David said to Sha’ul, ‘No one’s heart should fail him. Your servant himself will go and battle with this Pelishtite.’ Sha’ul said to David, ‘You can’t succeed in going to this Pelishtite to battle with him, because you’re a boy and he’s been a strong man from his boyhood.’
And David said, ‘Yahweh who rescued me from the hand of the lion and from the hand of the bear: he will rescue me from the hand of this Pelishtite.’ Sha’ul said to David, ‘Go, and Yahweh be with you.’
So David took his stick in his hand, chose five smooth stones for himself from the wadi, put them in the shepherds’ bag which he had, in the pouch, with his sling in his hand, and went up to the Pelishtite.
The Pelishtite kept walking and drawing near to David, with the shield-bearer before him. The Pelishtite looked out and saw David, and despised him because he was a boy, tanned and lovely in appearance. The Pelishtite said to David, ‘Am I a dog that you’re coming against me with sticks?’ And the Pelishtite slighted David by his gods. The Pelishtite said to David, ‘Come to me, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the heavens and to the animals of the wild.’
David said to the Pelishtite, ‘You’re coming against me with sword, with lance and with javelin, but I’m coming against you in the name of Yahweh of Armies the God of Yisra’el’s lines, whom you’ve reviled. This day Yahweh will deliver you into my hand and I shall strike you down and remove your head from you. I shall give the carcases of the Pelishtites’ camp this day to the birds of the heavens and to the creatures of the earth. All the earth will acknowledge that Yisra’el has a God, and this entire congregation will acknowledge that it is not by sword or by lance that Yahweh delivers, because the battle belongs to Yahweh and he will give you people into our hand.’
When the Pelishtite got up and walked and drew near to meet David, David hurried and ran to the line to meet the Pelishtite. David put his hand into the bag, got a stone from there, slung it and struck the Pelishtite on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead. He fell on his face to the ground. So David was stronger than the Pelishtite with sling and with stone. He struck the Pelishtite down and put him to death. There was no sword in David’s hand, so David ran, stood over the Pelishtite, got his sword, pulled it from its sheath and put him to death. He cut off his head with it. The Pelishtites saw that their strong man was dead, and they fled.
Goldingay, John;The Bible for Everyone . SPCK. Kindle Edition.
Lord, you have given me so much,
I ask for one more thing –
a grateful heart.
George Herbert