David and Goliath (the Poem)
David and Goliath (the Poem)
David was a shepherd boy
Good and kind of heart.
He sang and praised the Lord his God,
But that was just the start.
The Lord loved young David
And watched him as he grew.
That he’d become Israel’s great King,
No one except God knew.
The current King of Israel
Was strong, handsome, charming Saul,
But he had disobeyed his God,
So eventually he would fall.
God sent the Prophet Samuel
To look for Jesse’s son,
To be the next great King of Israel,
But he chose the handsome, eldest one.
“No!” the Lord said, “You are wrong!
I don’t choose by looks alone.
The youngest one is pure of heart,
He is My chosen one!”
So Samuel blessed David’s head with oil,
And God gave him great power.
But soon he’d have to prove himself,
So that as a king he’d tower.
Israel and the Philistines were at war,
They couldn’t live in peace.
But the Philistine army had a giant
As strong and tall as the trees.
This giant was named Goliath,
And he challenged the Israelite king
To send a man to fight him,
But defeat would slavery bring.
The Israelite army was terrified
To fight this terrible giant.
Not one brave soldier volunteered
And the war went on defiant.
Then to the battlefield wandered David,
To his brothers, he came with food.
They told him about Goliath
And the chance to stop the feud.
“I’ll fight the giant,” said David.
The Lord was on his side.
But Saul said, “You’re just a shepherd boy.
You better go and hide.”
Young David, though, he stood his ground,
Said, “I’ve killed a lion and bear.
I’ll kill Goliath just like them,
I really have no fear.”
King Saul could not deter him
So he reluctantly agreed.
He gave him armour and a shield,
That David said he didn’t need.
Crowds came far to watch the fight,
And to see Goliath win.
They gave the shepherd boy no chance,
He was too small and thin.
Goliath laughed at his small foe,
“Is this the one you chose
To fight a warrior like me,
With just a sling and stone?”
But, young David was unafraid
Of the bigger, stronger giant.
He had faith his God would help him
Win this important fight.
Goliath yelled a warning shout,
And was ready to attack,
But, David calmly stood his ground
And reached into his sack.
He withdrew from it a tiny stone
And placed it in his sling,
Then aimed and fired it high and fast
As befit a future king.
The stone struck Goliath’s forehead,
And people watched surprised
As the Philistine’s mighty giant
Fell dead before their eyes.
The ground shook like an earthquake,
And made the Heavens ring.
The Philistines all fled in fear
From David, the Israelites’ new king.
Questions & Answers
© 2018 John Hansen
Comments
AUTHORThank you, Paula. I love writing story poems. t enables you to get a tale across effectively in fewer words. So glad you enjoyed my version of this timeless tale.
Jodah...You tell us stories via your poetry soooo well! This one is simply great! I LOVE it when the (visibly) little guy wins. It reminds us that the little people have power, brains and really do matter! Peace, Paula
- AUTHOR
Thank you for the wonderful compliment, Shauna. Whether we are religious or not some Bible stories just need to be retold.
John, as you, I'm a Christian, but prefer to practice in my own way. I'm not big on church and don't read religious-laden material. This, however, was a joy to read. The flow is beautiful. You're a poetic storyteller, John.
- AUTHOR
Thank you, Lawrence. It is one of the truly iconic Bible stories told my poetic way. Glad you enjoyed this.
John
Really enjoyed this re-telling of the story.
- AUTHOR
Thanks, Mark. Yes, who doesn't enjoy seeing the underdog win :)
Always liked this narrative. Nice that the little guy wins this time. Excellent poem, does the story justice.
- AUTHOR
True, but sometimes it does, and gives us all hope.
Not usually how things turn out in the real world, but it's sweet when it does.
Great read.
- AUTHOR
Thank you for your kind comment as always, Devika. Much appreciated.
Hi Jodah as always you share your great talent and with the correct words of expression.
- AUTHOR
Hi Yves, thank you for reading and sharing that interesting information. It adds value to the hub.
Just two days to go. Will David and Goliath pass the test? I will ask you for some rights as it is a great teaching piece. Let us see what the teacher Ms. Nguyen thinks.
Enjoyed your poem, Jodah. It focuses on the spiritual element of the story very nicely. Well done.
Did you know that a skilled stone/sling thrower with accurate aim, in Biblical times, actually owned a lethal weapon? Once you get the sling swinging powerfully above the head and then let aim, the stone is very fast and quite deadly.
In truth, Goliath had bad vision and because he was so large, his gait was unsteady, In close hand to hand combat, Goliath would have won the battle, but in reality he had no chance against a marksman like David. Just a little known factoid for your reading pleasure. ;)
- AUTHOR
@ Frank Thank you for the kind comment. This one was quite a challenge.
@ Nikki Hi, I really appreciate you reading this and for that kind comment
Well written! I like the poetic take on a classic.
very good poem Jodah.. you pulled it off in poetic fashion.. bravo
- AUTHOR
Thank you MsDora. That is the aim of most of my poetry to make lessons easier to learn or remember. Your kind remarks are much appreciated.
I'd love to hear my grandson or any other brave child recite this poem. The content and the style is A plus. Great poetry which can provide great teaching moments. Thank you.
- AUTHOR
I agree, Dave. Your name-sake sure overcame remarkable odds. Thanks for reading.
- AUTHOR
I can remember watching that movie many years ago, rj. Yes, Biblical movies were once the real epics. Not so long ago I wrote a poem about Sampson and enjoyed the challenge so I thought I'd try my hand at another Biblical story.
- AUTHOR
Thank you for reading this Linda. I am glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for this poem, seems amazing that such a huge man as Goliath could be slain by a small, thin David with just a sling.
Strange coincidence. I just watched the film version of David and Bathsheba, starring Gregory Peck and Susan Hayward done way back in 1951. No one could make a film like this today. There was a time when Biblical stories were ripe for Hollywood production, but today... not very likely. If I may encroach upon you a bit, what was percolating in your mind when you wrote the poem?
This is an interesting story that you've told very well. I enjoyed reading your poetic version of the tale!
- AUTHOR
Thank you MizB. You confirmed why I missed writing here, and why I am back. Yes, a stone in a sling and wielded by someone with skill is an effective weapon and not to be taken lightly. Thank you for sharing that.
This really is a wonderful rendition of the story of David and Goliath, one of my favorite Bible stories. I just finished reading your troll poem and called it my favorite, but I think this one topped it on my list. BTW, recently some people were laughing because kids in the Middle East were throwing stones at people they considered enemies. They were told that these kids were not "throwing", they were using slings like the one David used to kill Goliath. That kids in the Middle East with stones were serious business. Your poem just proved that. Good work, my friend.
Dang John why didn't someone whip out an Iphone!!!
- AUTHOR
Thank you, Lori. Well, I always loved the story that's for sure. I have now written this and Sampson in verse. If there is another or will probably be the story of Daniel.
- AUTHOR
Thank you for your kind words and for that suggestion Mary. Yes, it would be great to see children reciting this poem to help them learn the story.
- AUTHOR
Thank you Shyron. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have the whole Bible rewritten in rhyming verse? Too big a job for me though in my lifetime.Blessings.
- AUTHOR
Thank you for appreciating this poetic version of the story Harish. Glad you enjoyed it.
- AUTHOR
Bill, Thank you for the kind welcome back. It feel good to be publishing here again. I've been quiet but never left.
- AUTHOR
Hi Mike, yes it feels good to be back publishing here. I have a lot of reading to catch up on too. Yes, this was challenging and I won't be rewriting the whole Bible into verse anytime soon..lol
- AUTHOR
Hello, Eric and Gabriel. Yes, I think it would be cool if Goliath was a cyclops as well. As far as we know he may have been lol, we don't have any pictures proving otherwise.
Fantastic. Who doesn't love the David and Goliath story? Well done.
This would be perfect for a Chorus in a performance. I could see students reciting this poem learning the story at the same time. It is much more fun.
John, I love, love it, this is beautiful and if you wrote the whole Bible this way, everyone could understand it.
Blessings always
Great story, John. I love how beautifully you told it all through such a simple , yet very effective poem. I enjoyed the poem.
It's so good to have you back. Too much talent has left HP, so it at least feels good for a little while knowing one talented writer returned to the fold.
Hello John. Good to see you publish. (I should talk.) Setting a bible story to rhyme, that is clever and I bet proved challenging.
My boy Gabriel says hi and thank you. He thinks that Goliath should be a Cyclops. I asked what difference it would make and he said it would be more cool.
The cadence here is awesome.
Thank you
- AUTHOR
Thank you, Louise, much appreciated.
That's a really good poem about David and Goliath. I love that Bible story.
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