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 #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 #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 #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#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 Hides and Saul Seeks
1Then they reported to David saying, “Look, the Philistines are raiding Keilah and they are plundering the threshing floors.”
2So David inquired of Adonai saying, “Shall I go and attack those Philistines?” Adonai said to David, “Go, attack the Philistines and deliver Keilah.”
3But David’s fellow men said to him, “Look, we’re afraid here in Judah; how much more so if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces?”
4Once again David inquired of Adonai, and Adonai answered him saying, “Arise! Go to Keilah, for I am going to deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
5So David and his fellow men went to Keilah and fought against the Philistines, drove off their livestock and inflicted a great slaughter on them. Thus David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah.
6It came about, when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.
7Now when Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand! For he shut himself in by entering a town with barred gates.”
8So Saul summoned all the troops for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his fellow men.
9Now David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him, so he said to Abiathar the kohen, “Bring the ephod.”
10Then David said, “Adonai, God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul intends to come to Keilah to destroy the town because of me.
11Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? Adonai God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” “He will come down,” Adonai said.
12Then David asked, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my fellow men into the hand of Saul?” “They will surrender,” Adonai said.
13Then David and his fellow men, about 600, got up and left Keilah, and went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he stopped the pursuit.
14So David stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness, remaining in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul searched for him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
15By now David was aware that Saul would come out to seek his life while David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Choresh.
16Then Saul’s son Jonathan arose and went to David at Choresh and strengthened him in God.
17“Don’t be afraid,” he said to him, “because my father Saul will never find you. You will be king over Israel and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul recognizes that.”
18Again they cut a covenant before Adonai. David remained at Choresh, but Jonathan went home.
19Then some of the Ziphites went up to Saul in Gibeah, saying, “Isn’t David hiding with us in the strongholds at Choresh, in the hill of Hachilah which is south of Jeshimon?
20Now therefore, O king, come down whenever it is a desire of your soul to come down—our part will be to deliver him into the king’s hand.”
21“May you be blessed of Adonai,” Saul said, “for you have taken pity on me.
22Go now, make more sure, investigate and scout out his place where he usually goes and who has seen him there. For I have been told that he is very cunning.
23Look around and see in which of all the hiding places he has been hiding, and return to me with certainty, and I will go with you. If he is in the area, I will search him out among all the clans of Judah.”
24Then they got up and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. But David and his men were then in the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah, to the south of Jeshimon.
25So when Saul and his men began the search, David was informed. Then he went down to the rocky area and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. On hearing this, Saul pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.
26Then, while Saul was advancing on one side of the mountain, David and his men were on the other side of the mountain. David was hurrying to elude Saul. Meanwhile Saul and his men were closing-in on David and his men to seize them.
27But a messenger came to Saul saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!”
28So Saul had to return from chasing after David, and go to engage the Philistines. Therefore they called that place the Rock of Separation.
29From there David went up and stayed in the strongholds of En-gedi.
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