The First Book of Samuel
17 Then Phi·lisʹti·a people gather their army together to fight war. Them gather for So′coh, wey dey the land of Judah, and their camp dey between So′coh and A·ze′kah, wey dey for E′phes-dam′mim. 2 Saul and Israel soldiers gather together, and their camp dey for the Lowland* of E′lah. Them arrange theirself to go fight with Phi·lisʹti·a people. 3 Phi·lisʹti·a people dey for the mountain for one side and Israel people dey for the mountain for the other side and the lowland* dey their middle.
4 Then one strong warrior come out from the camp of Phi·lisʹti·a people, im name na Go·li′ath and e come from Gath. E tall reach nine and half feet.* 5 E wear helmet wey them use copper make for head, and e wear one kind coat to protect im chest.* Na copper them use make the coat, and e heavy reach 5,000 shekels.* 6 E wear something wey them use copper make to protect im leg and e hang javelin put for im back. 7 The wood wey hold im spear thick like the wood wey people wey de weave things de use, and the iron blade of the spear heavy reach 600 shekels,* and the person wey carry im shield dey im front. 8 Then e stand, use loud voice call Israel soldiers and tell them say: “Why una arrange unaself to fight war with us? No be me de fight for Phi·lisʹti·a people, and no be servants of Saul una be? Make una choose one man for unaself make e come down come meet me. 9 If e go fit fight me and kill me, we go be una servants, but if I win-am and kill-am, una go be our servants and work for us.” 10 Then the Phi·lisʹti·a man talk say: “I de challenge Israel soldiers today. Make una bring one man make we fight and see who go win!”
11 When Saul and all Israel people hear wetin the Phi·lisʹti·a man de talk, them come de shake, and them fear no be small.
12 Now, David na the son of Jes′se, wey de live for Ephʹra·thah, wey be Beth′le·hem of Judah. Jes′se get eight sons, and for Saul time e don already be old man. 13 The first three sons of Jes′se follow Saul go the war. The name of im three sons wey go the war na E·li′ab wey be the firstborn, A·bin′a·dab wey be the second son, and Sham′mah wey be the third son. 14 Na David be the last son and the three senior sons don follow Saul.
15 That time, David de work for Saul and still de go take care of im papa sheep for Beth′le·hem. 16 But the Phi·lisʹti·a man go come out and stand face Israel people every morning and evening de challenge them, and na so e do for 40 days.
17 Then Jes′se tell im son David say: “Abeg, take this e′phah* of wheat* wey them roast, and this ten loaves of bread and carry them quick-quick go give your brothers for the camp. 18 And carry this ten pieces of cheese* go give the person wey de control the group of one thousand soldiers, make you still check how things be for your brothers, and make them give you something come wey show say them dey okay.” 19 That time, them dey with Saul and all the other men of Israel for the Lowland* of E′lah to fight Phi·lisʹti·a people.
20 So David wake up for early morning, and leave the sheep for somebody say make e take care of them, then e pack im things and go just as Jes′se don tell-am. When e reach the camp, Israel soldiers de go the war front and them de shout as people wey de go war. 21 Israel people and Phi·lisʹti·a people come arrange theirself to fight, so the soldiers for this side line up face the soldiers for the other side. 22 Quick-quick, David leave im load with the person wey de take care of the loads, and run go where the soldiers line up. When e reach there, e come de ask about how im brothers dey.
23 As e de talk with them, the strong warrior wey im name na Go·li′ath, wey be Phi·lisʹti·a man wey come from Gath, come out. E come out from where Phi·lisʹti·a soldiers line up, e come de talk the same things wey e don de talk before, and David hear wetin e talk. 24 When all Israel soldiers see the man, fear catch them no be small, them come run. 25 Israel soldiers come de talk say: “You see this man wey de come out so? E de come out to challenge Israel people. Anybody wey kill-am, the king go make-am rich well-well, e go give-am im own daughter, and im papa family* no go need to give the king the things wey Israel people suppose give-am.”
26 David come de ask the men wey stand near-am say: “Wetin them go do for the man wey kill that Phi·lisʹti·a man wey dey there, and comot this shame from Israel? Because who be this Phi·lisʹti·a man wey them no circumcise wey go de challenge the soldiers of the living God?” 27 Then the people tell-am the same things wey them don talk before, say: “Na wetin them go do for the man wey kill-am be this.” 28 When im brother E·li′ab wey be the first son hear as e de talk to the men, e come vex for David, and talk say: “Why you come here? And na who you leave those sheep wey no plenty for, say make e take care of them for wilderness? I really know say you de like to do things wey you no get the right to do and say bad things dey your mind. You come here just to see how the war de go.” 29 David come talk say: “Wetin I do now? Na question I just ask!” 30 So David leave-am go meet another person and ask the same question wey e ask before, and the people tell-am the same thing wey them don talk before.
31 Some people hear wetin David talk, them come go tell Saul. So e say make them call David for-am. 32 Then David tell Saul say: “Make anybody no fear because of-am. Your servant go go fight this Phi·lisʹti·a man.” 33 But Saul tell David say: “You no go fit fight this Phi·lisʹti·a man, because you be small boy, and na since the time wey e dey young e don be soldier.” 34 Then David tell Saul say: “One time, when your servant de care for im papa sheep, lion come carry one sheep go, another time, bear still come and e carry one sheep go. 35 I pursue-am and hit-am for ground, I come save the sheep from im mouth. When e stand up to attack me, I hold im head,* nack-am for ground and kill-am. 36 Your servant kill the lion and the bear, and this Phi·lisʹti·a man wey them no circumcise go be like them too, because e don challenge the soldiers of the living God.” 37 David still talk say: “Jehovah wey save me from the hand of the lion and bear, na im go still save me from the hand of this Phi·lisʹti·a man.” So Saul tell David say: “Go, and make Jehovah dey with you.”
38 Saul come wear David im cloths wey e take de fight. E wear copper helmet for im head. After that one, e come wear-am one kind coat to protect im chest. 39 David come hang im sword for im cloths and try to waka, but e no fit, because e never use them before. Then David tell Saul say: “This things no go let me waka, because I never use them before.” So David remove them. 40 E come carry im stick for im hand and choose five smooth stones from the stream,* e come put them inside im bag wey e take de do im shepherd work, and im sling* dey im hand. Then e start to go meet the Phi·lisʹti·a man.
41 The Phi·lisʹti·a man come de waka come near David more-more, and the person wey carry im shield dey im front. 42 When the Phi·lisʹti·a man see David, e come de laugh-am because David na just small boy wey im skin fresh and e fine. 43 So the Phi·lisʹti·a man ask David say: “I be dog wey you de carry stick come fight?” Then the Phi·lisʹti·a man start to use the name of im gods curse David. 44 The Phi·lisʹti·a man tell David say: “Just come meet me, I go give your body to birds wey de fly for up and animals for bush make them chop.”
45 David come answer the Phi·lisʹti·a man say: “You de come fight me with sword, spear, and javelin. But I de come fight you with the name of Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel soldiers wey you don challenge. 46 Today, Jehovah go put you for my hand, and I go kill you and cut your head comot, and today, I go give the dead body of the soldiers for the camp of Phi·lisʹti·a people to the birds wey de fly for up and animals wey de stay for bush; and all the people for the earth go know say Israel people get God. 47 And all the people wey gather for here* go know say no be sword or spear Jehovah de use save people, because na Jehovah get the fight, and e go put all of una for our hand.”
48 Then the Phi·lisʹti·a man start to waka de go near David, and David too start to run quick-quick de go where Phi·lisʹti·a soldiers dey, to fight the Phi·lisʹti·a man. 49 Then David put im hand inside im bag, pick one stone from there and shoot-am. E shoot the forehead of the Phi·lisʹti·a man, the stone come enter inside the forehead, the man come fall face ground. 50 Na so David take use sling* and stone win the Phi·lisʹti·a man. David kill the man even though say sword no dey im hand. 51 Then David run go stand ontop the man, e hold the man sword, pull-am from where e hang-am and use-am cut im head comot, to make sure say e don die. When Phi·lisʹti·a people see say their strong warrior don die, them come run.
52 So Israel and Judah soldiers get up and start to shout, them pursue Phi·lisʹti·a people from the lowland* go reach the gates of Ek′ron. Them kill plenty Phi·lisʹti·a people, and their dead body full ground for the road wey come from Sha′a·ra′im go reach even Gath and Ek′ron. 53 After Israel people don pursue Phi·lisʹti·a people well-well, them come back and start to pack things from Phi·lisʹti·a people camps.
54 Then David carry the head of the Phi·lisʹti·a man, and bring-am come Jerusalem, but e put the things wey the Phi·lisʹti·a man be de use fight war inside im own tent.
55 As Saul just see say David de go meet the Phi·lisʹti·a man, e ask Ab′ner wey be the person wey de control the army say: “Ab′ner, this boy na which person pikin?” Ab′ner come answer-am say: “My king, the truth be say, I no know!” 56 The king come talk say: “Go check make we know the person wey born this young man.” 57 So as David just kill the Phi·lisʹti·a man come back, Ab′ner come carry-am go meet Saul and the head of the Phi·lisʹti·a man dey im hand. 58 Saul come ask-am say: “Na who be your papa?” David come answer-am say: “I be the son of your servant Jes′se, wey be Beth′le·hem person.”