I Samuel 23

¹And they sent word to David, saying, The Philistines are fighting against Keilah and taking the grain from the grain-floors.

²So David, questioning the Lord, said, Am I to go and make an attack on these Philistines? And the Lord said to David, Go and make an attack on the Philistines so that Keilah may be kept from falling into their hands.

³And David's men said to him, Even here in Judah we are full of fear: how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?

⁴Then David put the question to the Lord again, and the Lord answering said, Up! go down to Keilah; for I will give the Philistines into your hands.

⁵So David and his men went to Keilah, and had a fight with the Philistines, and took away their cattle, and put them to the sword with great destruction. So David was the saviour of the people of Keilah.

⁶Now when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, went in flight to David, he came down to Keilah with the ephod in his hand.

⁷And news was given to Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, Now God has given him into my hands; for by going into a walled town with locked doors, he has let himself be shut in.

⁸And Saul sent for all the people to come to the fight, and go down to Keilah to make an attack on David and his men.

⁹And it was clear to David that Saul had evil designs against him, and he said to Abiathar the priest, Come here with the ephod.

¹⁰Then David said, O Lord, the God of Israel, news has been given to your servant that it is Saul's purpose to come to Keilah and send destruction on the town because of me.

¹¹And now, is it true, as they have said to me, that Saul is coming? O Lord, the God of Israel, give ear to your servant, and say if these things are so. And the Lord said, He is coming down.

¹²Then David said, Will the men of Keilah give me and my men up to Saul? and the Lord said, They will give you up.

¹³Then David and his men, about six hundred of them, went out of Keilah, and got away wherever they were able to go. And Saul, hearing that David had got away from Keilah, did not go there.

¹⁴And David kept in the waste land, in safe places, waiting in the hill-country in the waste land of Ziph. And Saul was searching for him every day, but God did not give him up into his hands.

¹⁵And David was full of fear, in the knowledge that Saul had come out to take his life; and David was in the waste land of Ziph, in Horesh.

¹⁶And Saul's son Jonathan went to David in Horesh, and made his hands strong in God;

¹⁷And said to him, Have no fear, for Saul my father will not get you into his power; and you will be king of Israel, and I will be by your side, and my father Saul is certain of this.

¹⁸And the two of them made an agreement before the Lord: and David went on living in Horesh, and Jonathan went back to his house.

¹⁹Then the Ziphites came up to Gibeah to see Saul, and said, Is not David living secretly among us in the strong places in Horesh, in the hill of Hachilah to the south of the waste land?

²⁰So now, O king, have your soul's desire and come down, and we, for our part, will give him up into the king's hands.

²¹And Saul said, The Lord's blessing will be yours, for you have had pity on me.

²²Go now, and take more steps, and see where he is living: for they say that he is expert in deceit.

²³So take care to get knowledge of all the secret places where he is taking cover, and be certain to come back to me, and I will go with you: and without doubt, if he is anywhere in the land, I will get him, among all the families of Judah.

²⁴And they went back and came to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the waste land of Maon, in the dry land south of the waste land.

²⁵And Saul and his men went in search of him. And David had word of it, so he came down to the rock in the waste land of Maon. And Saul, hearing of this, went after David into the waste land of Maon.

²⁶And Saul and his men went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men went on the other: and David's purpose was to get away as quickly as possible, for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men were making a circle round David and his men in order to take them.

²⁷But a man came to Saul saying, Be quick and come; for the Philistines have made an attack on the land.

²⁸So turning back from going after David, Saul went against the Philistines: so that place was named Sela-hammah-lekoth.

²⁹And from there, David went up and took cover in the safe place of En-gedi.

I Samuel 23

¹David was told, "Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and are robbing the threshing floors."

²Therefore David inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go and strike these Philistines?" The Lord said to David, "Go strike the Philistines, and save Keilah."

³David'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 inquired of the Lord yet again. The Lord answered him, and said, "Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand."

⁵David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their livestock, and killed them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

⁶It happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.

⁷It was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. Saul said, "God has delivered him into my hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that has gates and bars."

⁸Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

⁹David knew that Saul was devising mischief 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 surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.

¹¹Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, the God of Israel, I beg you, tell your servant." 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?" The Lord said, "They will deliver you up."

¹³Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went wherever they could go. It was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he gave up going there.

¹⁴David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.

¹⁵David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the wood.

¹⁶Jonathan, Saul's son, arose, and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God.

¹⁷He said to him, "Do not be afraid; for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you; and you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you; and that also Saul my father knows."

¹⁸They both made a covenant before the Lord: and David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his house.

¹⁹Then the Ziphites came up to Saul to Gibeah, saying, "Doesn't David hide himself with us in the strongholds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the desert?

²⁰Now therefore, O king, come down, according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him up into the king's hand."

²¹Saul said, "You are blessed by the Lord; for you have had compassion on me.

²²Please go make yet more sure, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who has seen him there; for it is told me that he deals very subtly.

²³See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides himself, and come again to me with certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall happen, if he is in the land, that I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah."

²⁴They arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the south of the desert.

²⁵Saul and his men went to seek him. When David was told, he went down to the rock, and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard that, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.

²⁶Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men surrounded David and his men to take them.

²⁷But a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Hurry and come; for the Philistines have made a raid on the land!"

²⁸So Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Sela Hammahlekoth.

²⁹David went up from there, and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.