THE SON OF JESSE ON THE THRONE. 201

mocked, thinking David could not conquer them who
had been so long unsubdued. They called out to him,
“ Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou
shalt not come in hither.” The blind and the lame are
supposed to mean their gods, in whom they trusted,
who had eyes but saw not, and feet but could not walk.
There could be little doubt who would conquer when
one side put their confidence in images, the other
trusted in the Lord God of Hosts. David took the
place, and fixed his residence there. When the Philis-
tines heard that David was king in Jerusalem, they as-
sembled and went against him, spreading their hosts
over the valley of Rephaim. Now David had thirty
captains, all men of wonderful might and bravery. The
feats they performed were astonishing. Two of them,
each alone, and with his spear, had slain three hundred
men at one time. Another had slain an Egyptian
giant ; another slew two lion-like men of Moab, besides
areal lion in a pit, and on a snowy day, too, when
hunger makes the monarch of the woods more fierce.
While the army of the Philistines was ranged against
him, David took a great desire for drink from a certain
well beside the gate of Bethlehem. The Philistines’
garrison was there, so that to express this desire seemed
foolish ; yet David did express it, and three of his brave
captains, eager to please him, hastened towards Beth-
lehem, broke the army of their enemies, procured the
water, and brought it to their king. When he saw
what they had done, he repented of the rash speech,