Legends of the Patriarchs and Prophets: And Other Old Testament Characters from Various SourcesBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Religion
Legends of the Patriarchs and Prophets: And Other Old Testament Characters from Various Sources
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Bible. Old Testament -- Legends
Then Goliath was in a rage, and he lifted his spear against David; but
David hasted and loosed his belt, and laid in it one of the stones,
and slung it; and the wind caught the helmet of Goliath, and lifted it
in the air above his head, and the stone struck him on the brow, and
sank in, and crushed all his skull, and strewed his brains all over the
horse he rode; then the giant fell out of his saddle, and died.
Then again David placed the second stone in his sling, and he cast it,
and it smote the right wing of the army of the Philistines; then he
cast the third stone, and it smote the left wing, and the host of the
Philistines fled before him.[614]
2. SAUL’S JEALOUSY OF DAVID.
Saul had promised his daughter to the man who should slay Goliath. When
the Philistines had been routed, Saul told Samuel all that had taken
place; and the prophet exhorted the king to fulfil his promise, and to
give to David his daughter in marriage.
To this Saul agreed, and he gave David his ring, and made him manager
of all his affairs, and he exalted him to be his son-in-law.
Several years passed, and Saul became envious of David, whose praise
was in everybody’s mouth.
He sent David into the wars, in hopes of his there meeting his death;
but it was all in vain. Then he spoke to his daughter Michal, that she
should introduce him into her husband’s chamber at night, that he
might slay David with his own hand.
Michal told David her father’s resolution, with many tears; but David
bade her be comforted. “For,” said he, “the God of my fathers, who
preserved Abraham and Moses from the hands of the executioner, will
deliver me from thy father. But do as he bade thee, open the door at
night, and fear not for me.”
Then David went into his smithy and wrought a suit of chain mail. He
was the inventor of chain-armor. And he had received from God the power
of moulding iron, like wax, in his fingers, without fire and without
hammer.
Now he fashioned for himself a whole suit of chain mail; it was so thin
that it was like gossamer, and it fitted to his body like his skin, and
it was impenetrable to the thrust of every weapon.
David put upon him his armor, and lay down in his bed. He slept,
but was awakened at midnight by the knife of Saul stabbing at him
as he lay. He sprang up, struck the weapon from the hands of his
father-in-law, and thrust him forth out of the house.[615]
After this, Saul came to Michal and said, “He was not asleep, or I
certainly would have slain him. Admit me again into his chamber at
night.”
Michal went to David and told him all with many tears.
Then said David, “I must escape from my house, for my life is not in
security here. But do thou fill a leather bottle with wine, and lay it
in my bed.”
Michal did so; she took a large skin of wine and placed it in the bed,
and drew the cover over it. But David fled away to Hebron.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account