By and by, war broke out between the people of David's country and a

people that lived near at hand; these men were called Philistines, and

the people of David's country were named Israelites. All the strong men

of Israel went up to the battle, to fight for their king. David's three

older brothers went, but he was only a boy, so he was left behind to

care for the sheep.



After the brothers had been gone some time, David's father longed very

much to hear from them, and to know if they were safe; so he sent for

David, from the fields, and said to him, "Take now for thy brothers an

ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp,

where thy brothers are; and carry these ten cheeses to the captain of

their thousand, and see how thy brothers fare, and bring me word again."

(An ephah is about three pecks.)



David rose early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and

took the corn and the loaves and the cheeses, as his father had

commanded him, and went to the camp of the Israelites.



The camp stood on a mountain on the one side, and the Philistines stood

on a mountain on the other side; and there was a valley between. David

came to the place where the Israelites were, just as the host was going

forth to the fight, shouting for the battle. So he left his gifts in the

hands of the keeper of the baggage, and ran into the army, amongst the

soldiers, to find his brothers. When he found them, he saluted them and

began to talk with them.



But while he was asking them the questions his father had commanded,

there arose a great shouting and tumult among the Israelites, and men

came running back from the front line of battle; everything became

confusion. David looked to see what the trouble was, and he saw a

strange sight: down the slope of the opposite mountain came striding a

Philistine warrior, calling out something in a taunting voice; he was a

gigantic man, the largest David had ever seen, and he was covered with

armour, that shone in the sun: he had a helmet of brass upon his head,

and he was armed with a coat of mail, and he had greaves of brass upon

his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders; his spear was so

tremendous that the staff of it was like a weaver's beam, and his shield

so great that a man went before him, to carry it.



"Who is that?" asked David.



"It is Goliath, of Gath, champion of the Philistines," said the soldiers

about. "Every day, for forty days, he has come forth, so, and challenged

us to send a man against him, in single combat; and since no one dares

to go out against him alone, the armies cannot fight." (That was one of

the laws of warfare in those times.)



"What!" said David, "does none dare go out against him?"



As he spoke, the giant stood still, on the hillside opposite the host

of Israel, and shouted his challenge, scornfully. He said, "Why are ye

come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and ye

servants of Saul? Choose you a man, and let him come down to me. If he

be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants;

but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our

servants, and serve us. I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a

man, that we may fight together!"



When King Saul heard these words, he was dismayed, and all the men of

Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were sore afraid. David

heard them talking among themselves, whispering and murmuring. They were

saying, "Have ye seen this man that is come up? Surely if anyone killeth

him that man will the king make rich; perhaps he will give him his

daughter in marriage, and make his family free in Israel!"



David heard this, and he asked the men if it were so. It was surely so,

they said.



"But," said David, "who is this Philistine, that he should defy the

armies of the living God?" And he was stirred with anger.



Very soon, some of the officers told the king about the youth who was

asking so many questions, and who said that it was shame upon Israel

that a mere Philistine should defy the armies of the living God.

Immediately Saul sent for him. When David came before Saul, he said to

the king, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go

and fight with this Philistine."



But Saul looked at David, and said, "Thou art not able to go against

this Philistine, to fight with him, for thou art but a youth, and he has

been a man of war from his youth."



Then David said to Saul, "Once I was keeping my father's sheep, and

there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock; and I

went out after the lion, and struck him; and delivered the lamb out of

his mouth, and when he arose against me, I caught him by the beard, and

struck him, and slew him! Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear;

and this Philistine shall be as one of them, for he hath defied the

armies of the living God. 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."



"Go," said Saul, "and the Lord be with thee!"



And he armed David with his own armour,--he put a helmet of brass upon

his head, and armed him with a coat of mail. But when David girded his

sword upon his armour, and tried to walk, he said to Saul, "I cannot go

with these, for I am not used to them." And he put them off.



Then he took his staff in his hand and went and chose five smooth stones

out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had; and his

sling was in his hand; and he went out and drew near to the Philistine.



And the Philistine came on and drew near to David; and the man that bore

his shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about and saw

David, he disdained him, for David was but a boy, and ruddy, and of a

fair countenance. And he said to David, "Am I a dog, that thou comest to

me with a cudgel?" And with curses he cried out again, "Come to me, and

I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of

the field."



But David looked at him, and answered, "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, whom thou hast

defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand, and I will

smite thee, and take thy head from thee, and I will give the carcasses

of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and

to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there

is a God in Israel! And all this assembly shall know that the Lord

saveth not with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and he

will give you into our hands."



And then, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet

David, David made haste and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

And when he was a little way from him, he put his hand in his bag, and

took from thence a stone, and put it in his sling, and slung it, and

smote the Philistine in the forehead, so that the stone sank into his

forehead; and he fell on his face to the earth.



And David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and

drew it out of its sheath, and slew him with it.



Then, when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

But the army of Israel pursued them, and victory was with the men of

Israel.



And after the battle, David was taken to the king's tent, and made a

captain over many men; and he went no more to his father's house, to

herd the sheep, but became a man, in the king's service.