David and Goliath - A mini Arche Seleukeian AAR

David and Goliath

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So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him.
And he came to the circle of the camp while the army was going out in battle array shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines
drew up in battle array, army against army. Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line
and entered in order to greet his brothers. As he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath,
was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard them.
When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid. The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man
who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches
and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying,
“What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine,
that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” The people answered him in accord with this word, saying, “Thus it will be done for the
man who kills him.”

When the words which David spoke were heard, they told them to Saul, and he sent for him. David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail
on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine
to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his
father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his
mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the
bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.” And David said,
“The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.” Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his
head, and he clothed him with armor. David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said
to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” And David took them off. He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself
five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand;
and he approached the Philistine.

Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he
disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance. The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come
to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine also said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to
the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.” Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin,
but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.
This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies
of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God
in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and
He will give you into our hands.”

Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to
meet the Philistine. And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And
the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.

Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand.
Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the
Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. The men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines as far as the
valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the slain Philistines lay along the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron. The sons of Israel returned from
chasing the Philistines and plundered their camps. Then David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.

Now when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?”
And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.”

1 samuel 17:1-55

A little Shepherd Boy
The day had finally came. Yusef, a shepherd from a village surrounding Damaskos stood in the battle line.
He looked at the valley below him and watched the hedgehog creep closer and closer. Battle would soon come.
He thought back a month ago, when he and his brothers attacked a guard post and slaughtered the Ptolemic soldiers.
It seemed like an eternity now. It set the countryside a blaze with similar attacks.Since then a whirlwind of events
transpired. Hundreds of farmers, shepherds, and local residents flocked to his side in this revolt.
Yusef was the oldest of 5 brothers.

It took a while for the local Ptolemic authority to send an army to crush this revolt. It gave Yusef, and his little army to
gain strength and supplies to prepare for the inevitable. They were lightly armed, but it was perfect for the environment.
Most of his men could only afford a small sword, the lesser fortunate had only a dagger, though all were well versed with a sling.
Yusefs youngest son stood by his side. A lad of 14, slinky, with long locks of dark hair. It was hard to differentiate between his hair
and the dark sheepskin cloak he wore. Yusef sent his older brothers out to the country side to gather more followers, but they would
not be back before the day was over.

Yusef watched as the warriors gathered into some semblance of a battle line, it was a ratty line, built for hit and run tactics. He looked over to
his son, who double checked his pouch for his smooth stones, adjusted his sling, checked for his dagger at his side. It brought a smile
to his face, for it would be his sons first real fight. David, his son, was to stay in the rear and pelt the sides of the Ptolemic force with stones from
his sling.

The hedgehog was much closer now, orders could be heard being shouted from the officers. It moved awkwardly in the desert, slowly and fearfully.
"Remember David! How he stood up to the giant Goliath! Do not fear. For we stand on the side of right." Yusef shouted. He was answered with wooping
and crescendoing battle cry. A trumpet blew from the enemy lines. The hedgehog stopped and adjusted. This is when they were most vulnerable and Yusef knew it.


"Fire now!" Yusef howled. A fierce volley of stones flew at the spear formation. Cries could be heard. The disturbed hedgehog hesitated before adjusting its spears.
"Fire at will!" He cried again. Though he didn't need to. Most order had been lost and his men were picking off targets with the extreme accuracy.
Screams, shouts and cries were heard. The hedgehog froze were they were and grew smaller. To Yusef's surprise he could see the hedgehog work
frantically to remove dead, maimed or useless soldiers from their formation. His own slingers aimed at them directly which caused much confusion amongst
the enemy ranks. Discarded soldiers tried frantically to fight their way back into the ranks only to be killed off by their own. The slaughter continued until
the slingers ran dry of ammo. They searched the desert floor frantically for more stone but that too soon ran dry.

The time had come for a fierce charge. Yusef knew it, for soon the hedgehog could react and adjust.
"CHAAAAARGE! COME WITH ME MY BROTHERS!"
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It was like a wave crashing upon the rocks. Engulfing it whole. The hedgehog buckled under the weight and collapsed into itself. The noise of metal, men and
instruments of war was deafening. Neither side could be controlled. A full melee ensued. As Yusef's men fell to the ground they attacked the feet, any feet, biting,
clawing, slashing. Yusef saw victory at hand. The hedgehog grew smaller and smaller being crushed by the sea of men like a rock in a winters storm.
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"Yusef! Reinforcements! Look!" His bodyguard had shouted to him. Yusef looked and saw a force 3 times the size of this hedgehog, and it was fresh, moving quickly
to them. Without having time to react, the end of a sarissa was driven to his chest. As if he was on the other end of a teeter totter he was lifted into the sky.

Time froze. The enemy would soon arrive and they would be surrounded. He looked to the rear of his guard and saw his son, prying the ground open with his dagger
for anything to sling. "Run." Was all he could manage to shout weakly before he was thrown off of the skewer. He landed on his back. It took a moment for him to get
his clarity back. He could see a total rout of his men. His mind was loosing strength as his life blood ran from his body onto the ground. His last thoughts were of his son. And the Goliath.
The day was a loss.
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