Chapter 23
1 David was told , " Behold , the Philistines are fighting against Keilah , and are robbing the threshing floors ."
2 Therefore David inquired of Yahweh , saying, " Shall I go and strike these Philistines ?" Yahweh said to David , " Go strike the Philistines , and save Keilah ."
3 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 ?"
4 Then David inquired of Yahweh yet again . Yahweh answered him , and said , " Arise , go down to Keilah ; for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand ."
5 David 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 .
6 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah , he came down with an ephod in his hand .
7 Saul was told 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 ."
8 Saul summoned all the people to war , to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men .
9 David knew that Saul was devising mischief against him . He said to Abiathar the priest , " Bring the ephod here ."
10 Then David said , " O Yahweh , the God of Israel , your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake .
11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand ? Will Saul come down , as your servant has heard ? Yahweh , the God of Israel , I beg you , tell your servant ." Yahweh said , " He will come down ."
12 Then David said, " Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul ?" Yahweh said, " They will deliver you up ."
13 Then David and his men , who were about six hundred , arose and departed out of Keilah and went wherever they could go . Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah ; and he gave up going there .
14 David 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 didn’t deliver him into his hand .
15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life . David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the woods.
16 Jonathan , Saul ’s son , arose and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God .
17 He said to him , "Don’t be afraid , for the hand of Saul my father won’t find you ; and you will be king over Israel , and I will be next to you ; and Saul my father knows that also ."
18 They both made a covenant before Yahweh . Then David stayed in the woods and Jonathan went to his house .
19 Then the Ziphites came up to Saul to Gibeah , saying, "Doesn’t David hide himself with us in the strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah , which is on the south of the desert ?
20 Now therefore , O king , come down . According to all the desire of your soul to come down ; and our part will be to deliver him up into the king ’s hand ."
21 Saul said, " You are blessed by Yahweh , for you have had compassion on me .
22 Please go make yet more sure , and know and see his place where his haunt is , and who has seen him there ; for I have been told that he is very cunning .
23 See 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 . It shall happen , if he is in the land, that I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah ."
24 They 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 .
25 Saul 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 .
26 Saul went on this side of the mountain , and David and his men on that side of the mountain ; and David hurried to get away for fear of Saul , for Saul and his men surrounded David and his men to take them .
27 But a messenger came to Saul , saying, " Hurry and come , for the Philistines have made a raid on the land!"
28 So Saul returned from pursuing David , and went against the Philistines . Therefore they called that place Sela Hammahlekoth.
29 David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.