1 Samuel 23
23
David Delivers the City of Keilah
1 They told David, “The Philistines are fighting in Keilah and are looting the threshing floors.” 2 So David asked the Lord, “Should I go and strike down these Philistines?” The Lord said to David, “Go, strike down the Philistines and deliver Keilah.”
3 But David’s men said to him, “We are afraid while we are still here in Judah! What will it be like if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 So David asked the Lord once again. But again the Lord replied, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.”
5 So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines. He took away their cattle and thoroughly defeated them.#tn Heb “and struck them down with a great blow.” David delivered the inhabitants of Keilah.
David Eludes Saul Again
6 Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech had fled to David at Keilah, he had brought with him an ephod.#tn Heb “an ephod went down in his hand.” 7 When Saul was told that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, “God has delivered#tn The MT reading (“God has alienated him into my hand”) in v. 7 is a difficult and uncommon idiom. The use of this verb in Jer 19:4 is somewhat parallel, but not entirely so. Many scholars have therefore suspected a textual problem here, emending the word נִכַּר (nikkar, “alienated”) to סִכַּר (sikkar, “he has shut up [i.e., delivered]”). This is the idea reflected in the translations of the Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate, although it is not entirely clear whether they are reading something different from the MT or are simply paraphrasing what for them too may have been a difficult text. The LXX has “God has sold him into my hands,” apparently reading מַכַר (makar, “sold”) for MT’s נִכַּר. The present translation is a rather free interpretation. him into my hand, for he has boxed himself into a corner by entering a city with two barred gates.”#tn Heb “with two gates and a bar.” Since in English “bar” could be understood as a saloon, it has been translated as an attributive: “two barred gates.” 8 So Saul mustered all his army to go down to Keilah and besiege David and his men.#tn Heb “So Saul mustered all his army for battle to go down to Keilah to besiege against David and his men.”
9 When David realized that Saul was planning to harm him,#tn Heb “Saul was planning the evil against him.” he told Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod!” 10 Then David said, “O Lord God of Israel, your servant has clearly heard that Saul is planning#tn Heb “seeking.” to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me. 11 Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, please inform your servant!”
Then the Lord said, “He will come down.” 12 David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me and my men into Saul’s hand?” The Lord said, “They will deliver you over.”
13 So David and his men, who numbered about six hundred, set out and left Keilah; they moved around from one place to another.#tn Heb “they went where they went.” When told that David had escaped from Keilah, Saul called a halt to his expedition. 14 David stayed in the strongholds that were in the desert and in the hill country of the desert of Ziph. Saul looked for him all the time,#tn Heb “all the days.” but God did not deliver David#tn Heb “him”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity. into his hand. 15 David realized#tn Heb “saw.” that Saul had come out to seek his life; at that time David was in Horesh in the desert of Ziph.
16 Then Jonathan son of Saul left and went to David at Horesh. He encouraged him#tn Heb “strengthened his hand.” through God. 17 He said to him, “Don’t be afraid! For the hand of my father Saul cannot find you. You will rule over Israel, and I will be your second in command. Even my father Saul realizes this.” 18 When the two of them had made a covenant before the Lord, David stayed on at Horesh, but Jonathan went to his house.
19 Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Isn’t David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon? 20 Now at your own discretion,#tn Heb “to all the desire of your soul.” O king, come down. Delivering him into the king’s hand will be our responsibility.”
21 Saul replied, “May you be blessed by the Lord, for you have had compassion on me. 22 Go and make further arrangements. Determine precisely#tn Heb “know and see.” The expression is a hendiadys. See also v. 23. where he is#tn Heb “his place where his foot is.” and who has seen him there, for I am told that he is extremely cunning. 23 Locate precisely all the places where he hides and return to me with dependable information.#tn Heb “established.” Then I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will find him#tn Heb “I will search him out.” among all the thousands of Judah.”
24 So they left and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the desert of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. 25 Saul and his men went to look for him.#tn Heb “to search.” But David was informed and went down to the rock and stayed in the desert of Maon. When Saul heard about it, he pursued David in the desert of Maon. 26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, while David and his men went on the other side of the mountain. David was hurrying to get away from Saul, but Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men so they could capture them. 27 But a messenger came to Saul saying, “Come quickly, for the Philistines have raided the land!”
28 So Saul stopped pursuing David and went to confront the Philistines. Therefore that place is called Sela Hammahlekoth.#sn The name הַמַּחְלְקוֹת סֶלַע (Sela Hammakhleqoth) probably means “Rock of Divisions” in Hebrew, in the sense that Saul and David parted company there (cf. NAB “Gorge of Divisions”; TEV “Separation Hill”). This etymology assumes that the word derives from the Hebrew root II חלק (khlq, “to divide”; HALOT 322 s.v. II חלק). However, there is another root I חלק, which means “to be smooth or slippery” (HALOT 322 s.v. I חלק). If the word is taken from this root, the expression would mean “Slippery Rock.” 29 (24:1)#sn Beginning with 23:29, the verse numbers through 24:22 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 23:29 ET = 24:1 HT, 24:1 ET = 24:2 HT, 24:2 ET = 24:3 HT, etc., through 24:22 ET = 24:23 HT. With 25:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same. Then David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En Gedi.
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1 Samuel 23
23
David Defeats the Philistines at Keilah
1Now they told David, “Look, the Philistines are fighting in Keilah and they are raiding the threshing floors.” 2So David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And Yahweh said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save#Or “deliver” or “rescue” Keilah.” 3But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more#Literally “also for” if we go to Keilah to the battle lines of the Philistines?” 4So David again inquired of Yahweh, and Yahweh answered him and said, “Get up, go down to Keilah, for I am giving the Philistines into your hand.” 5So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines. They drove off their livestock and dealt them a heavy blow.#Literally “he struck them with a great smiting” So David saved#Or “delivered” or “rescued” the inhabitants of Keilah.
David Flees from Saul at Keilah
6Now when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled#Literally “And it happened that at the fleeing of Abiathar son of Ahimelech” to David at Keilah, he went down with an ephod in his hand. 7When it was told to Saul that David had gone to Keilah, Saul said, “God has given him#Literally “has made him a stranger” into my hand, because he has shut himself in by going into a city with two barred gates.#Literally “two gates and a bar” 8Saul then summoned all of the army for the battle, to go down to Keilah to lay a siege against David and his men. 9When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10And David said, “O Yahweh, God of Israel, your servant has clearly heard that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me. 11Will the rulers of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Yahweh, God of Israel, please tell your servant!” And Yahweh said, “He will come down.” 12Then David said, “Will the rulers of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And Yahweh said, “They will deliver you.” 13So David and his men got up, about six hundred men, and went out from Keilah and wandered wherever they could go. When it was told to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he stopped his pursuit.#Literally “he ceased to go out”
David Eludes Saul’s Pursuit
14David remained in the wilderness, in the strongholds, and in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him continually,#Literally “all the days” but God did not give him into his hand. 15When David realized that Saul had gone out to seek his life, David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. 16So Jonathan the son of Saul got up and went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him#Literally “he strengthened his hand” through God. 17He said to him, “Do not be afraid, for the hand of my father Saul will not find you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you.#Literally “I shall be for you as second” My father Saul knows this also.” 18Then the two of them made#Literally “cut” a covenant before Yahweh. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went to his house.
19Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, which is south of Jeshimon? 20So then, O king, whenever you want#Literally “for all the wanting of your soul” to come down, come down, and it will be for us to deliver him into the hand of the king.” 21And Saul said to them, “May you be blessed by Yahweh, for you have shown me compassion! 22Go, please, make certain again! Find out and see exactly where he is#Literally “his place where his foot is” and who has seen him there! For they have said to me, ‘He is very cunning.’ 23Look, find out all of the hiding places where he hides. Then return to me with dependable information,#Literally “to being established” and I will go with you. And then if he is there in the land, then I will seek him among all the thousands of Judah.” 24Then they got up and went to Ziph before Saul.
Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah, to the south of Jeshimon. 25And Saul and his men went to seek him, and they told David, so he went down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard this, he pursued David into the wilderness of Maon. 26Saul went on one side of the mountain,#Literally “from the side of the mountain from this” and David and his men went on the other side of the mountain.#Literally “from the side of the mountain from this” David was hurrying to get away from Saul, while Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them. 27But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, because the Philistines have made a raid on the land!” 28So Saul returned from pursuing David, and he went to confront#Hebrew “to meet” the Philistines. Therefore, they called that place the Rock of Division.#Hebrew “Sela’ Hammahlekot” 29#1 Sam 23:29–24:22 in the English Bible is 24:1–23 in the Hebrew Bible David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En Gedi.
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