撒母耳記上 23
1 有人告訴大衛說：「非利士人攻擊基伊拉，搶奪禾場。」
One day someone told David, “You need to know that the Philistia army is attacking Keilah [town] and they are stealing grain from where men are threshing it.”
2 所以大衛求問耶和華說：「我去攻打那些非利士人可以不可以？」耶和華對大衛說：「你可以去攻打非利士人，拯救基伊拉。」
David asked Yahweh, “Should my men and I go to fight against those men from the Philistia people-group?” Yahweh answered, “Yes, go. Attack them, and rescue the people of Keilah.”
3 跟隨大衛的人對他說：「我們在猶大地這裏尚且懼怕，何況往基伊拉去攻打非利士人的軍旅呢？」
But David’s men said to him, “We are afraid [that Saul will attack us] here in Judah. We will be more afraid if we go to Keilah where the Philistia army is!”
4 大衛又求問耶和華。耶和華回答說：「你起身下基伊拉去，我必將非利士人交在你手裏。」
So David asked Yahweh again [if they should go to Keilah]. Yahweh answered, “Yes, go down to Keilah. I will help you to defeat the men of the Philistia people-group.”
5 大衛和跟隨他的人往基伊拉去，與非利士人打仗，大大殺敗他們，又奪獲他們的牲畜。這樣，大衛救了基伊拉的居民。
So David and his men went to Keilah. They fought against the men of the Philistia people-group and captured many of their cattle. David and his men killed many of the Philistia men and rescued the people of Keilah.
6 亞希米勒的兒子亞比亞他逃到基伊拉見大衛的時候，手裏拿着以弗得。
Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, fled to be with David at Keilah, and he brought the sacred vest with him [to use it to determine what God wanted to be done].
7 有人告訴掃羅說：「大衛到了基伊拉。」掃羅說：「他進了有門有閂的城，困閉在裏頭；這是上帝將他交在我手裏了。」
Soon Saul found out that David was at Keilah. So he said, “That is good! God is enabling me to capture him! He has trapped himself in that town, because it has high walls with gates around it.”
8 於是掃羅招聚眾民，要下去攻打基伊拉城，圍困大衛和跟隨他的人。
So Saul summoned his army, and they prepared to go down to Keilah to attack David and his men.
9 大衛知道掃羅設計謀害他，就對祭司亞比亞他說：「將以弗得拿過來。」
But David found out that Saul was planning [for his army] to attack him. So he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring [here] the sacred vest.”
10 大衛禱告說：「耶和華－以色列的上帝啊，你僕人聽真了掃羅要往基伊拉來，為我的緣故滅城。
[So when Abiathar brought it, ] David prayed, “Yahweh, God of us Israelis, I have heard that Saul is planning to come here [with his army] and destroy Keilah because I am here.
11 基伊拉人將我交在掃羅手裏不交？掃羅照着你僕人所聽的話下來不下來？耶和華－以色列的上帝啊，求你指示僕人！」耶和華說：「掃羅必下來。」
Will Saul come down [here to Keilah], as people reported to me? Will the leaders of Keilah enable Saul to capture me? Yahweh, God of us Israelis, please tell me!” Yahweh answered, “Yes, Saul will come down.”
12 大衛又說：「基伊拉人將我和跟隨我的人交在掃羅手裏不交？」耶和華說：「必交出來。」
Then David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah enable Saul’s army to capture me and my men [if we stay here]?” [By means of the stones in the sacred vest], Yahweh replied, “Yes, they will.”
13 大衛和跟隨他的約有六百人，就起身出了基伊拉，往他們所能往的地方去。有人告訴掃羅，大衛離開基伊拉逃走；於是掃羅不出來了。
So David and his 600 men left Keilah. They continued to move from one place to another, [wherever they thought that Saul would not find them]. And when Saul found out that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.
14 大衛住在曠野的山寨裏，常在西弗曠野的山地。掃羅天天尋索大衛，上帝卻不將大衛交在他手裏。
David and his men stayed in hiding places in the desert and in the hills of Ziph Desert. Every day Saul [sent men to] search for David, but Yahweh did not allow them to capture David.
15 大衛知道掃羅出來尋索他的命。那時，他住在西弗曠野的樹林裏；
While David and his men were at [a place named] Horesh in Ziph desert, he found out that Saul was coming there to kill him.
16 掃羅的兒子約拿單起身，往那樹林裏去見大衛，使他倚靠上帝得以堅固，
But Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him to continue to trust [God].
17 對他說：「不要懼怕！我父掃羅的手必不加害於你；你必作以色列的王，我也作你的宰相。這事我父掃羅知道了。」
Jonathan told him, “Do not be afraid, because my father will not be able to harm [IDM] you. [Some day] you will be the king of Israel, and I will be the second [most important man in Israel]. My father Saul also knows that.”
18 於是二人在耶和華面前立約。大衛仍住在樹林裏，約拿單回家去了。
Then the two of them repeated their solemn promise that Yahweh [had heard them make previously, that they would always be loyal to each other]. Then Jonathan went home, but David stayed at Horesh.
19 西弗人上到基比亞見掃羅，說：「大衛不是在我們那裏的樹林裏山寨中、曠野南邊的哈基拉山藏着嗎？
Some people from Ziph went to Saul when he was at Gibeah, and they told him, “David [and his men] are hiding in our land [RHQ]! They are hiding in places at Horesh on Hakilah Hill, south of [a place named] Jeshimon.
20 王啊，請你隨你的心願下來，我們必親自將他交在王的手裏。」
So, O king, come down there any time that you want to. It is our duty to capture him and turn him over to you.”
21 掃羅說：「願耶和華賜福與你們，因你們顧恤我。
Saul replied, “I hope/desire that Yahweh will bless you [for telling that to me].
22 請你們回去，再確實查明他的住處和行蹤，是誰看見他在那裏，因為我聽見人說他甚狡猾。
Go back and find out more about him. Find out exactly where he is staying, and find out who has seen him there. People tell me that he is very clever, [so we need to be clever also to be able to capture him].
23 所以要看準他藏匿的地方，回來據實地告訴我，我就與你們同去。他若在猶大的境內，我必從千門萬戶中搜出他來。」
Find out all the places where he and his men hide. Then come back and tell me everything that you have found out. Then I will [take my army and] go there with you. If David is in any of the clans/caves of Judah, we will search for him [and find him]!”
24 西弗人就起身，在掃羅以先往西弗去。 大衛和跟隨他的人卻在瑪雲曠野南邊的亞拉巴。
So those people went back to Ziph before Saul went there. At that time David and his men were in Maon Desert, south of Jeshimon.
25 掃羅和跟隨他的人去尋找大衛；有人告訴大衛，他就下到磐石，住在瑪雲的曠野。掃羅聽見，便在瑪雲的曠野追趕大衛。
Saul and his soldiers went to search for David, but David heard about that. So he and his men went further [south] to a rocky hill/peak in the Maon Desert. When Saul heard about that, he and his men followed David and his men to the Maon Desert.
26 掃羅在山這邊走，大衛和跟隨他的人在山那邊走。大衛急忙躲避掃羅；因為掃羅和跟隨他的人，四面圍住大衛和跟隨他的人，要拿獲他們。
Saul and his soldiers were walking along one side of the hill/peak, and David and his men were on the other side. David and his men were hurrying to escape from Saul’s soldiers, because Saul and his soldiers were coming much closer.
27 忽有使者來報告掃羅說：「非利士人犯境搶掠，請王快快回去！」
But then a messenger came to Saul and said to him, “Come quickly! The Philistia army is attacking the people in our land!”
28 於是掃羅不追趕大衛，回去攻打非利士人。因此那地方名叫西拉‧哈瑪希羅結。
So Saul stopped pursuing David, and he [and his soldiers] went to fight against the Philistia army. That is the reason that people call that place ‘Escape Rock’.
29 大衛從那裏上去，住在隱‧基底的山寨裏。
David and his men also left the Maon Desert and went to places to hide safely at En-Gedi.
