1 Samuel 23

1 One day David heard the news, “The Philistines are attacking Keilah and stealing the grain from the threshing floors.”

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

2 So he asked advice from the Lord, “Should I go and attack these Philistines?” The Lord told David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”

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.

3 But David's men told him, “Even here in Judah we feel afraid. If we went to Keilah to fight the Philistine armies we'd be absolutely terrified!”

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?

4 So David asked advice from the Lord again, and the Lord told him, “Go immediately to Keilah, for I will give you victory over the Philistines.”

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.

5 Then David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines. They slaughtered them and drove off their livestock. By doing this David saved the people of Keilah.

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.

6 (When Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, ran away to David at Keilah he brought the ephod with him.)

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

7 When Saul found out that David had gone to Keilah, he said, “God has handed him over to me, because he has locked himself inside a town with gates that can be barred shut.”

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.

8 So Saul called up his whole army to go and attack Keilah and to besiege David and his men.

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.

9 When David learned that Saul was plotting to attack him, he asked Abiathar the priest, “Please bring the ephod.”

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.

10 David prayed, “Lord, God of Israel, I your servant have been clearly told that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town because of me.

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.

11 Are the town leaders of Keilah going to hand me over to him? Is Saul going to come, as I have heard? Lord, God of Israel, please tell me.” “Yes, he'll come,” the Lord replied.

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.

12 “And will the town leaders of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?” David asked. “Yes, they will,” the Lord replied.

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.

13 So David and his men, who numbered around six hundred, left Keilah and moved around from place to place. When Saul discovered that David had escaped from Keilah, he didn't bother going there.

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.

14 David set up camp in the wilderness strongholds, staying in the mountains of the Desert of Ziph. Saul searched for him continually, but God did not let David be captured.

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.

15 While David was staying at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he found out that Saul was on his way to murder him.

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.

16 Saul's son Jonathan went to see David in Horesh and encouraged him to go on trusting in God, telling him,

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

17 “Don't worry, because my father Saul is never going to find you. You're going to be king of Israel, and I'll be your deputy. Even my father Saul knows this.”

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.

18 The two of them made an agreement before the Lord. David stayed in Horesh and Jonathan went home.

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.

19 Then the people of Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and told him, “David is hiding in our area, in the strongholds in Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, in the southern wastelands.

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?

20 So, Your Majesty, please come whenever you want, and we'll make sure to hand him over to you.”

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.

21 “The Lord bless you for thinking about me,” Saul replied.

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

22 “Please go and make absolutely sure you know exactly where he is—where he stays and who has seen him there—because people tell me that he's very devious.

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

23 Look for and mark down all his hiding places. Then come back to me when you're sure, and I'll go back with you. If he's here in the country, I will hunt him down among all the people of Judah.”

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.

24 So the people of Ziph set off, returning to Ziph ahead of Saul. David and his men were in the Desert of Maon in the Arabah Valley in the southern wastelands.

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.

25 Saul and his men started hunting for him. When David found out, he went down to the rock, and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard this, he chased after David in the Desert of Maon.

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.

26 Saul was traveling along one side of the mountain, while David and his men were on the other side, rushing to get away. But just as Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men, about to capture them,

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.

27 a messenger arrived to tell Saul, “Come at once! The Philistines have invaded the country!”

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

28 So Saul had to stop chasing David and went to confront the Philistines. That's why the place is called the “Rock of Escape.”

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

29 Then David left and went to live in the strongholds of En-gedi.

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