1 Samuel 23
23
David Rescues Keilah
1Then they told David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are plundering (robbing) the threshing floors [of the grain].” 2So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3But David’s men said to him, “Listen, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the battle lines of the Philistines?” 4Then David inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will hand over the Philistines to you.” 5So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines; he drove away their cattle and struck them with a great slaughter. So David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah.
6When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand. 7Now when Saul was informed that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, “God has handed him over to me, for he shut himself in by entering a city that has double gates and bars.” 8So Saul summoned all the people (soldiers) for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. 9But David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10Then David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul intends to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11Will the men of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O Lord, God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” 12Then David asked, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?” The Lord said, “They will surrender you.” 13Then David and his men, about six hundred, arose and left Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the pursuit. 14David stayed in the wilderness in strongholds, in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul searched for him every day, but God did not hand David over to him.
Saul Pursues David
15Now David became aware that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the Wilderness of Ziph [in the woods] at Horesh. 16And Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went [into the woods] to David at Horesh, and #23:16 Lit strengthened his hand.encouraged him in God. 17He said to him, “Do not be afraid; the hand of my father Saul will not find you. You will be king over Israel and I will be second in command to you; my father Saul knows this too.” 18So the two of them made a covenant before the Lord; and David stayed [in the woods] at Horesh and Jonathan went to his house.
19Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in strongholds of Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of #23:19 Or the desert.Jeshimon? 20Now then, O king, come down [to Ziph] in accordance with all your heart’s desire to do so [and capture him]; and our part shall be to hand him over to the king.” 21Saul said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, because you have had compassion on me. 22Go now, be very persistent and investigate, and see where his #23:22 Lit foot.haunt is and who has seen him there; for I am told he is very cunning. 23So look, and take note of all the places where he hides and come back to me with the established facts, then I will go with you. If he is [anywhere] in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
24So they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon. 25Then Saul and his men went to search for him. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed [there] in the Wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard it, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. 26Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to capture them. 27But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, because the Philistines have attacked the land.” 28So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to meet the Philistines; therefore they called that place the Rock of Escape. 29#23:29 In Hebrew this is v 1 of the next chapter.David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of Engedi.
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I Samuel 23
23
David Saves the City of Keilah
1Then they told David, saying, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against #1 Kin. 2:26Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.”
2Therefore David #Josh. 15:44; Neh. 3:17, 18inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”
And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”
3But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4Then David inquired of the Lord once again.
And the Lord answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.” 5And David and his men went to Keilah and #1 Sam. 22:10; 23:4, 6, 9; 28:6; 30:8; 2 Sam. 5:19, 23fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6Now it happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech #1 Sam. 19:8; 2 Sam. 5:20fled to David at Keilah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand.
7And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8Then Saul called all the people together for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
9When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, #1 Sam. 22:20he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10Then David said, “O Lord God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah #Num. 27:21; 1 Sam. 23:6; 30:7to destroy the city for my sake. 11Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.”
And the Lord said, “He will come down.”
12Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?”
And the Lord said, “They will deliver you.”
13So David and his men, #1 Sam. 22:19about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; so he halted the expedition.
David in Wilderness Strongholds
14And David stayed in strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in #1 Sam. 22:2; 25:13the mountains in the Wilderness of #Ps. 11:1Ziph. Saul #Josh. 15:55; 2 Chr. 11:8sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. 15So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in a forest. 16Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God. 17And he said to him, #Ps. 32:7; 54:3, 4“Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. #(Ps. 27:1–3; Heb. 13:6)Even my father Saul knows that.” 18So the two of them #1 Sam. 20:31; 24:20made a covenant before the Lord. And David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house.
19Then the Ziphites #1 Sam. 18:3; 20:12–17, 42; 2 Sam. 9:1; 21:7came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? 20Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and #1 Sam. 26:1; Ps. 54:titleour part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand.”
21And Saul said, “Blessed are you of the Lord, for you have compassion on me. 22Please go and find out for sure, and see the place where his hideout is, and who has seen him there. For I am told he is very crafty. 23See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides; and come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. And it shall be, if he is in the land, that I will search for him throughout all the clans of Judah.”
24So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness #Ps. 54:3of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. 25When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. Therefore he went down to the rock, and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. 26Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. #Josh. 15:55; 1 Sam. 25:2So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men #Ps. 31:22were encircling David and his men to take them.
27#Ps. 17:9But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!” 28Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of Escape. 29Then David went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at #2 Kin. 19:9En Gedi.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.