”
David took off the armor 40 and picked up his shepherd's stick. He went out to a stream and picked up five smooth rocks and put them in his leather bag. Then with his sling in his hand, he went straight toward Goliath.
David Kills Goliath
41 Goliath came toward David, walking behind the soldier who was carrying his shield. 42 When Goliath saw that David was just a healthy, good-looking boy, he made fun of him. 43 “Do you think I'm a dog?” Goliath asked. “Is that why you've come after me with a stick?” He cursed David in the name of the Philistine gods 44 and shouted, “Come on! When I'm finished with you, I'll feed you to the birds and wild animals!”
45 David answered:
You've come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger. But I've come out to fight you in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. He is the God of Israel's army, and you have insulted him too!
46 Today the Lord will help me defeat you. I'll knock you down and cut off your head, and I'll feed the bodies of the other Philistine soldiers to the birds and wild animals. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a real God. 47 Everybody here will see that the Lord doesn't need swords or spears to save his people. The Lord always wins his battles, and he will help us defeat you.
48 When Goliath started forward, David ran toward him. 49 He put a rock in his sling and swung the sling around by its straps. When he let go of one strap, the rock flew out and hit Goliath on the forehead. It cracked his skull, and he fell facedown on the ground. 50 David defeated Goliath with a sling and a rock. He killed him without even using a sword.
51 David ran over and pulled out Goliath's sword. Then he used it to cut off Goliath's head.
When the Philistines saw what had happened to their hero, they started running away. 52 But the soldiers of Israel and Judah let out a battle cry and went after them as far as Gath and Ekron. The bodies of the Philistines were scattered all along the road from Shaaraim to Gath and Ekron.
53 When the Israelite army returned from chasing the Philistines, they took what they wanted from the enemy camp. 54 David took Goliath's head to Jerusalem, but he kept Goliath's weapons in his own tent.
David Becomes One of Saul's Officers
55 After King Saul had watched David go out to fight Goliath, Saul turned to the commander of his army and said, “Abner, who is that young man?”
“Your Majesty,” Abner answered, “I swear by your life that I don't know.”
56 “Then find out!” Saul told him.
57 When David came back from fighting Goliath, he was still carrying Goliath's head.
Abner took David to Saul, 58 and Saul asked, “Who are you?”
“I am David the son of Jesse, a loyal Israelite from Bethlehem.”
Koliyati ye Banisirayila kelediŋ kafoo hadaañi
1 Filisitinkoolu ye ì la kelediŋolu bendi ka taa keloo la. Ì benta Soko le, saatewo meŋ be Yahuuda bankoo kaŋ. Ì daakaata Efesi-Dammimu le, meŋ tarata Soko niŋ Aseka teema. 2 Sawulu niŋ Banisirayilankoolu benta le, bituŋ ì taata daakaa Ela Wulumbaŋo to. Ì ye ì la kelediŋolu randi jee le to, ka taa Filisitinkoolu maa keloo la. 3 Filisitinkoolu tarata konko doo kaŋ, bituŋ Banisirayilankoolu fanaa tarata konko doo kaŋ, ì ye wulumbaŋo bula ì teema.
4 Kelejawaroo meŋ too mu Koliyati ti, aduŋ a bota Kati le, wo le fintita naŋ ka bo Filisitinkoolu la daakaa to. A la jaŋayaa taata le fo nonkonkatiñaa wooro. 5 A ye jaawali naafoo aniŋ jaawali dendikoo le duŋ ka a faŋo tankandi. A la jaawali dendikoo la kuliyaa kaañanta kilo taŋ luulu niŋ woorowula le fee. 6 Tankandiraŋolu mennu dadaata niŋ jaawaloo la, a ye wolu le duŋ a siŋolu bala, aduŋ tamboo meŋ fanaa dadaata niŋ jaawaloo la, a ye wo le bambu a sañoo kaŋ. 7 A la soora dokoo la waroo ka munta le ko kuruntoo, a neŋo to, newo meŋ be jee, wo la kuliyaa kaañanta kilo woorowula le fee. A la koteeri* sambalaa be tambiriŋ a ñaato le.
8 Koliyati loota, a sarita Banisirayilankoolu la kelediŋolu kaŋ. A ko ì ye ko, “Muŋ ne ye a tinna, ali ranta ka naa keloo la? Fo nte maŋ ke Filisitinkoo le ti baŋ, fo ali maŋ ke Sawulu la dookuulaalu le ti? Ali kee kiliŋ tomboŋ, a ye naa m maa keloo la. 9 Niŋ a ye n noo keloo la, a ye m faa, m̀ be ke la ali la joŋolu le ti. Bari niŋ ŋa a noo keloo la, ŋa a faa, ali be ke la ǹ na joŋolu ti le, ali ye dookuwo ke ǹ ye.” 10 Wo to le Koliyati ko, “Bii luŋo ŋa Banisirayilankoolu la kelediŋolu hadaañi le. Ali kee kiliŋ dii n na, n niŋ a ye keloo ke.”
11 Kabiriŋ Sawulu niŋ Banisirayilankoolu bee ye ñiŋ kumoolu moyi, ì bee kijoo farata, aduŋ ì silata baake le.
Dawuda naata keledulaa to
12 Dawuda le keta Yese Efuratankoo* dinkewo ti. Yese bota Betilehemu saatewo le to, meŋ tarata Yahuuda bankoo kaŋ. Yese ye dinkee seyi le soto. Kabiriŋ Sawulu be mansayaa la waatoo meŋ na, wo ye a tara le, Yese kotoota baake. 13 Yese dinkee keebaa saboo bulata Sawulu nooma le ka taa keloo la. A dinkee foloo too mu Eliyabu le ti, fulanjaŋo Abinadabu, sabanjaŋo Samma. 14 Dawuda le mu ì bee la dindiŋo ti. Keebaamaa saboo tarata Sawulu le nooma, 15 bari Dawuda ka taa niŋ naa le ke Sawulu yaa, kaatu a ka taa a faamaa la saajiyolu le kanta Betilehemu.
16 A taata le fo tili taŋ naani, soomandaa niŋ wulaaroo, Filisitinkoo ka naa Banisirayilankoolu hadaañi.
17 Luŋ kiliŋ Yese ko Dawuda ye ko, “Ñiŋ dempeteŋ kilo taŋo taa, aniŋ mbuuru kuŋ taŋ, i tariyaa i ye ì samba i kotoolu ye daakaa to. 18 I si ciisi taŋ taa, i ye a dii ì la kelediŋ kafu kuntiyo la. I si i kotoolu la kuwo koroosi, i ye taamanseeri naati n ye, ka a yitandi ko, i ye ì je le, aduŋ tana-wo-tana te ì la. 19 Mansa Sawulu, i kotoolu aniŋ Banisirayilankoolu bee be Filisitinkoolu kelendi kaŋ Ela Wulumbaŋo kono le.”
20 Wo saamoo soomandaa juunoo Dawuda wulita, a ye saajiyolu tu moo doo bulu ka ì kanta. A ye domoroo taa, a taata, ko Yese ye a fo a ye ñaameŋ. A be futa la daakaa to doroŋ, a ye a tara, Banisirayilankoolu pareeriŋo be wuuri la santo, ka taa keloo la. 21 Filisitinkoolu niŋ Banisirayilankoolu la kelediŋolu ranta, ì ye ì ñaa tiliŋ ñoo la, ì pareeta ka naa keloo la. 22 Dawuda ye a la feŋolu tu bakaasi kantalaa bulu, bituŋ a borita keledulaa to, a taata a kotoolu kontoŋ. 23 Kabiriŋ a niŋ ì be diyaamu kaŋ, Koliyati, Filisitinkoolu la kelejawaroo meŋ bota Kati, bota naŋ a la raŋo to, ka sari ka ì hadaañi, ko a ka a ke nuŋ ñaameŋ. Bituŋ Dawuda ye wo moyi. 24 Kabiriŋ Banisirayilankoolu ye Koliyati je, ì bee silariŋo borita a la. 25 Saayiŋ Banisirayilankoolu ka tu la a fo la le ko, “Ali ye a je le, ñiŋ kewo ka tu la naa la ñaameŋ waati-wo-waati. A ka finti le ka naa Banisirayila hadaañi. Mansa be naafulu jamaa dii la kewo la le, meŋ ye a faa. A be a dimmusoo fanaa dii la wo maarii la le, a ye a futuu, aduŋ a faamaa la dimbaayaa te naamoo joo la Banisirayila kono.”
26 Dawuda ye kewolu ñininkaa, mennu be a daala. A ko, “Muŋ ne be ke la keendiŋo ye, meŋ ye ñiŋ Filisitinkoo faa, a ye Banisirayila bondi maloo kono? Jumaa le mu ñiŋ Filisitinka sunnabaloo ti, fo a ka Alla baluuriŋo la kelediŋolu hadaañi?” 27 Ì ka meŋ fo, ì ye a bee seyinkaŋ a ye. Ì ko a ye ko, “Ñiŋ ne be ke la kewo ye, meŋ ye a faa.”
28 Kabiriŋ Eliyabu Dawuda kotoo keebaa ye a moyi, a niŋ kewolu be diyaamu kaŋ, a jusoo bota a bulu, a ye a ñininkaa ko, “Muŋ ne ye a tinna, i naata jaŋ? I ye wo saajiiriŋolu tu jumaa le bulu keñewuloo* kono? Ŋa a loŋ ne ko, i tuloo koleyaata le, aduŋ i jusoo jaata le. Kele juubee, wo dammaa le ye i sii jaŋ.”
29 Dawuda ko a ye ko, “Ŋa muŋ ne ke? Fo n te diyaamu la faŋ?”
30 Wo to le a sawunta moo doo yaa, a ye wo kuu kiliŋo seyinkaŋ a ye. Moolu ye a jaabi ko, a ye jaabiroo meŋ soto nuŋ koomanto. 31 Kewo doolu ye a moyi le, Dawuda ye meŋ fo. Bituŋ ì ye a fo Sawulu ye, wo fanaa ye kiilaa kii ka taa a kumandi. 32 Dawuda ko Sawulu ye ko, “Moo-wo-moo le kana jikilateyi ñiŋ Filisitinkoo la kuwo la. Nte i la dookuulaa be taa a kele la le.”
33 Sawulu ye a jaabi ko, “Ite te ñiŋ Filisitinkoo maa noo la keloo la. Ite mu dindiŋo doroŋ ne ti, aduŋ ate mu kelejawaroo le ti kabiriŋ a fondinkewo.”
34 Bari Dawuda ko Sawulu ye ko, “Nte i la dookuulaa tarata nuŋ m faamaa la saajiyolu le kanta kaŋ. Niŋ jatoo waraŋ daafeŋ saŋarariŋ* doo naata, a ye saajiyo bondi saajii koorewo kono, 35 n ka bori a nooma le, ŋa a fadi, bituŋ ŋa saajiiriŋo tankandi. Niŋ a muruta naŋ n kaŋ, n ka a kaŋo le dete, ŋa a lipa, fo a ye faa. 36 Nte i la dookuulaa ye jatoo niŋ daafeŋ saŋarariŋo doo faa le, aduŋ m be wo kuu kiliŋo le ke la ñiŋ Filisitinka sunnabaloo la, kaatu a ka Alla baluuriŋo la kelediŋolu hadaañi le. 37 Yaawe* meŋ ye n tankandi jatoolu niŋ daafeŋ saŋarariŋolu ŋooriŋolu la, ate le be m bondi la ñiŋ Filisitinkoo buloo kono.”
Wo to le Sawulu ko Dawuda ye ko, “Taa, Allamaa Yaawe ye tara i fee.”
38 Sawulu ye a faŋo la kelejooraŋolu duŋ Dawuda ye. A ye jaawali naafoo duŋ a kuŋo to, aniŋ dendikoo meŋ dadaata niŋ jaawaloo la. 39 Dawuda ye Sawulu la hawusaroo* siti kelejooraŋolu bala, a ye a kata ka taama, bari a maŋ taama noo, kaatu a maŋ dali ì la. Wo to le Dawuda ko Sawulu ye ko, “N niŋ ñinnu te taama noo la, kaatu m maŋ dali ì la.” Bituŋ a ye ì bondi. 40 A naata a la dokoo muta a buloo kono, a ye bere luulu tomboŋ bolondiŋo to, a ye a ke a la kantarilaŋ kufoo jifoo kono. Wo to le a ye a la kampuraŋo muta a buloo kono, a taata ñiŋ Filisitinkoo waliŋ.
Dawuda ye Koliyati faa
41 Koliyati ye a dati ka naa Dawuda maafaŋo la, a niŋ a la koteeri sambalaa, meŋ tarata ate faŋo ñaato. A tuta kata la naŋ ne. 42 Kabiriŋ a lookuuta Dawuda ye, a jututa a la, kaatu dindiŋo doroŋ ne mu, aduŋ a ñiiñaata le. 43 A ko Dawuda ye ko, “Fo nte mu wuloo le ti, fo i niŋ dokoolu ka naa n kaŋ!” Koliyati ye Dawuda danka ka bo niŋ a la alloolu la. 44 Filisitinkoo ko Dawuda ye ko, “Naa jaŋ! M be i suboo dii la duwoolu niŋ wulakono daafeŋolu la le, ì ye a domo.”
45 Bari Dawuda ko Koliyati ye ko, “Ite ka naa n kaŋ niŋ tamboo, sooroo aniŋ hawusaroo le la. Bari nte ka naa i kaŋ niŋ Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo* too le la, meŋ mu Banisirayila la kelediŋ kafoolu la Alla ti, i ye meŋ hadaañi. 46 Bii luŋo faŋo Yaawe be i duŋ na m bulu le, aduŋ m be i noo la keloo la le, ŋa i kaŋo kuntu. Bituŋ ŋa naa Filisitinkoolu la kelediŋolu baloolu dii duwoolu niŋ daafeŋolu la, ì ye ì domo. Wo to le duniyaa bee be a loŋ na ko, Banisirayila ye Alla soto le. 47 Aduŋ moolu bee, mennu be jaŋ, be a je la le ko, Yaawe maŋ suula hawusaroolu niŋ sooroolu la ka a la moolu tankandi. Keloo mu Yaawe le taa ti, aduŋ a be ali bee duŋ na m̀ bulu le.”
48 Kabiriŋ Koliyati ka taa Dawuda boyinkaŋ, Dawuda borita katabake, ka taa a tarandi keledulaa to. 49 A ye a buloo bula a la kufoo kono, a ye beroo bondi, a ye a fayi kampuraŋo la daameŋ doroŋ, a taata Koliyati maa a fondaa to. Beroo dunta a kuŋo kono, a boyita a ñaadaa kaŋ bankoo to.
50 Dawuda ye Koliyati noo keloo la kampuraŋo niŋ beroo le la. A ye a buŋ ne, a ye a faa. Aduŋ a maŋ hawusaroo muta a buloo kono. 51 Wo to le Dawuda borita, a loota Koliyati kaŋ, a ye Koliyati la hawusaroo saba naŋ a laa kono, a ye a faa, a ye a kuŋo kuntu.
Kabiriŋ Filisitinkoolu ye a je ko, ì la kelejawaroo faata le, ì bee borita. 52 Bituŋ Banisirayila niŋ Yahuuda kewolu niŋ wuuroo naata ñaato, ka Filisitinkoolu bayindi fo Kati aniŋ Ekironi dundaŋ daalu to. Filisitinkoolu furewolu tarata laariŋ Saarayimu siloo kaŋ, ka taa fo Kati niŋ Ekironi. 53 Kabiriŋ Banisirayilankoolu bota naŋ Filisitinkoolu bayindi kaŋ, ì ye ì la daakaa feŋolu bee le taa. 54 Dawuda ye Koliyati kuŋo sika, a ye a samba Yerusalaamu, bituŋ a ye Koliyati la jooraŋolu taa, a ye ì ke a faŋo la tiriliisoo* koto.
55 Kabiriŋ Sawulu ye Dawuda je, a ka taa Koliyati boyinkaŋ, a ko a la kelediŋ kuntiyo Abuna ye ko, “Abuna, jumaa le dinkewo mu wo fondinkewo ti?”
Abuna ye a jaabi ko, “Mansa buuñaariŋ, nte maŋ a loŋ.”
56 Mansa ko, “Taa ñininkaaroo ke meŋ dinkewo mu ñiŋ fondinkewo ti.”
57 Kabiriŋ Dawuda bota Koliyati faa la doroŋ, Abuna ye a taa, a ye a samba Sawulu ye. Koliyati kuŋo tarata nuŋ Dawuda bulu le, kabiriŋ a ka taa Sawulu yaa. 58 Sawulu ye a ñininkaa ko, “Fondinkewo, jumaa le dinkewo mu ite ti?”
Dawuda ko, “Nte mu Yese dinkewo le ti, i la dookuulaa, meŋ be Betilehemu.”
