Ritröð Guðfræðistofnunar - 01.01.2011, Page 19

8He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out
to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of
Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9If he
is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I
prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve
us.” l0And the Philistine said, “Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a
man, that we may fight together.”
nWhen Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were
dismayed and greatly afraid.
12Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah,
named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already
old and advanced in years. 13The three eldest sons of Jesse had followed
Saul to the battle; the names of his three sons who went to the battle were
Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
l4David was the youngest; the three eldest followed Saul, 15but David went
back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
lóFor forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning
and evening.
17Jesse said to his son David, “Take for your brothers an ephah of this
parched grain and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp
to your brothers; 18also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their
thousand. See how your brothers fare, and bring some token from them.”
19Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah,
fighting with the Philistines.
20David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took
the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the
encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the
war cry. 21Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army.
22David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the
ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. 23As he talked with them, the
champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the
ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David
heard him. 24A11 the Israelites, when they saw the man, fled from him and
were very much afraid. 25The Israelites said,“Have you seen this man who
has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. The king will greatly
enrich the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter and make
his family free in Israel.” 26David said to the men who stood by him,
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