1 Samuel 23

¹ They told David, "The Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are plundering the threshing floors."

² 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."

³ But David's men said to him, "We are afraid here in Judah. How much more if we go to Keilah against the Philistine battle lines?"

⁴ So David inquired of the LORD again, and the LORD answered him, "Rise, go down to Keilah, for I am giving the Philistines into your hand."

⁵ David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines. He drove off their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

⁶ When Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at 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 has shut himself in by entering a town with gates and bars."

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

⁹ David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. He said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here."

¹⁰ David said, "O LORD, God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account.

¹¹ "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell your servant." The LORD said, "He will come down."

¹² Then David said, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?" The LORD said, "They will surrender you."

¹³ So David and his men, about six hundred, arose and left Keilah and went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he abandoned the expedition.

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

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

¹⁶ Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David at Horesh and strengthened his hand in God.

¹⁷ He said to him, "Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even Saul my father knows this."

¹⁸ The two of them made a covenant before the LORD. David stayed at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.

¹⁹ Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?

²⁰ "Now, O king, come down whenever you desire to come down, and it will be our part to surrender him into the king's hand."

²¹ Saul said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, for you have had compassion on me.

²² "Go, make further preparation. Find out and observe his place where his foot goes, and who has seen him there, for I am told he is very cunning.

²³ "Observe and learn all the hiding places where he hides. Come back to me with certain information, and I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will search him out among all the clans of Judah."

²⁴ They arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.

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, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.

²⁶ Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side. David was hurrying to get away from Saul, while Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.

²⁷ But a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Hurry and come, for the Philistines have raided the land."

²⁸ So Saul turned back from pursuing David and went to meet the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.

²⁹ David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En-gedi.