David and Goliath

THE Phi·lisʹtines again come to fight against Israel. David’s three oldest brothers are now in Saul’s army. So one day Jesʹse tells David: ‘Take some grain and loaves of bread to your brothers. Find out how they are getting along.’

When David arrives at the army camp, he runs to the battle line to look for his brothers. The Phi·lisʹtine giant Go·liʹath comes out to make fun of the Israelites. He has been doing this every morning and evening for 40 days. He yells: ‘Choose one of your men to fight me. If he wins and kills me, we will be your slaves. But if I win and kill him, you will be our slaves. I dare you to pick someone to fight me.’

David asks some of the soldiers: ‘What will the man get who kills this Phi·lisʹtine and frees Israel from this shame?’

‘Saul will give the man many riches,’ the soldier says. ‘And he will give him his own daughter to be his wife.’

But all the Israelites are afraid of Go·liʹath because he is so big. He is more than 9 feet (about 3 meters) tall, and he has another soldier carrying his shield for him.

Some soldiers go and tell King Saul that David wants to fight Go·liʹath. But Saul tells David: ‘You can’t fight this Phi·lisʹtine. You are just a boy, and he has been a soldier all his life.’ David answers: ‘I killed a bear and a lion that carried off my father’s sheep. And this Phi·lisʹtine will become like one of them. Jehovah will help me.’ So Saul says: ‘Go, and may Jehovah be with you.’

David goes down by a stream and gets five smooth stones, and puts them into his bag. Then he takes his sling and goes out to meet the giant. When Go·liʹath sees him, he can’t believe it. He thinks it will be so easy to kill David.

‘Just come to me,’ Go·liʹath says, ‘and I will give your body to the birds and animals to eat.’ But David says: ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear and a javelin, but I am coming to you with the name of Jehovah. This day Jehovah will give you into my hands and I will strike you down.’

At that David runs toward Go·liʹath. He takes a stone from his bag, puts it into his sling, and throws it with all his might. The stone flies straight into Go·liʹath’s head, and he falls down dead! When the Phi·lisʹtines see that their champion has fallen, they all turn and run. The Israelites run after them and win the battle.