The Christian Bible: David and Goliath
By Lauren Cho
Many centuries and eons ago,
Giants called the Philistines
Wished for their tribe to conquer and grow
And waged war on the Israelites.
In the Valley of Elah they fiercely fought,
Until one day, a fearsome giant came
Making the Israelites quite distraught
For Goliath was his formidable name.
He was known as the best of the Philistines,
And he gave a challenge every day.
He would bellow out these daunting lines:
“Fight me! Let there be no more delay!”
All the Israelite soldiers there
Shook and fled in fear and fright.
All seemed lost, and hope was rare
Until one Israelite man came in the night.
This young man’s name was David
The youngest son of Jesse
By his father, he had been persuaded
To bring food to the men in the valley.
A shepherd, David did not expect
A fight—but fate allowed him not
To avoid it. Destined to protect
His people, in this will he was caught.
So the fateful day finally arrived,
When David reached the Israelites.
Whereupon he was very much surprised
To see them in such an unbelievable fright.
Despite Goliath’s fearsome declaration,
David staunchly remained unafraid.
He went to the leader Saul in inspiration,
I can defeat the giant, he claimed.
His soldier brother exclaimed in disbelief,
You, a shepherd, cannot defeat a giant!
David replied, To protect my sheep
I must be tough and self-reliant,
I have defeated lions and bears
As a shepherd—I have grown strong.
Hearing this, Saul said his prayers
And decided David should be the one to go along.
David, said Saul, Here is armor to protect
And a helmet and sword for your safety.
David replied, Thank you, but I must reject
For the armor and weapons are too weighty.
I am most used to my shepherd’s cloak and sling
All I have in need of are 5 stones.
Taking the stones from a nearby spring
David left to face Goliath on his own.
When Goliath saw David, he laughed out loud,
This weak, little man claims he can defeat me!
His shouts stirred up the Philistine crowd
And they taunted and jeered at David with glee.
But David gave no heed to their cries
And thought of how he could defeat the giant.
Suddenly, in Goliath’s helmet, he spied
An uncovered space—he could win if he hit it.
So David took a stone and put it in his sling
And swung it around, one, two, three!
He released the stone with a grand swing
And struck Goliath’s head with amazing accuracy.
Stunned by the blow, Goliath fell down
And David was declared the winner of the fight.
The Israelites cheered, and David was crowned
As a hero of great strength and might.
Although David had been taunted and scorned
By Goliath, the Philistines, and even his own brother
He persevered—the insults he ignored
Because he did not wish for his people to suffer.
Instead, he persevered—remaining brave and sincere,
He felled the giant and was the victor.
Stay true to yourself, and do not fear
Then, insurmountable obstacles you will conquer.
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