1 Samuel 23:1-29
23 And they told David “Here are the Philistines making war on Keʽilah, pillaging the threshing-floors.”
2 And David put the question to Jehovah “Shall I go and strike these Philistines?” and Jehovah said to David “Go and strike the Philistines and save Keʽilah.”
3 And David’s men said to him “We are in fear right here in Judah—how much worse it will be when we go to Keʽilah against the Philistine line of battle!”
4 And again David put the question to Jehovah, and Jehovah answered him “Go right down to Keʽilah, for I am giving the Philistines into your hands.”
5 And David and his men went to Keʽilah and made war on the Philistines and drove their cattle, and killed a great number of them; and David saved the inhabitants of Keʽilah.
6 And when Abiathar the son of Ahimelec had fled to David to Keʽilah, an ephod had come down in his hand;
7 and Saul was told that David had gone into Keʽilah, and Saul said “God has put him into my hands, since he has shut himself in, going into a city with gates and bars,”
8 and Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keʽilah to besiege David and his men;
9 and David learned that it was against him Saul was brewing mischief, and said to Priest Abiathar “Bring the ephod.”
10 And David said “Jehovah, God of Israel, your servant hears that Saul is trying to come to Keʽilah to destroy the city on my account.
11 Will the burghers of Keʽilah give me up to him? will Saul come down as your servant has heard? Jehovah, God of Israel, tell your servant.”
12 And Jehovah said “He will.” And David said “Will the burghers of Keʽilah give me and my men up to Saul?” and Jehovah said “They will.”
13 And David and his men, about six hundred strong, left Keʽilah and went where they happened to; and Saul was told that David had escaped from Keʽilah, and he gave up going out.
14 And David lived in the wilderness, in the fastnesses.
And he lived in the highland, in the wilderness of Ziph; and Saul was looking for him all the time, but God did not give him into his hands;
15 and David was afraid because Saul had come out to hunt for his life. And David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horeshah,
16 and Jonathan the son of Saul went off to Horeshah to David and encouraged him in the name of God,
17 and said to him “Do not be afraid, Saul my father will not get his hands on you; you will reign over Israel and I shall be second to you; Saul my father knows himself it is so.”
18 And the two of them pledged themselves to each other before Jehovah; and David remained at Horeshah, and Jonathan went home.
19 And the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying “David is keeping himself concealed in our country in the fastnesses at Horeshah, on the sides of Hakilah Hill south of the Jeshimon;
20 so now at your pleasure to come down, your majesty, come down, and it shall be our part to put him into your majesty’s hands.”
21 And Saul said “Jehovah bless you that you had mercy on me!
22 * Go get more preparations made, and look and make sure of the place for him, where his feet will be hampered—for they tell me he does play the slyest tricks—
23 look and make sure of any of the lurking-places where he hides, and come back to me at Nacon, and I will go with you: if he is in the country, I will hunt him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
24 And they came away and went to Ziph before Saul; and David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Rift Valley, south of the Jeshimon.
25 And Saul and his men went to look for him; and they told David, and he went down to the cliffs and lived in the wilderness of Maon.
26 And Saul heard of it, and pursued David into the wilderness of Maon; and Saul went on this side of a mountain and David and his men on that side. And as David was going in headlong haste to get away from Saul, and Saul and his men were hemming David and his men in to capture them,
27 a messenger came to Saul to say “Come quick, because the Philistines have raided the country”;
28 * and Saul turned back from pursuing David, and went to face the Philistines. Because of this they call that place Division Cliff.
29 And David went up from there and lived in the fastnesses of ʽEn-Gedi.
Footnotes
^ 23:22 Codd. where his foot will be, who has seen him there,—for Var. where his foot will be speedily—for
^ 23:28 Or Slip Cliff
