David and Goliath

Once there was a King named Saul and he had enemies who wanted to fight his army. These enemies were called the Philistines. One day the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at a place in Judah, where they pitched a tent. Saul and the Israelites also gathered and camped in a Valley and drew their battle line to meet their enemies. Now there was a giant named Goliath and he came from the Philistine’s camp. He was very tall; he had a helmet on his head and wore armour of bronze.

Goliath stood and shouted, “choose a man to fight me, if he wins we will be your slaves and if I win you will be our slaves”. On hearing this the Philistines words, Saul and all his men were terrified and sad. Now there was a man, Jesse from Bethlehem, whose older sons were a part of Saul’s army, so he said to David, his youngest and a shepherd boy, “take this roasted grain and these ten halves of bread for your brothers and hurry”.

Early in the morning David set out as his father had directed. Upon reaching the camp, David heard the war cry. Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines, facing each other. David quickly left his things with the keeper of suppliers and ran to greet his brothers. As he was talking with them, Goliath the Philistine giant stepped forward and shouted and David heard it. The Israelites ran from him in fear. David asked, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and remove this disgrace from Israel?” David was told what Goliath had said. When David’s eldest brother heard him speaking to the men and was angry with him and David asked the question again and was overheard this time by King Saul who sent for him.

Saul said to David “you are not able to go out against the Philistine, you are only a boy and he has been a fighting man from his youth. Then David replied, saying “the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paws of the bear will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine”. Then Saul said to David “go and the Lord be with you”.

So David took his sling and fire smooth stones and put them in the pouch of his shepherd bag and with his sling in his hand he approached the Philistine. Meanwhile the Philistine looked at David and saw that he was only a boy and he cursed David, and David said to the Philistine “you come against me with sword and spear, but I come to you in the name of Lord God Almighty”. As the Philistine moved closer to David to attack him David ran quickly to the battle line, reaching into his bag he took out a stone, sling and struck Goliath in his forehead, the stone sank into his forehead and he fell face down on the ground dead.

David trusted God and God let him win.