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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1 Samuel 23
23
David refuses to kill Saul
David rescues the town of Keilah
1One day some people told David, “The Philistines keep attacking the town of Keilah and stealing grain from the threshing place.”
2David asked the LORD, “Should I attack these Philistines?”
“Yes,” the LORD answered. “Attack them and rescue Keilah.”
3But David's men said, “Look, even here in Judah we're afraid of the Philistines. We will be terrified if we try to fight them at Keilah!”#23.3 Keilah: Keilah was probably not controlled by Israelites at this time.
4David asked the LORD about it again. “Leave at once,” the LORD answered. “I will give you victory over the Philistines at Keilah.”
5David and his men went there and fiercely attacked the Philistines. They killed many of them, then led away their cattle, and rescued the people of Keilah.
6-8Meanwhile, Saul heard that David was in Keilah. “God has let me catch David,” Saul said. “David is trapped inside a walled town where the gates can be locked.” Saul decided to go there and surround the town, in order to trap David and his men. He sent messengers who told the towns and villages, “Send men to serve in Saul's army!”
By this time, Abiathar had joined David in Keilah and had brought along everything he needed to get answers from God.
9David heard about Saul's plan to capture him, and he told Abiathar, “Let's ask God what we should do.”
10David prayed, “LORD God of Israel, I was told that Saul is planning to come here. What should I do? Suppose he threatens to destroy the town because of me. 11Would the leaders of Keilah turn me over to Saul? Or is he really coming? Please tell me, LORD.”
“Yes, he will come,” the LORD answered.
12David asked, “Would the leaders of Keilah hand me and my soldiers over to Saul?”
“Yes, they would,” the LORD answered.
13David and his six hundred men got out of there fast and started moving from place to place. Saul heard that David had left Keilah, and he decided not to go after him.
Jonathan says David will be king
14David stayed in hideouts in the hill country of Ziph Desert. Saul kept searching, but God never let Saul catch him.
15One time, David was at Horesh in Ziph Desert. He was afraid because#23.15 He…because: Or “He saw that”. Saul had come to the area to kill him. 16But Jonathan went to see David, and God helped him encourage David. 17“Don't be afraid,” Jonathan said. “My father Saul will never get his hands on you. In fact, you're going to be the next king of Israel, and I'll be your highest official. Even my father knows it's true.”
18They both promised the LORD that they would always be loyal to each other. Then Jonathan went home, but David stayed at Horesh.#1 S 18.3.
David escapes from Saul
19Some people from the town of Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Your Majesty, David has a hideout not far from us! It's near Horesh, somewhere on Mount Hachilah south of Jeshimon.#23.19 Jeshimon: A place in the desert near the southern border of Judah.#Ps 54 Title. 20If you come, we will help you catch him.”
21Saul told them:
You've done me a big favour, and I pray that the LORD will bless you. 22Now please do just a little more for me. Find out exactly where David is, as well as where he goes, and who has seen him there. I've been told that he's very cunning. 23Find out where all his hiding places are and come back when you're sure. Then I'll go with you. If he is still in the area, or anywhere among the clans of Judah, I'll find him.
24The people from Ziph went back ahead of Saul, and they found out that David and his men were still south of Jeshimon in the Maon Desert. 25Saul and his army set out to find David. But David heard that Saul was coming, and he went to a place called The Rock, one of his hideouts in Maon Desert.
Saul found out where David was and started closing in on him. 26Saul was going around a hill on one side, and David and his men were on the other side, trying to get away. Saul and his soldiers were just about to capture David and his men, 27when a messenger came to Saul and said, “Come quickly! The Philistines are attacking Israel and taking everything.”
28Saul stopped going after David and went back to fight the Philistines. That's why the place is called “Escape Rock”.
29David left and went to live in the hideouts at En-Gedi.
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