40. Instead, he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pouch, in his shepherd’s bag. Then, with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.
41. The Philistine came closer and closer to David, with the shield-bearer in front of him.
42. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a youth, healthy and handsome.
43. He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks? ” Then he cursed David by his gods.
44. “Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts! ”
45. David said to the Philistine: “You come against me with a dagger, spear, and sword, but I come against you in the name of Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel’s armies — you have defied Him.
46. Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, cut your head off, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God,
47. and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s. He will hand you over to us.”
48. When the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine.
49. David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
50. David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. Even though David had no sword, he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
51. David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword, pulled it from its sheath, and used it to kill him. Then he cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they ran.
52. The men of Israel and Judah rallied, shouting their battle cry, and chased the Philistines to the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. Philistine bodies were strewn all along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.
53. When the Israelites returned from the pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps.
54. David took Goliath’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.
55. When Saul had seen David going out to confront the Philistine, he asked Abner the commander of the army, “Whose son is this youth, Abner? ” “My king, as surely as you live, I don’t know,” Abner replied.
56. The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is! ”