Congregantes autem Philisthiim agmina sua in prælium, convenerunt in Socho Judæ: et castrametati sunt inter Socho et Azeca in finibus Dommim.

Now the Philistines gathering together their troops to battle, assembled at Socho of Juda, and camped between Socho and Azeca in the borders of Dommim.

And now the Philistines mustered their army for battle, and raised their standard at Socho, in Juda, encamping between Socho and Azeca, in the region of Dommim.

Porro Saul et filii Israël congregati venerunt in Vallem terebinthi, et direxerunt aciem ad pugnandum contra Philisthiim.

And Saul and the children of Israel being gathered together came to the valley of Terebinth, and they set the army in array to fight against the Philistines.

Saul, too, mustered the Israelites, and they marched to the Valley of the Terebinth, where they drew up their array to meet the enemy;

Et Philisthiim stabant super montem ex parte hac, et Israël stabat supra montem ex altera parte: vallisque erat inter eos.

And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.

the Philistines held the mountain-slope on one side, and Israel on the other, with the valley between them.

Et egressus est vir spurius de castris Philisthinorum nomine Goliath, de Geth, altitudinis sex cubitorum et palmi:

And there went out a man baseborn from the camp of the Philistines named Goliath, of Geth, whose height was six cubits and a span:

And the Philistines had a champion, a bastard born, that was called Goliath of Geth. His height was six cubits and a span;

et cassis ærea super caput ejus, et lorica squamata induebatur. Porro pondus loricæ ejus, quinque millia siclorum æris erat:

And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clothed with a coat of mail with scales, and the weight of his coat of mail was five thousand sicles of brass:

he wore a helmet of bronze and a breastplate of mail, this too made of bronze, and weighing five thousand sicles;

et ocreas æreas habebat in cruribus, et clypeus æreus tegebat humeros ejus.

And he had greaves of brass on his legs, and a buckler of brass covered his shoulders.

greaves of bronze on his legs, and a shield of bronze to guard his shoulders.

Hastile autem hastæ ejus erat quasi liciatorium texentium: ipsum autem ferrum hastæ ejus sexcentos siclos habebat ferri: et armiger ejus antecedebat eum.

And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred sicles of iron: and his armourbearer went before him.

As for his spear, it had a shaft as big as a weaver’s beam, with an iron head that weighed six hundred sicles; and a man went before to carry his armour for him.

Stansque clamabat adversum phalangas Israël, et dicebat eis: Quare venistis parati ad prælium? numquid ego non sum Philisthæus, et vos servi Saul? eligite ex vobis virum, et descendat ad singulare certamen.

And standing he cried out to the bands of Israel, and said to them: Why are you come out prepared to fight? am not I a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose out a man of you, and let him come down and fight hand to hand.

Such a man confronted the ranks of Israel, crying out, What need to come here armed for battle? Here am I, a Philistine born; do you, that wear Saul’s livery, choose out one of yourselves to meet me in single combat.

Si quiverit pugnare mecum, et percusserit me, erimus vobis servi: si autem ego prævaluero, et percussero eum, vos servi eritis, et servietis nobis.

If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, we will be servants to you: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, you shall be servants, and shall serve us.

If he is a match for me, and can strike me down, we will accept your rule; if I have the mastery, and he falls, you shall accept Philistine rule, and become our subjects instead.

Et aiebat Philisthæus: Ego exprobravi agminibus Israël hodie: date mihi virum, et ineat mecum singulare certamen.

And the Philistine said: I have defied the bands of Israel this day: Give me a man, and let him fight with me hand to hand.

Here and now, I set the host of Israel at defiance (said the Philistine); let them put forward a champion that will fight hand to hand with me.

Audiens autem Saul et omnes Israëlitæ sermones Philisthæi hujuscemodi, stupebant, et metuebant nimis.

And Saul and all the Israelites hearing these words of the Philistine were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

Terror fell upon Saul and all the men of Israel as they listened to the challenge, and their hearts failed them.

David autem erat filius viri Ephrathæi, de quo supra dictum est, de Bethlehem Juda, cui nomen erat Isai, qui habebat octo filios, et erat vir in diebus Saul senex, et grandævus inter viros.

Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Juda before mentioned, whose name was Isai, who had eight sons, and was an old man in the days of Saul, and of great age among men.

Now turn we to David, son of that Ephrathite of whom we spoke but now. This man, Jesse of Bethlehem-Juda, was father of eight sons, and in Saul’s reign he was well on in years, and passed for an old man.

Abierunt autem tres filii ejus majores post Saul in prælium: et nomina trium filiorum ejus qui perrexerunt ad bellum, Eliab primogenitus, et secundus Abinadab, tertiusque Samma.

And his three eldest sons followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle, were Eliab the firstborn, and the second Abinadab, and the third Samma.

Three of his sons, the eldest, had gone to the wars with king Saul; three warrior sons, the first-born Eliab, and Abinadab, and Samma.

David autem erat minimus. Tribus ergo majoribus secutis Saulem,

But David was the youngest. So the three eldest having followed Saul,

David was the youngest; and when his three eldest brothers went into Saul’s service,

abiit David, et reversus est a Saul ut pasceret gregem patris sui in Bethlehem.

David went, and returned from Saul, to feed his father’s flock at Bethlehem.

he left it, and must go home to tend his father’s flock at Bethlehem.

Procedebat vero Philisthæus mane et vespere, et stabat quadraginta diebus.

Now the Philistine came out morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

When the Philistine had already been coming out from the ranks and confronting the Israelites for forty days together,

Dixit autem Isai ad David filium suum: Accipe fratribus tuis ephi polentæ, et decem panes istos, et curre in castra ad fratres tuos,

And Isai said to David his son: Take for thy brethren an ephi of frumenty, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren.

it chanced that Jesse sent his son David on an errand. Here is a bushel of flour, said he, and ten loaves; take them with all speed to thy brethren in the camp;

et decem formellas casei has deferes ad tribunum: et fratres tuos visitabis, si recte agant: et cum quibus ordinati sunt, disce.

And carry these ten little cheeses to the tribune: and go see thy brethren, if they are well: and learn with whom they are placed.

ay, and ten cheeses to be a present for their commander. Go and look for thy brethren, to see that all is well with them, and find out what their place is in the ranks.

Saul autem, et illi, et omnes filii Israël, in Valle terebinthi pugnabant adversum Philisthiim.

But Saul, and they, and all the children of Israel were in the valley of Terebinth fighting against the Philistines.

It was in the Valley of the Terebinth he must find them, where they were carrying arms with Saul and all the men of Israel;

Surrexit itaque David mane, et commendavit gregem custodi: et onustus abiit, sicut præceperat ei Isai. Et venit ad locum Magala, et ad exercitum, qui egressus ad pugnam vociferatus erat in certamine.

David therefore arose in the morning, and gave the charge of the flock to the keeper: and went away loaded as Isai had commanded him. And he came to the place of Magala, and to the army, which was going out to fight, and shouted for the battle.

so David rose early, leaving a man in charge of the flock, and went off with his load, to do his father’s bidding. When he reached Magala, the army had raised its war-cry and gone out to fight;

Direxerat enim aciem Israël, sed et Philisthiim ex adverso fuerant præparati.

For Israel had put themselves in array, and the Philistines who stood against them were prepared.

Israel was now marshalled for battle, and the Philistines awaited them.

Derelinquens ergo David vasa quæ attulerat sub manu custodis ad sarcinas, cucurrit ad locum certaminis, et interrogabat si omnia recte agerentur erga fratres suos.

And David leaving the vessels which he had brought, under the care of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the place of the battle and asked if all things went well with his brethren.

So David left all the gifts he had brought with him in the care of the baggage-master, and ran to the field of battle, to ask how his brethren fared.

Cumque adhuc ille loqueretur eis, apparuit vir ille spurius ascendens, Goliath nomine, Philisthæus de Geth, de castris Philisthinorum: et loquente eo hæc eadem verba audivit David.

And as he talked with them, that baseborn man whose name was Goliath, the Philistine, of Geth, shewed himself coming up from the camp of the Philistines: and he spoke according to the same words, and David heard them.

Even as he spoke, out came the champion of the Philistine cause, Goliath, the bastard of Geth; and David heard him repeat his customary challenge.

Omnes autem Israëlitæ, cum vidissent virum, fugerunt a facie ejus, timentes eum valde.

And all the Israelites when they saw the man, fled from his face, fearing him exceedingly.

All the men of Israel were shrinking away in terror from the sight of him;

Et dixit unus quispiam de Israël: Num vidistis virum hunc, qui ascendit? ad exprobrandum enim Israëli ascendit. Virum ergo qui percusserit eum, ditabit rex divitiis magnis, et filiam suam dabit ei, et domum patris ejus faciet absque tributo in Israël.

And some one of Israel said: Have you seen this man that is come up, for he is come up to defy Israel. And the man that shall slay him, the king will enrich with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and will make his father’s house free from tribute in Israel.

and the talk went round among them, Saw you this warrior that went by? He has challenged Israel; and great good fortune awaits the man who overcomes him. The king has promised such a man great riches, and his daughter’s hand in marriage, and for his father’s house, freedom from every tax levied in Israel.

Et ait David ad viros qui stabant secum, dicens: Quid dabitur viro qui percusserit Philisthæum hunc, et tulerit opprobrium de Israël? quis enim est hic Philisthæus incircumcisus, qui exprobravit acies Dei viventis?

And David spoke to the men that stood by him, saying: What shall be given to the man that shall kill this Philistine, and shall take away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

And now here was David asking, What reward is there for saving Israel’s honour, by overcoming the Philistines? What, shall an uncircumcised Philistine defy the armies of the living God?

Referebat autem ei populus eumdem sermonem, dicens: Hæc dabuntur viro qui percusserit eum.

And the people answered him the same words saying: These things shall be given to the man that shall slay him.

So they repeated to him the tale of what the reward should be.

Quod cum audisset Eliab frater ejus major, loquente eo cum aliis, iratus est contra David, et ait: Quare venisti, et quare dereliquisti pauculas oves illas in deserto? Ego novi superbiam tuam, et nequitiam cordis tui: quia ut videres prælium, descendisti.

Now when Eliab his eldest brother heard this, when he was speaking with others, he was angry with David, and said: Why camest thou hither? and why didst thou leave those few sheep in the desert? I know thy pride, and the wickedness of thy heart: that thou art come down to see the battle.

When his elder brother Eliab overheard the talk, he turned upon David in anger; Why hast thou come here? he asked. Why must that sorry flock of thine go astray in the desert? This is thy old self-conceit, thy old cunning; thou hast come here only to watch the battle!

Et dixit David: Quid feci? numquid non verbum est?

And David said: What have I done? is there not cause to speak?

Why, what wrong have I done? David asked. Is there not matter here for questioning?

Et declinavit paululum ab eo ad alium: dixitque eumdem sermonem. Et respondit ei populus verbum sicut prius.

And he turned a little aside from him to another: and said the same word. And the people answered him as before.

Then, passing on a little beyond him, he spoke to another man, using the same words, and folk gave him the same answer as before.

Audita sunt autem verba quæ locutus est David, et annuntiata in conspectu Saul.

And the words which David spoke were heard, and were rehearsed before Saul.

What David had said was soon noised abroad, till it came to the ears of Saul;

Ad quem cum fuisset adductus, locutus est ei: Non concidat cor cujusquam in eo: ego servus tuus vadam, et pugnabo adversus Philisthæum.

And when he was brought to him, he said to him. Let not any man’s heart be dismayed in him: I thy servant will go, and will fight against the Philistine.

and he was summoned ere long into Saul’s presence. There is nothing here, he said, to daunt any man’s spirits; I, my lord, will go and do battle with the Philistine.

Et ait Saul ad David: Non vales resistere Philisthæo isti, nec pugnare adversus eum, quia puer es: hic autem vir bellator est ab adolescentia sua.

And Saul said to David: Thou art not able to withstand this Philistine, nor to fight against him: for thou art but a boy, but he is a warrior from his youth.

What, answered Saul, thou meet the Philistine and engage him in battle? Why, thou art only a boy, and this is a man trained to arms from his youth.

Dixitque David ad Saul: Pascebat servus tuus patris sui gregem, et veniebat leo vel ursus, et tollebat arietem de medio gregis:

And David said to Saul: Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, or a bear, and took a ram out of the midst of the flock:

But David told Saul, My lord, I used to feed my father’s flock; and if lion or bear came and carried off one of my rams,

et persequebar eos, et percutiebam, eruebamque de ore eorum: et illi consurgebant adversum me, et apprehendebam mentum eorum, et suffocabam, interficiebamque eos.

And I pursued after them, and struck them, and delivered it out of their mouth: and they rose up against me, and I caught them by the throat, and I strangled and killed them.

I would go in pursuit, and get the mastery, and snatch the prey from their jaws. Did they threaten me, I would catch them by the throat and strangle them; that was my way of killing them.

Nam et leonem et ursum interfeci ego servus tuus: erit igitur et Philisthæus hic incircumcisus quasi unus ex eis. Nunc vadam, et auferam opprobrium populi: quoniam quis est iste Philisthæus incircumcisus, qui ausus est maledicere exercitui Dei viventis?

For I thy servant have killed both a lion and a bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be also as one of them. I will go now, and take away the reproach of the people: for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, who hath dared to curse the army of the living God?

Lion or bear, my lord, I would slay them, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall have no better lot than theirs. Let me go out and save the honour of Israel; shall an uncircumcised Philistine defy the army of the living God?

Et ait David: Dominus qui eripuit me de manu leonis, et de manu ursi, ipse me liberabit de manu Philisthæi hujus. Dixit autem Saul ad David: Vade, et Dominus tecum sit.

And David said: The Lord who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David: Go, and the Lord be with thee.

The Lord, said David, who protected me against lion and bear, will protect me against this Philistine.Why then, said Saul, go, and the Lord be with thee.

Et induit Saul David vestimentis suis, et imposuit galeam æream super caput ejus, et vestivit eum lorica.

And Saul clothed David with his garments, and put a helmet of brass upon his head, and armed him with a coat of mail.

Then he made David wear his own armour, put a helmet of bronze on his head, and a breastplate round him;

Accinctus ergo David gladio ejus super vestem suam, cœpit tentare si armatus posset incedere: non enim habebat consuetudinem. Dixitque David ad Saul: Non possum sic incedere, quia non usum habeo. Et deposuit ea,

And David having girded his sword upon his armour, began to try if he could walk in armour: for he was not accustomed to it. And David said to Saul: I cannot go thus, for I am not used to it. And he laid them off,

and David, as he girded on a sword over his armour, tried whether he had strength to walk in this unwonted array. Nay, he told Saul, I cannot walk, so clad; it was never my wont. So he disarmed,

et tulit baculum suum, quem semper habebat in manibus: et elegit sibi quinque limpidissimos lapides de torrente, et misit eos in peram pastoralem quam habebat secum, et fundam manu tulit: et processit adversum Philisthæum.

And he took his staff, which he had always in his hands: and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them into the shepherd’s scrip, which he had with him, and he took a sling in his hand, and went forth against the Philistine.

and took nothing but the staff he ever carried, and five smooth stones, which he picked out from the river-bed and put in his shepherd’s wallet, and a sling in his hand; and so he went out to meet the Philistine.

Ibat autem Philisthæus incedens, et appropinquans adversum David, et armiger ejus ante eum.

And the Philistine came on, and drew nigh against David, and his armourbearer before him.

The Philistine, with his armour-bearer going before him, came ever nearer on his way,

Cumque inspexisset Philisthæus, et vidisset David, despexit eum. Erat enim adolescens, rufus, et pulcher aspectu.

And when the Philistine looked, and beheld David, he despised him. For he was a young man, ruddy, and of a comely countenance.

and looked at David with contempt; here was a boy, red-cheeked and fair of face.

Et dixit Philisthæus ad David: Numquid ego canis sum, quod tu venis ad me cum baculo? Et maledixit Philisthæus David in diis suis:

And the Philistine said to David: Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with a staff? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

What, he asked, dost thou take me for a dog, that thou comest to meet me with a staff? And he cursed David in the name of his gods.

dixitque ad David: Veni ad me, et dabo carnes tuas volatilibus cæli et bestiis terræ.

And he said to David: Come to me, and I will give thy flesh to the birds of the air, and to the beasts of the earth.

Come close, he said; let me give thy carrion to bird and beast.

Dixit autem David ad Philisthæum: Tu venis ad me cum gladio, et hasta, et clypeo: ego autem venio ad te in nomine Domini exercituum, Dei agminum Israël quibus exprobrasti

And David said to the Philistine: Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, which thou hast defied.

Nay, said David, though thou comest with sword and spear and shield to meet me, meet thee I will, in the name of the Lord of hosts; in the name of that God who fights for the armies of Israel.

hodie, et dabit te Dominus in manu mea, et percutiam te, et auferam caput tuum a te: et dabo cadavera castrorum Philisthiim hodie volatilibus cæli, et bestiis terræ, ut sciat omnis terra quia est Deus in Israël,

This day, and the Lord will deliver thee into my hand, and I will slay thee, and take away thy head from thee: and I will give the carcasses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air, and to the beasts of the earth: that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

Thou hast defied them this day, and this day the Lord will give me the mastery; I will strike thee down, and cut off thy head. I will feed bird and beast with the corpses of Philistine warriors, and prove to all the world that Israel has a God;

et noverit universa ecclesia hæc, quia non in gladio nec in hasta salvat Dominus: ipsius enim est bellum, et tradet vos in manus nostras.

And all this assembly shall know, that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for it is his battle, and he will deliver you into our hands.

prove to all who stand about us that the Lord sends victory without the help of sword or spear. God rules the battle; he will put you at our mercy.

Cum ergo surrexisset Philisthæus, et veniret, et appropinquaret contra David, festinavit David et cucurrit ad pugnam ex adverso Philisthæi.

And when the Philistine arose and was coming, and drew nigh to meet David, David made haste, and ran to the fight to meet the Philistine.

By now, the Philistine had bestirred himself, and was coming on to attack David at close quarters; so, without more ado, David ran towards the enemy’s lines, to meet him.

Et misit manum suam in peram, tulitque unum lapidem, et funda jecit, et circumducens percussit Philisthæum in fronte: et infixus est lapis in fronte ejus, et cecidit in faciem suam super terram.

And he put his hand into his scrip, and took a stone, and cast it with the sling, and fetching it about struck the Philistine in the forehead: and the stone was fixed in his forehead, and he fell on his face upon the earth.

He felt in his wallet, took out one of the stones, and shot it from his sling, with a whirl so dexterous that it struck Goliath on his forehead; deep in his forehead the stone buried itself, and he fell, face downwards, to the earth.

Prævaluitque David adversum Philisthæum in funda et lapide, percussumque Philisthæum interfecit. Cumque gladium non haberet in manu David,

And David prevailed over the Philistine, with a sling and a stone, and he struck, and slew the Philistine. And as David had no sword in his hand,

Thus David overcame the Philistine with sling and stone, smote and slew him. No sword he bore of his own,

cucurrit, et stetit super Philisthæum, et tulit gladium ejus, et eduxit eum de vagina sua: et interfecit eum, præciditque caput ejus. Videntes autem Philisthiim quod mortuus esset fortissimus eorum, fugerunt.

He ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath, and slew him, and cut off his head. And the Philistines seeing that their champion was dead, fled away.

but he ran up and took the Philistine’s own sword from its sheath, where he lay, and with this slew him, cutting off his head. And now, seeing their champion dead, the Philistines betook themselves to flight;

Et consurgentes viri Israël et Juda vociferati sunt, et persecuti sunt Philisthæos usque dum venirent in vallem, et usque ad portas Accaron: cecideruntque vulnerati de Philisthiim in via Saraim, et usque ad Geth, et usque ad Accaron.

And the men of Israel and Juda rising up shouted, and pursued after the Philistines till they came to the valley and to the gates of Accaron, and there fell many wounded of the Philistines in the way of Saraim, and as far as Geth, and as far as Accaron.

while the men of Israel and of Juda rose up with a cry, and gave chase till they reached the low ground, and the very gates of Accaron; all the way to Geth and Accaron, along the road to Saraim, Philistines lay dying of their wounds.

Et revertentes filii Israël postquam persecuti fuerant Philisthæos, invaserunt castra eorum.

And the children of Israel returning, after they had pursued the Philistines, fell upon their camp.

At last the men of Israel returned from their pursuit, and fell to plundering the Philistine camp.

Assumens autem David caput Philisthæi, attulit illud in Jerusalem: arma vero ejus posuit in tabernaculo suo.

And David taking the head of the Philistine brought it to Jerusalem: but his armour he put in his tent.

As for David, he brought Goliath’s head back with him to Jerusalem, and laid up the armour in his tent.

Eo autem tempore quo viderat Saul David egredientem contra Philisthæum, ait ad Abner principem militiæ: De qua stirpe descendit hic adolescens, Abner? Dixitque Abner: Vivit anima tua, rex, si novi.

Now at the time that Saul saw David going out against the Philistines, he said to Abner the captain of the army: Of what family is this young man descended, Abner? And Abner said: As thy soul liveth, O king, I know not.

Saul, as he watched him going out to meet the Philistine, had asked the commander of his men, Abner, from what stock this boy came. On thy life, my lord, said Abner, I cannot tell.

Et ait rex: Interroga tu, cujus filius sit iste puer.

And the king said: Inquire thou, whose son this man is.

So the king bade him find out who the boy’s father was;

Cumque regressus esset David, percusso Philisthæo, tulit eum Abner, et introduxit coram Saule, caput Philisthæi habentem in manu.

And when David was returned, after the Philistine was slain, Abner took him, and brought him in before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand.

and David fresh from his victory, was taken by Abner into Saul’s presence, still carrying the Philistine’s head with him.

Et ait ad eum Saul: De qua progenie es, o adolescens? Dixitque David: Filius servi tui Isai Bethlehemitæ ego sum.

And Saul said to him: Young man, of what family art thou? And David said: I am the son of thy servant Isai the Bethlehemite.

And when Saul asked of his lineage, David told him, I am the son of thy servant Jesse, the Bethlehemite.