45. David said to the Philistine, “You come to me using sword, spear, and javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord All-Powerful, the God of the armies of Israel. You have said bad things about him.
46. Today the Lord will let me defeat you. I will kill you. I will cut off your head and feed your body to the birds and wild animals. And we will do the same thing to all the other Philistines too. Then all the world will know there is a God in Israel.
47. All the people gathered here will know that the Lord doesn’t need swords or spears to save people. The battle belongs to the Lord, and he will help us defeat all of you.”
48. Goliath the Philistine started to attack David. He slowly walked closer and closer toward David, but David ran out to meet Goliath.
49. David took out a stone from his bag. He put it in his sling and swung the sling. The stone flew from the sling and hit Goliath right between the eyes. The stone sank deep into his head, and Goliath fell to the ground—face down.
50. So David defeated the Philistine with only a sling and one stone! He hit the Philistine and killed him. David didn’t have a sword,
51. so he ran and stood beside the Philistine. Then David took Goliath’s own sword out of its sheath and used it to cut off his head. That is how David killed the Philistine. When the other Philistines saw their hero was dead, they turned and ran.
52. The soldiers of Israel and Judah shouted and started chasing the Philistines. The Israelites chased them all the way to the city limits of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. They killed many of the Philistines. Their bodies were scattered along the Shaaraim road all the way to Gath and Ekron.
53. After chasing the Philistines, the Israelites came back to the Philistine camp and took many things from that camp.
54. David took the Philistine’s head to Jerusalem, but he kept the Philistine’s weapons at home.
55. Saul watched David go out to fight Goliath. Saul spoke to Abner, the commander of the army. “Abner, who is that young man’s father?” Abner answered, “I swear I don’t know, sir.”
56. King Saul said, “Find out who his father is.”
57. When David came back after killing Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul. David was still holding the Philistine’s head.
58. Saul asked him, “Young man, who is your father?” David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse, from Bethlehem.”