But David said: "When I was keeping my father's sheep, there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock. I went after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him . . . The Lord that 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!"
So Saul offered him some armour, but when David had tried it, he took it all off, and chose instead five smooth stones out of the brook, and with his sling in his hand, he went to meet the giant.
You can imagine that great, tall man with his heavy armour, looking down on the young and beautiful youth before him, and disdaining him!
So the giant came on and drew near to David, and he said to him: "Am I a dog, that you come to me with stones? Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the field!"
But David's courage was not of earth, as his brave words show—
"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 mine hand! And I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee: and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and the 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!"
Then he ran swiftly towards the giant, and put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it, and it struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that he sank down on the ground with his face to the earth.
So David ran and stood upon the giant, and took the giant's sword from its sheath and slew the Philistine, and cut off his head.
Then the men of Israel arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines till they reached the gates of Ekron. Then they returned and took all the spoil from the tents of their enemies.
And David was brought before Saul, carrying the head of the giant in his hand.