Long, long ago there lived, in the country of Israel a boy named David.
He was a shepherd boy, and all day long he watched the quiet sheep as
they ate sweet grass on the hillside.
Although David was only a boy, he was tall and strong and brave.
When he knew he was in the right, he feared nothing.
David's quiet life did not last long.
There was a great war between the people of Israel and men called the
Philistines.
All the strong men in David's town went to join the army of Israel.
David could not go, as he had to tend the sheep, but his three older
brothers went to the war.
For a long time David's father heard nothing from his three oldest boys.
At length he called David to him and said, "Take to your brothers a bag
of this corn and these ten loaves of bread. Find out how your brothers
are, and bring word to me."
The next morning David rose very early, and taking the bag of corn and
the loaves of bread, he went to the camp where his brothers were.
The camp of Israel was on the side of a high mountain.
Across the valley from this mountain and on the side of another mountain
was the camp of the Philistines.
After David had come to the camp and had found his brothers, shouts of
anger and fear came from the soldiers.
David looked across the valley to the camp of the Philistines.
There he saw a huge soldier dressed in shining armor.
This giant soldier carried a great spear and shield.
"Who is that man?" asked David.
"Do you not know? That is Goliath," said the soldiers. "Every day he
comes out and dares any man on our side to meet him in battle."
"Does no one of our soldiers dare to meet him?" asked David.
[Illustration]
"We have no man so strong as he in our whole army," said the soldiers.
The giant from the opposite hillside shouted with a loud voice, and
again dared the army of Israel to choose a man to meet him.
David was a brave boy; he was stirred to anger at the sight of this
great giant.
"Is not God on the side of our people?" he asked. "I will fight with
this man, even though he kill me."