1 Samuel 23
23
1And they declare to David, saying, ‘Lo, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are spoiling the threshing-floors.’
2And David asketh at Jehovah, saying, ‘Do I go? — and have I smitten among these Philistines?’ And Jehovah saith unto David, ‘Go, and thou hast smitten among the Philistines, and saved Keilah.’
3And David's men say unto him, ‘Lo, we here in Judah are afraid; and how much more when we go to Keilah, unto the ranks of the Philistines?’
4And David addeth again to ask at Jehovah, and Jehovah answereth him, and saith, ‘Rise, go down to Keilah, for I am giving the Philistines into thy hand.’
5And David goeth, and his men, to Keilah, and fighteth with the Philistines, and leadeth away their cattle, and smiteth among them — a great smiting, and David saveth the inhabitants of Keilah.
6And it cometh to pass, in the fleeing of Abiathar son of Ahimelech unto David, to Keilah, an ephod came down in his hand.
7And it is declared to Saul that David hath come in to Keilah, and Saul saith, ‘God hath made him known for my hand, for he hath been shut in, to enter into a city of doors and bar.’
8And Saul summoneth the whole of the people to battle, to go down to Keilah, to lay siege unto David and unto his men.
9And David knoweth that against him Saul is devising the evil, and saith unto Abiathar the priest, ‘Bring nigh the ephod.’
10And David saith, ‘Jehovah, God of Israel, Thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul is seeking to come in unto Keilah, to destroy the city on mine account.
11Do the possessors of Keilah shut me up into his hand? doth Saul come down as Thy servant hath heard? Jehovah, God of Israel, declare, I pray Thee, to Thy servant.’ And Jehovah saith, ‘He doth come down.’
12And David saith, ‘Do the possessors of Keilah shut me up, and my men, into the hand of Saul?’ And Jehovah saith, ‘They shut [thee] up.’
13And David riseth — and his men — about six hundred men, and they go out from Keilah, and go up and down where they go up and down; and to Saul it hath been declared that David hath escaped from Keilah, and he ceaseth to go out.
14And David abideth in the wilderness, in fortresses, and abideth in the hill-country, in the wilderness of Ziph; and Saul seeketh him all the days, and God hath not given him into his hand.
15And David seeth that Saul hath come out to seek his life, and David [is] in the wilderness of Ziph, in a forest.
16And Jonathan son of Saul riseth, and goeth unto David to the forest, and strengtheneth his hand in God,
17and saith unto him, ‘Fear not, for the hand of Saul my father doth not find thee, and thou dost reign over Israel, and I am to thee for second, and also so knoweth Saul my father.’
18And they make a covenant both of them before Jehovah; and David abideth in the forest, and Jonathan hath gone to his house.
19And the Ziphites go up unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, ‘Is not David hiding himself with us in fortresses, in the forest, in the height of Hachilah, which [is] on the south of the desolate place?
20And, now, by all the desire of thy soul, O king, to come down, come down, and ours [is] to shut him up into the hand of the king.’
21And Saul saith, ‘Blessed [are] ye of Jehovah, for ye have pity on me;
22go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his foot is; who hath seen him there? for [one] hath said unto me, He is very subtile.
23And see and know of all the hiding-places where he hideth himself, and ye have turned back unto me prepared, and I have gone with you, and it hath been, if he is in the land, that I have searched him out through all the thousands of Judah.’
24And they rise and go to Ziph before Saul, and David and his men [are] in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain, at the south of the desolate place.
25And Saul and his men go to seek, and they declare to David, and he goeth down the rock, and abideth in the wilderness of Maon; and Saul heareth, and pursueth after David [to] the wilderness of Maon.
26And Saul goeth on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain, and David is hastened to go from the face of Saul, and Saul and his men are compassing David and his men, to catch them.
27And a messenger hath come in unto Saul, saying, ‘Haste, and come, for the Philistines have pushed against the land.’
28And Saul turneth back from pursuing after David, and goeth to meet the Philistines, therefore they have called that place ‘The Rock of Divisions.’
29And David goeth up thence, and abideth in fortresses [at] En-gedi.
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1 Samuel 23: YLT98
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1 Samuel 23
23
David Protects the Town of Keilah
1One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors. 2David asked the Lord, “Should I go and attack them?”
“Yes, go and save Keilah,” the Lord told him.
3But David’s men said, “We’re afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don’t want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!”
4So David asked the Lord again, and again the Lord replied, “Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.”
5So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah. 6Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him.
7Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. “Good!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got him now! God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled town!” 8So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and besiege David and his men.
9But David learned of Saul’s plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the Lord what he should do. 10Then David prayed, “O Lord, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here. 11Will the leaders of Keilah betray me to him?#23:11 Some manuscripts lack the first sentence of 23:11. And will Saul actually come as I have heard? O Lord, God of Israel, please tell me.”
And the Lord said, “He will come.”
12Again David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?”
And the Lord replied, “Yes, they will betray you.”
David Hides in the Wilderness
13So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all. 14David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.
15One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. 16Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. 17“Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.” 18So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the Lord. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh.
19But now the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah and betrayed David to him. “We know where David is hiding,” they said. “He is in the strongholds of Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, which is in the southern part of Jeshimon. 20Come down whenever you’re ready, O king, and we will catch him and hand him over to you!”
21“The Lord bless you,” Saul said. “At last someone is concerned about me! 22Go and check again to be sure of where he is staying and who has seen him there, for I know that he is very crafty. 23Discover his hiding places, and come back when you are sure. Then I’ll go with you. And if he is in the area at all, I’ll track him down, even if I have to search every hiding place in Judah!” 24So the men of Ziph returned home ahead of Saul.
Meanwhile, David and his men had moved into the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah Valley south of Jeshimon. 25When David heard that Saul and his men were searching for him, he went even farther into the wilderness to the great rock, and he remained there in the wilderness of Maon. But Saul kept after him in the wilderness.
26Saul and David were now on opposite sides of a mountain. Just as Saul and his men began to close in on David and his men, 27an urgent message reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again. 28So Saul quit chasing David and returned to fight the Philistines. Ever since that time, the place where David was camped has been called the Rock of Escape.#23:28 Hebrew Sela-hammahlekoth. 29#23:29 Verse 23:29 is numbered 24:1 in Hebrew text.David then went to live in the strongholds of En-gedi.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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