The Philistines began to trouble Israel again, and they prepared to fight against King Saul and his army. They marched into the land of Israel and pitched their tents along the side of a mountain. King Saul and his soldiers made their camp across the valley from the Philistines, on the side of another mountain.
But the battle did not begin at once. The Philistines did not seem to be eager to fight. They sent one of their soldiers out into the valley to talk to the men of Saul’s army. This soldier was a giant, and his name was Goliath. He called to the men of Israel and said, “Why have you come out to fight a battle with the Philistines! I am a Phili stine. Now choose one of your men and send him to fight with me. If I kill him, then you shall become our servants; but if he kills me, then my people will become your servants/’
But the men of Israel were afraid of Goliath. None of them would dare to go out to fight against him. How frightful he looked as he stood in the valley before them, nearly twice as tall as an ordinary man! Even the tall King of Israel, who stood head and shoulders higher than any of his soldiers, would have looked small beside this mighty giant.
Every morning and every evening Goliath would come out into the valley between the two camps, walking with long steps, and there he would call to the Israelite soldiers. And every morning and every evening the men of Israel would tremble when they saw him coming. Forty days passed by, and still the Philistines waited for King Saul to send some one to fight against their champion.
While this was happening, David was busy at home caring for his father’s sheep, as he had been before he went to visit King Saul. One day while he was watching them he saw a lion spring out of the woods and snatch a little lamb. He hurried after the lion and tried to save the lamb. Then the lion became angry and dropped the lamb, and turned to attack David. But God gave wonderful strength to the shep-herd-boy, and he seized hold of the lion’s beard, and killed him. An-other day a hungry bear came out of the woods and stole a lamb. Again David ran fearlessly to rescue the lamb and God helped him to kill the thief.
Three of David’s brothers were soldiers in Saul’s army. Jesse, their old father, thought often of them and wondered how they were getting along. One day he called David from the field and told him to get ready to visit his brothers in the camp of Israel. “Take this parched corn and these ten loaves of bread to them,” he said, “and take these cheeses to their captain. Learn for me how your brothers are getting along, and bring back the message which they send.” Jesse did not know that when he should send David away this time his son would never come back again to take care of his sheep.
Bright and early the next morning David started out on this errand to the camp of Israel. When he reached the place, the sun had risen in the sky, and the soldiers were forming a line for battle. The Philistines were also forming a line, ready to begin the fight. David ran quickly to find his brothers, and to tell them about their father’s gift, which he had brought to them and to their captain.
While the brothers were talking together, suddenly the soldiers around them looked anxiously toward the enemy’s camp. Their faces grew pale with fright. As David turned about to see the cause for their alarm, he wondered, “What can this mean?” And this is what he saw:
A tall giant, the giant Goliath, dressed in clothes that were covered with pieces of brass so that no sword could touch his body, was coming toward the camp of Israel again. On his head he was wearing a helmet of brass that fitted closely, like a hood. Goliath knew the soldiers of Israel were afraid of him, and he called loudly to them as he had been doing every morning and every evening for forty days. And David heard his voice ring out like an angry peal of thunder, and he saw the soldiers of King Saul turn and run away like frightened sheep. When David saw these things, the Spirit of God stirred his heart and filled him with courage. “Why should this wicked Philistine trouble us?” he asked, bravely. “I will go out and kill him.’” The soldiers who stood near were surprized to hear David’s words. They told him how Goliath had been coming out for many days, and how frightened they were of him. But David was firm in his belief that God would give him strength to kill such a wicked man, and the soldiers ran to tell King Saul.
Eliab was much displeased when he heard David talk thus with the soldiers, and he called his brother aside and asked, “Why have you left those sheep in the field and come out here to see the battle?”
But David answered, “What have I done that you should be angry with me!” Then a messenger came from King Saul, calling for David, and he hurried away to speak with the King.
Saul had not seen David for some time. And he had never before seen him dressed in the clothes of a shepherd. Now he did not know him. How disappointed he felt when he saw only a shepherd-boy come before him, with no weapons at all! But David spoke bravely to him and said, “Do not be afraid any longer of this giant. I will go out and kill him.”
“You are only a youth,” answered Saul, “and you are not strong enough to fight against such a mighty soldier as this Philistine giant.” But David told him how he had killed both a lion and a bear while caring for his father’s sheep, and he said, “This giant shall be as one of them, for he has dared to speak mockingly of God’s people, and God will give him over into my hands.” Then Saul was ready to let David go to fight the giant; for he saw that David had faith to believe God would help his people.
But David had no armor and no shield to protect his body from the giant’s sword. He had no soldier-clothes at all. So Saul took off his armor and dressed David in it, and put his helmet upon David’s head. Then he gave his sword to David, and the shepherd-boy looked like a grand soldier, dressed up in the clothes of a king.
“Now you are ready,” said Saul.
But David replied, “I can not go with these clothes and with this sword. I have never used them before, and I am not prepared to fight with them.” So he took them off, and picked up his shepherd’s staff and ran down to the brook near by to find some smooth stones. These he put into his shepherd’s bag, and then he took out his leather sling and started to meet the giant.
Goliath Was much surprized when he saw David coming toward him with no weapons. He became very angry; for he thought the Israelites were making fun of him. He said, “Am I a dog, that you have come to fight against me with that staff?” And he cursed David by the gods of the Philistines, and cried out, “Come to me, and I will soon tear you in pieces and will give your flesh to the birds and to the wild beasts.”
But David called back, “You have come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, which you have mocked. Today the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and the flesh of the soldiers of the Philistines will become meat for the birds and for the wild beasts, that all people who hear of this may know that there is a God in Israel. And all people will know that the true God does not save With swords and spears.”
Then David ran forward and took a stone from his bag and placed it in his sling and threw it fiercely at the giant. And the stone hit the giant in his forehead, stunning him so that he fell face downward upon the ground. What a crash rang through the valley as Goliath’s heavy armor struck the earth! Then David hurried to the place where the giant lay.
The Philistines did not wait to see what would happen next; for now they knew God was helping the men of Israel, and they turned to run back to their own land. They did not even wait to take down their tents and to gather their belongings together, but every one of them started out a/ fast as he could go. And Saul’s army chased after them, and followed them to their own country. When Saul and his men came back, they took everything that the Philistines had left in their tents. And there was great rejoicing that day among the men of Israel, for they knew God had delivered them from their strong enemies.