A long, long time ago, there was a young boy named David. David lived in a large country called Israel. His job was to take care of his family’s sheep. David was brave and loved to sing songs to God.
In Israel there was a great king named Saul. One day, enemy soldiers, the Philistines, came to fight against Israel. Among the Philistines was a huge man named Goliath. Goliath was as big and strong as a bear, and his armor flashed in the sun.
Every day Goliath came and shouted: “Who dares to fight me?” The soldiers of Israel were afraid, because Goliath was so big and terrifying. No one dared to fight him. That was really scary!
One day David brought food to his brothers who were soldiers. When David arrived, he heard Goliath mocking the people of Israel. David said, “Why doesn’t anyone have the courage to fight this great man? Our God is much stronger than Him!”
David decided to fight Goliath. He went to King Saul and said, “I will fight Goliath. God has helped me protect my sheep from lions and bears. He will help me now, too.”
The king wanted to give David his armor, but it was far too heavy. David said, “I don’t need these. God will help me!”
David took his stick and his slingshot with him. He looked for five smooth stones from a stream. With these simple things, David went to Goliath. When Goliath saw him, he laughed loudly. “What do you want, little boy?” he cried. “Go home!”
But David was not afraid. He said to Goliath, “You come to me with a sword, but I come with the help of God. God will protect me and show you that he is the strongest!”
David put a stone in his slingshot, turned it over his head, and let the stone fly. The stone flew very quickly and hit Goliath right on the forehead. Goliath fell to the ground with a loud crash. David had won because God had helped him!
The people of Israel rejoiced immensely and praised God. They had seen that God was always with them, even in difficult times.
Message of history
God is always there to help us, no matter how big or small the problem is.
Bible passage
The story of David and Goliath from 1 Samuel 17 describes the thrilling battle between young David and the giant Goliath. Here are some of the key snippets:
1 Samuel 17:1-11 (Schlachter 2000):
“And the Philistines gathered their armies together for battle, and gathered together at Socho in Judah, and they encamped between Socho and Aseka, at Ephes-Dammin. 2 Saul and the men of Israel also gathered together and pitched their camp in the valley of Terebinth, and they prepared to fight against the Philistines. 3 And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the other side, and the Israelites on the mountain on this side, and the valley was between them. 4 Then out of the camp of the Philistines came a champion named Goliath from Gat; he was six cubits and a span tall. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a pair of scales, and the weight of his armor was 5,000 shekels of ore. 6 And he had bronze rails on his legs, and a spear of brass on his back, 7 and the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s tree, and the point of his spear weighed 600 shekels of iron; and the shield-bearer went before him. 8 And he stood and called to the ranks of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you gone out to prepare yourselves for battle?” Am I not a Philistine, and you are Saul’s servants? Choose a man to come down to me. 9 If he can fight with me and slay me, we will be your servants; but if I conquer in battle with him and slay him, you shall be our servants and serve us. 10 And the Philistine said, “This day I have mocked the ranks of Israel; give me a husband, and let us fight together. 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were amazed and terrified.”
1 Samuel 17:32-37:
“And David said to Saul, Let no one be discouraged because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine! 33 But Saul said to David, “You cannot go to fight this Philistine, for you are still a boy; but this one is a man of war from his youth! 34 And David said to Saul, “Your servant tended his father’s sheep; So if a lion or a bear came and carried away a sheep from the flock, 35 I ran after him and struck him and snatched it from his mouth. And when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and beat him and killed him. 36 Your servant has slain both the lion and the bear, and this Philistine, this uncircumcised one, shall be like one of them. for he has mocked the battle lines of the living God! 37 Then David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the lion and the bear, He will also deliver me from this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
1 Samuel 17:45-50:
“And David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin; But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have mocked. 46 On this day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will slay you and take your head from you, and I will give the bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth on that day, so that the whole earth may know that Israel has a God. 47 And let all this congregation know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or spear; for the battle is the Lord’s business, and He will give you into our hands. 48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine got up and came and approached David, that David hastened and ran towards the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his pocket and took out a stone; and he hurled and struck the Philistine on his forehead, so that the stone pierced his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 50 So David overcame the Philistine with the sling and with the stone, and he slew the Philistine and killed him. And because David had no sword in his hand…”
