1 Samuel 23
23
David Saves the City of Keilah
1Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against #Josh. 15:44Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” 2Therefore David #See ch. 22:10inquired of the Lord, “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, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4Then David #[See ver. 2 above] inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, #ver. 14; Josh. 24:11; Judg. 7:7; 20:28for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” 5And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 # ch. 22:20 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. 7Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, #ch. 30:7; [Num. 27:21]“Bring the ephod here.” 10Then David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” 12Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the Lord said, #ver. 20“They will surrender you.” 13Then David and his men, #ch. 25:13; 27:2; [ch. 22:2; 30:9, 10] who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went #[2 Sam. 15:20]wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. 14And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country #See Ps. 63 of the wilderness of #Josh. 15:24Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
Saul Pursues David
15David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. 16And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. 17And he said to him, “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. #ch. 24:20; [ch. 20:31]Saul my father also knows this.” 18#ch. 18:3; 20:8, 16, 42; [2 Sam. 21:7]And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
19 # ch. 26:1; See Ps. 54 Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of #Num. 21:20Jeshimon? 20Now come down, O king, according to all your heart’s desire to come down, #ver. 12and our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” 21And Saul said, #See Ruth 2:20 “May you be blessed by the Lord, #[ch. 22:8]for you have had compassion on me. 22Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning. 23See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” 24And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.
Now David and his men were #ch. 25:2; Josh. 15:55 in the wilderness of Maon, #See Deut. 1:1 in the Arabah to the south of #[See ver. 19 above]Jeshimon. 25And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after 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. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” 28So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.#23:28 Or Rock of Divisions 29#23:29 Ch 24:1 in Hebrew And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of #Josh. 15:62; 2 Chr. 20:2; Song 1:14; Ezek. 47:10Engedi.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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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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