From the Death of Saul to the Death of David - Flavius Josephus

very near to be slain; and the rulers made him swear that he would no more
go out with them to battle, lest he should come to some great misfortune by
his courage and boldness, and thereby deprive the people of the benefits they
now enjoyed by his means, and of those that they might hereafter enjoy by
his living a long time among them.
2. When the king heard that the Philistines were gathered together at the
city Gazara, he sent an army against them, when Sibbechai the Hittite, one of
David's most courageous men, behaved himself so as to deserve great
commendation, for he slew many of those that bragged they were the
posterity of the giants, and vaunted themselves highly on that account, and
thereby was the occasion of victory to the Hebrews. After which defeat, the
Philistines made war again; and when David had sent an army against them,
Nephan his kinsman fought in a single combat with the stoutest of all the
Philistines, and slew him, and put the rest to flight. Many of them also were
slain in the fight. Now a little while after this, the Philistines pitched their
camp at a city which lay not far off the bounds of the country of the
Hebrews. They had a man who was six cubits tall, and had on each of his
feet and hands one more toe and finger than men naturally have. Now the
person who was sent against them by David out of his army was Jonathan,
the son of Shimea, who fought this man in a single combat, and slew him;
and as he was the person who gave the turn to the battle, he gained the
greatest reputation for courage therein. This man also vaunted himself to be
of the sons of the giants. But after this fight the Philistines made war no more
against the Israelites.
3. And now David being freed from wars and dangers, and enjoying for
the future a profound peace, (1) composed songs and hymns to God of
several sorts of metre; some of those which he made were trimeters, and
some were pentameters. He also made instruments of music, and taught the
Levites to sing hymns to God, both on that called the sabbath day, and on
other festivals. Now the construction of the instruments was thus: The viol
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