DAVID. One of the greatest heroes of ancient history was David, a poor shepherd boy who killed the giant Goliath. According to the Biblical story of his life, which is told in detail in the Old Testament, David was born about 3,000 years ago. David was the youngest son of Jesse, a man of Bethlehem. While a shepherd, he learned to play the harp and to hurl stones from a sling with deadly accuracy to protect …showed first 75 words of 480 total…

…showed last 75 words of 480 total…until he died 33 years later. He moved from Hebron to Jerusalem, which his nephew Joab had captured for him. Joab also conquered Israel's neighbors until the nation's power reached into Syria. Years of bloodshed and famine marked David's reign. The treason and death of his favorite son, Absalom, filled the king with grief. David's worst crime was his betrayal of his faithful captain Uriah, so that he might marry Uriah's wife, Bathsheba. Bibliography National Geographic