The Midrash of Goliath the Philistine

It is written "Let not the mighty man glory in his might" (Jeremiah 9:22) - this refers to King David. They said that when David would fight, he would throw [his spear] and kill eight hundred men with one throw, and he would unsheathe his sword against three hundred men at once. When David saw this, he would become arrogant and say "There is none like me in the world, and after me there will be none like me." The Holy One Blessed Be He said to him "Do not become arrogant in your might, you are numbered." And now you will see that it does not come from your might. What did the Holy One Blessed be He do? He made a gazelle pass before him, and Avishai was sitting with him. David and Avishai went after it until they went too far after the gazelle, and they got lost on the road, and the strap of Avishai's sandal came undone. While he was tying it, David went ahead until he saw a beautiful tower. He went and entered it, and saw an old woman, the mother of Goliath the Philistine, and she was sitting and spinning wool. She recognized him as the one who killed her son Goliath the Philistine, but he did not recognize her. She went and cut her thread, and said "My son, pass me my distaff." He said to her "By your life, my lady!" When he reached to take the distaff, she immediately hid it in her lap, and placed him under the legs of the bed she was sitting on, in order to break all his bones. Immediately, God showed David that He has neither forgetfulness nor favoritism, and He made a vat fall under him into which David fell. When the brother of Goliath the Philistine came, his mother immediately went out to meet him and said "My son, do you know what I have captured?" He said "No." She said "Here, I have captured David who killed your brother." He said to her "My mother, what have you done to that wicked man? Give him to me and I will kill him." She said "Go and see him under the legs of the bed, where I have broken all his bones." He went and saw him sitting in the vat. When he saw this, he said to his mother "He lives!" He went and took his spear, and went into the sand, and placed his spear in the ground with its blade towards the sky in order to catch David on his spear. He took David and threw him up in the air with his spear underneath, but God made David hover in the air. Meanwhile, Avishai arrived and saw the whole incident. He went to the brother of Goliath the Philistine and said to him "Give me your spear and I will kill him." He said "Take it." When he took it, Avishai went and killed that wicked man. Then immediately David fell down, and they returned to their place. Then they said "Where is the might? It is not his, but God's." And this is the meaning of the verse "And Avishai helped David and struck the Philistine."

End of the Midrash of Goliath the Philistine