so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.”

The Spirit of the Lord was upon David; and when he played on his harp and sang psalms, the Holy Spirit inspired him, and filled his heart with holy thoughts, and his lips with holy words. And his sacred songs were a medicine to the

diseased mind of Saul.

And when Saul was well again, David returned to his father Jesse in Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, and kept his sheep as he had done before.

1 Samuel xvi. xvii. 15. Psalm cxxxi.

To inspire, is to breathe into a person. The Holy Spirit is said to inspire a person, when He puts thoughts into his heart, or enables him to speak or write what he could not do of himself.

I

Chapter CXE.

THE FIRST TRIAL OF DAVID.

SOME years after the time when Saul, with Jonathan his son, overcame the Philistines at Michmash, and had driven them forth with great slaughter from the land of Israel, they again gathered together their armies to fight against Saul and his people. And they came up into the land of the tribe of Judah, and pitched their camp between Shochoh and Azekah.

Then Saul called forth the men of Israel, and pitched his camp by the valley of Elah, over against the place where the Philistines were encamped.

While the two armies were drawn up in battle array, with the valley of Elah between them, there came forth a champion out of the army of the Philistines. And he stood and cried aloud to the armies of Israel, and bade them choose out a man from among them to come and fight with him. And he said, that if the man whom the Israelites

should choose to be their champion should be able to kill him, the Philistines would be their servants; but if he prevailed over the champion of Israel, then they should serve the Philistines. This champion of the Philistines was Goliath of Gath, a mighty giant. His height was six cubits and a span (about eleven feet), and he was clothed in armour of brass from head to foot. And he cried aloud, and said, "I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man that he may fight with me."

When Saul and all Israel saw the giant Goliath, and heard his words, they were greatly afraid. And day after day, for many days, the Philistine drew near, and defied the armies of Israel; but no man dared to go forth to fight against him. So the two armies remained encamped on two hills over against each other, with the valley between them.

Now the three eldest sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite were with the army of Saul; but David, the youngest son, remained with his father at Bethlehem. And when they had been many days

away, Jesse called David his son, and told him to go to Elah, to the army of Israel, to see how his brethren were, and to carry provisions for them. So David left the sheep with a keeper, and went to the camp at Elah. When he came to the camp, the armies of Israel and of the Philistines were set in array against each other; and while he was talking with his brethren, the champion of the Philistines, Goliath of Gath, came forth and spoke as he had done before, and defied the armies. of Israel. And the men of Israel, when they saw him, fled from him, and were sore afraid.

Then David spoke to the men that stood by him, saying, "What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" And the people answered, "The man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter." And David turned to another man of the army, and spoke in the same way.

When Saul heard of the words which David

had spoken, he sent for him. And when David had been brought before him, he said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him, thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine." But Saul answered, "Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth." Then David said, "Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: and I went out after him and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He shall deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine."

Then Saul said, "Go, and the Lord be with thee." And he armed David with his armour. And when David had girded on his sword, and