mself, but also showing him how to help others, wherever he went.
DAVID AND GOLIATH[1]
[1] From the text of the King James version of the Old Testament, with
introduction and slight interpolations, changes of order, and omissions.
A long time ago, there was a boy named David, who lived in a country
far east of this. He was good to look upon, for he had fair hair and a
ruddy skin; and he was very strong and brave and modest. He was
shepherd-boy for his father, and all day--often all night--he was out
in the fields, far from home, watching over the sheep. He had to guard
them from wild animals, and lead them to the right pastures, and care
for them.
By and by, war broke out between the people of David's country and a
people that lived near at hand; these men were called Philistines, and
the people of David's country were named Israel. All the strong men of
Israel went up to the battle, to fight for their king. David's three
older brothers went, but he was only a boy, so he was left behind to
care for the sheep.
After the brothers had been gone some time, David's father longed very
much to hear from them, and to know if they were safe; so he sent for
David, from the fields, and said to him, "Take now for thy brothers an
ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp,
where thy brothers are; and carry these ten cheeses to the captain of
their thousand, and see how thy brothers fare, and bring me word
again." (An ephah is about three pecks.)
David rose early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and
took the corn and the loaves and the cheeses, as his father had
commanded him, and went to the camp of Israel.
The camp was on a mountain; Israel stood on a mountain on the one side,
and the Philistines stood on a mountain on the other side; and there
was a valley between them. David came to the place where the
Israelites were, just as the host was going forth to the fight,
shouting for the battle. So he left his gifts in the hands of the
keeper of the baggage, and ran into the army, amongst the soldiers, to
find his brothers. When he found them, he saluted them and began to
talk with them.
But while he was asking them the questions his father had commanded,
there arose a great shouting and tumult among the Israelites, and men
came running back from the front line of battle; everything became
confusion. David looked to see what the trouble was, and he saw a
strange
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