1Samuel 23

David Protects the Town of Keilah

23One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors.H5046H1732H559H6430H3898H7084H8154H16372David asked the LORD, "Should I go and attack them?" "Yes, go and save Keilah," the LORD told him.H1732H7592H3068H559H3212H5221H6430H3068H559H1732H3212H5221H6430H3467H70843But David's men said, "We're afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don't want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!"H1732H582H559H3373H3063H3212H7084H4634H64304So David asked the LORD again, and again the LORD replied, "Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines."H1732H7592H3068H3254H3068H6030H559H6965H3381H7084H5414H6430H30275So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah.H1732H582H3212H7084H3898H6430H5090H4735H5221H1419H4347H1732H3467H3427H70846Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him.H54H1121H288H1272H1732H7084H3381H646H30277Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. "Good!" he exclaimed. "We've got him now! God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled town!"H5046H7586H1732H935H7084H7586H559H430H5234H3027H5462H935H5892H1817H12808So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and besiege David and his men.H7586H8085H5971H8085H4421H3381H7084H6696H1732H5829But David learned of Saul's plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the LORD what he should do.H1732H3045H7586H2790H7451H559H54H3548H5066H64610Then David prayed, "O LORD, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here.H559H1732H3068H430H3478H5650H8085H8085H7586H1245H935H7084H7843H589211Will the leaders of Keilah betray me to him?

And will Saul actually come as I have heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell me." And the LORD said, "He will come."H1167H7084H5462H3027H7586H3381H5650H8085H3068H430H3478H5046H5650H3068H559H338112Again David asked, "Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?" And the LORD replied, "Yes, they will betray you."H559H1732H1167H7084H5462H582H3027H7586H3068H559H5462

David Hides in the Wilderness

13So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn't go to Keilah after all.H1732H582H8337H3967H376H6965H3318H7084H1980H834H1980H5046H7586H1732H4422H7084H2308H331814David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn't let Saul find him.H1732H3427H4057H4679H3427H2022H4057H2128H7586H1245H3117H430H5414H302715One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him.H1732H7200H7586H3318H1245H5315H1732H4057H2128H279316Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God.H3083H7586H1121H6965H3212H1732H2793H2388H3027H43017"Don't be afraid," Jonathan reassured him. "My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware."H559H3372H3027H7586H1H4672H4427H3478H4932H7586H1H304518So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the LORD. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh.H8147H3772H1285H6440H3068H1732H3427H2793H3083H1980H100419But now the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah and betrayed David to him. "We know where David is hiding," they said. "He is in the strongholds of Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, which is in the southern part of Jeshimon.H5927H2130H7586H1390H559H1732H5641H4679H2793H1389H2444H3225H345220Come down whenever you're ready, O king, and we will catch him and hand him over to you!"H4428H3381H185H5315H3381H5462H4428H302721"The LORD bless you," Saul said. "At last someone is concerned about me!H7586H559H1288H3068H255022Go and check again to be sure of where he is staying and who has seen him there, for I know that he is very crafty.H3212H3559H3045H7200H4725H7272H7200H559H6191H619123Discover his hiding places, and come back when you are sure. Then I'll go with you. And if he is in the area at all, I'll track him down, even if I have to search every hiding place in Judah!"H7200H3045H4224H2244H7725H3559H1980H3426H776H2664H505H306324So the men of Ziph returned home ahead of Saul. Meanwhile, David and his men had moved into the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah Valley south of Jeshimon.H6965H3212H2128H6440H7586H1732H582H4057H4584H6160H3225H345225When David heard that Saul and his men were searching for him, he went even farther into the wilderness to the great rock, and he remained there in the wilderness of Maon. But Saul kept after him in the wilderness.H7586H582H3212H1245H5046H1732H3381H5553H3427H4057H4584H7586H8085H7291H310H1732H4057H458426Saul and David were now on opposite sides of a mountain. Just as Saul and his men began to close in on David and his men,H7586H3212H6654H2022H1732H582H6654H2022H1732H2648H3212H6440H7586H7586H582H5849H1732H582H5849H861027an urgent message reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again.H935H4397H7586H559H4116H3212H6430H6584H77628So Saul quit chasing David and returned to fight the Philistines. Ever since that time, the place where David was camped has been called the Rock of Escape

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David then went to live in the strongholds of En-gedi.H1732H5927H3427H4679H5872