A shepherd boy named David volunteers to fight Goliath, a towering Philistine warrior who has been taunting the Israelite army. David refuses King Saul's armor and instead takes his sling and five smooth stones, declaring that God will defeat Goliath without conventional weapons.
Chapters
David was a shepherd boy who lived in Bethlehem. He looked after his father's sheep. David's father asked him to take food to his brothers who were with Saul's army fighting the Philistines. David obeyed his father. He got up early the next morning and left someone else in charge of the sheep. Then he loaded the supplies and then started off. David left his things with the man in charge of supplies and ran up to the battle line to ask his brothers if they were well. While David was talking with them, Goliath came out from the line of Philistines and started boasting as usual. Goliath was the hero of the Philistine army from the town of Gath and was nearly 3 meters tall. He wore a bronze helmet and had bronze armor to protect his chest and legs. The chest armor alone weighed about 57 kilograms. A soldier always walked in front of Goliath to carry his shield.
Goliath went out and shouted to the army of Israel, "Why are you lining up for battle? Here and now I challenge Israel's whole army.
Choose someone to fight me." David asked some soldiers standing nearby, "What will a man get for killing this Philistine and stopping him from insulting our people? Who does that worthless Philistine think he is? He He's making fun of the army of the living God. Saul the king sent for David, as soldiers had told him what he had said. Your Majesty, this Philistine shouldn't turn us into cowards.
I'll go out and fight him myself.
You don't have a chance against him, Saul replied. You're only a boy, and he's been a soldier all his life. Your Majesty, he shouldn't have made fun of the army of the living God. The Lord has rescued me from the claws of lions and bears. And bears, and he will keep me safe from the hands of this Philistine. All right, Saul answered, go ahead and fight him, and I hope the Lord will help you. Saul had his own military clothes and armor put on David, and he gave David a bronze helmet to wear. David strapped on a sword and tried to walk around, but he was not used to wearing those things. I can't move with all this stuff on. I'm just not used to it. David took off the armor and picked up his shepherd's stick. He went out to a stream and picked up 5 smooth rocks and put them in his leather bag. Then, with his sling in his hand, he went straight towards Goliath. Goliath came towards David, walking behind the soldier who was carrying his shield. When Goliath saw that David was just a healthy, good-looking boy, he made fun of him.
Do you think I'm a dog?
Goliath asked.
Is that why you've come after me with a stick?
He cursed David in the name of the Philistine gods and shouted, Come on!
When I'm finished with you, I'll feed you to the birds and wild animals.
You've come out to fight me with a sword and a spear and a dagger, but I've come out to fight you in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. He is the God of Israel's army, and you have insulted him too. Today, the Lord will help me defeat you. I'll knock you down and cut off your head, and I'll feed the bodies of the other Philistine soldiers to the birds and wild animals. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a real God. Everybody here will see that the Lord doesn't need swords or spears to save his people. The Lord always wins his battles, and he will help us defeat you.
When Goliath started forward, David ran towards him. He put a rock in his sling and swung the sling around by its straps. When he let go of one strap, the rock flew out and hit Goliath on the forehead. It cracked his skull and he fell face down on the ground. David defeated Goliath with a sling and a rock. He killed him without even using a sword. David ran over and pulled out Goliath's sword. Then he used it to cut off Goliath's head. When the Philistines saw what had happened to their hero, they started running away.
