When Saul set forth with the army he said, "God will test you with a river. Those who drink its water will not be of my people and those who do not even taste the water or who only taste some of it from within the hollow of their hand, will be my friends. They all drank the water except a few of them. When Saul and those who believed in him crossed the river, his people said, "We do not have the strength to fight against Goliath and his army." Those who thought that they would meet God said, "How often, with God's permission, have small groups defeated the large ones?" God is with those who exercise patience. 249 When they met Goliath and his warriors, they said, "Our Lord, bestow patience upon us, make us stand firm, and help us against those who deny the truth." 250 Consequently, by Allah's grace, they routed the unbelievers, and David killed Goliath; and Allah gave him kingship and wisdom and taught him whatever other things He willed. And if Allah had not been repelling one set of people by means of another, the earth would have been filled with chaos. But Allah is bountiful to the world (and so repels chaos in this way). 251 These are the portents of Allah which We recite unto thee (Muhammad) with truth, and lo! thou art of the number of (Our) messengers; 252 ۞ We have made some of these apostles to excel the others among them are they to whom Allah spoke, and some of them He exalted by (many degrees of) rank; and We gave clear miracles to Isa son of Marium, and strengthened him with the holy spirit. And if Allah had pleased, those after them would not have fought one with another after clear arguments had come to them, but they disagreed; so there were some of them who believed and others who denied; and if Allah had pleased they would not have fought one with another, but Allah brings about what He intends. 253