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 towards him.
49. He put a stone in his sling and swung the sling around by its straps. When he let go of one strap, the stone flew out and hit Goliath on the forehead. It cracked his skull, and he fell face down on the ground.
50. David defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone. 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.
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,