1 Samuel 23

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

Then told they David, saying, —Lo! the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are plundering the threshing-floors.

2 So 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.

So David enquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And Yahweh said unto David—Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.

3 And 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?

But the men of David said unto him, Lo! we, here, in Judah, are afraid, —how much more, then, if we go to Keilah, against the ranks of the Philistines?

4 Then 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.

So David yet again enquired if Yahweh, and Yahweh answered him, —and said—Arise, go down to Keilah, for I am about to deliver the Philistines into thy hand.

5 So 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.

David therefore went, with his men, to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and drave forth their cattle, and smote them, with a great smiting, so David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

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

Now it came to pass, when Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, fled unto David to Keilah, that he came down with, an ephod, in his hand.

7 And 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.

And, when it was told Saul that David had entered Keilah, Saul said—God hath given him over into my hand, for he hath shut himself in by entering into a city with folding doors and bar.

8 And 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.

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

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

And David ascertained that, against him, Saul was contriving mischief, —so he said unto Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.

10 Then 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.

Then said David: O Yahweh, God of Israel, thy servant, hath heard, that Saul is seeking to come unto Keilah, —to destroy the city, for my sake:

11 And 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.

Will the owners of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Yahweh, God of Israel, I pray thee, tell thy servant. And Yahweh said—He will come down.

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

Then said David, Will the owners of Keilah surrender me and my men, into the hand of Saul? And Yahweh said—They will surrender.

13 Then 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.

Then arose David and his men, about six hundred, and went forth out of Keilah, and went to and fro, whithersoever they could, —and, unto Saul, it was told that David had escaped out of Keilah, so he forbare to go forth.

14 And 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.

Then David abode in the wilderness, in the fortresses, and he abode in the hill country, in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him continually, but God delivered him not into his hand.

15 And 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.

Then David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life, David, being in the wilderness of Ziph, in the thicket.

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

So Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went unto David in the thicket, —and strengthened his hand in God;

17 And 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.

and said unto him, —Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee, but, thou, shalt become king over Israel, and, I, shall be, next, unto thee, yea and, Saul my father, knoweth this.

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

And they two solemnised a covenant before Yahweh, —and David remained in the thicket, but, Jonathan, departed to his own house.

19 Then 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?

Then came up the Ziphites unto Saul in Gibeah, saying, —Is not David hiding himself with us, in the strongholds in the thicket, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the right of Jeshimon?

20 So 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.

Now, therefore, according to all the desire of thy soul O king, to come down, come! and, ours, [will it be] to surrender him into the hand of the king.

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

Then said Saul, Blessed, be ye, of Yahweh, —because ye have taken pity upon me.

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

Go, I pray you, make ready yet further, and get to know and see his place, where may be his track, who hath seen him there, —for it hath been said unto me, Cunning indeed, is, he!

23 So 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.

See, then, and get to know—of all the hiding places, where he hideth himself, and return unto me, for certainty, then will I go with you, —and it shall be, if he is in the land, that I will search him out, through all the thousands of Judah.

24 And 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.

So they arose and departed to Ziph, before Saul, —but, David and his men, were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah, to the right of Jeshimon.

25 And 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.

Then Saul and his men departed, to seek [him]; but it had been told David, and he had gone down the cliff, and taken up his abode in the wilderness of Maon, —and when Saul had, heard it, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.

26 And 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.

And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and, David and his men, on that side of the mountain, —wherefore David became hurried, to get away from the presence of Saul, but, Saul and his men, were surrounding David and his men, to capture then:

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

when, a messenger, came unto Saul, saying, —Haste thee and come! for the Philistines have spread over the land.

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

Then returned Saul from pursuing David, and departed to meet the Philistines, —for which cause, they called that place Sela-hammahlekoth ["the Cliff of Separation"].

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

And David went up from thence, —and abode in the strongholds of En-gedi.