027 David and Goliath - A Bible Story for Children

1 Samuel 17

The Israelites and the Philistines began fighting again, as they had in Samson's days. All the armies of Israel gathered on one mountain, and the armies of the Philistines gathered on the opposite mountain. Between them lay the valley of Elah.

One morning, the strongest of the Philistines, a huge man named Goliath, came down into the valley. He stood nearly ten feet tall, and his body was covered with heavy bronze armor from head to toe. His spear looked like a tree trunk, and it was tipped with iron. "Men of Israel," Goliath called, "why do we need armies to fight this war? Let one Israelite come forward to fight me. If he wins and kills me, then we Philistines will be your slaves. If I win and kill him, then you will be our slaves."

When Saul and his soldiers heard this, they were afraid. Every morning and evening for forty days, Goliath called out these words to the Israelites, but no one came forward to fight him.

Now three of David's brothers were in Saul's army, but David had been sent home to help his father. One morning, Jesse told David to leave his sheep and take bread and cheese to his brothers. David reached the camp just as Goliath was repeating his terrifying words. David watched as all the Israelites turned away in fear.

"Have you seen that man?" the Israelites asked one another. "Did you see how big he was? Imagine what the king will give the man who kills Goliath--gold, silver, even one of his daughters to marry!"

"Will Saul really give all that to the man who kills Goliath?" David asked. But no one would answer David. "What are you doing here?" they all said. "Fighting is no business of yours."

When Saul heard that David was in the camp, he sent for him. "Do not be afraid, my lord," David said to Saul. "I will fight Goliath. He is nothing but a boastful Philistine who prays to false gods."

"How can you fight Goliath?" asked Saul. "You are young and a shepherd, and he has been a great warrior all his life."

"When I watch my father's sheep," answered David, "lions and bears sometimes try to steal them. I go after these beasts and grab them by their heads and kill them. If the Lord has saved me from the fierce lions and bears that attack my father's sheep, I am sure he will protect me from Goliath."

The way David spoke convinced Saul to let him fight Goliath. "Go," he said, "and may the Lord be with you."

Then Saul dressed David in his own armor and gave him his sword. "I cannot use these," said David. "They are uncomfortable." David took off the armor and picked five smooth stones from a brook. With these and his slingshot, David went out to meet Goliath.

When Goliath saw David, the Philistine was disgusted. "Am I some kind of puppy, that the Israelites send out a boy with a stick to play with me?" And Goliath cursed David by all the gods of the Philistines.

"You may have a sword and a shield," David answered, "but I have the Lord of Israel on my side. Today everyone will see that battles are not won with swords and shields, but with faith in the Lord."

Furious, Goliath rushed at David. Quickly, David snatched a stone from his bag, slipped it into his slingshot, and let it fly at Goliath. The stone struck the Philistine right in the forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. David ran to Goliath, took out the fallen warrior's sword, and chopped off his head.

When the Philistines saw their hero lying dead, they scattered in terror, running back to their cities. With a great shout, the Israelites ran after them and chased down the fleeing Philistines. Then they destroyed the enemy camp and celebrated their wonderful victory.

Category: Children's Bible Stories