1 Samuel 23

One day messengers came and told David, “We have important news! The Philistine army is attacking the town of Keilah! They are stealing the grain from where the people are threshing it!”

So David asked God, “Should I lead my men to fight against these Philistine soldiers?” God told David, “Yes, go and attack them and rescue the people of Keilah.” \*

But David’s men said to him, “Listen, we are afraid here in Judah that Saul might attack us. We will be even more afraid if we go to Keilah where we know the Philistine army is!”

So David asked God again if they should go to Keilah. God answered, “I will enable you to defeat the Philistines. So yes, go to Keilah {and rescue the people there}.” \*

So David and his men went to Keilah and fought against the Philistines. They killed many of their soldiers and captured many of their cattle. In that way David and his men rescued the people of Keilah.

David was at Keilah when Abiathar son of Ahimelech ran away to join him. Abiathar brought a sacred apron with him {that he could use to ask what God someone should do}. \*

Someone told Saul that David was at Keilah. Saul said, “God is enabling me to capture him! David has trapped himself in that city, because a wall surrounds it, and I can get its people to lock the gates to keep David from leaving.”

So Saul gathered his whole army so that they could go to Keilah and surround it. Saul wanted to force the people of the city to surrender David and his men to him.

But David found out that Saul was preparing to capture him with his army. So he told Abiathar the priest, “Bring the sacred apron here {so we can use it to consult God}.” \*

{So when Abiathar brought it,} David prayed, “God, God of us Israelites, I have heard reliably that Saul is planning to come here to Keilah with his army. He will destroy the city if he has to in order to capture me.

Will Saul actually come here to Keilah, as people have reported to me? Will the leaders of Keilah let Saul capture me? God, God of us Israelites, please tell me!” {By means of the stones in the sacred apron,} God replied, “Yes, Saul will come here.” \*

Then David asked, “{If we stay here,} will the leaders of Keilah let Saul’s army capture me and my men?” God replied, “Yes, they will.” \*

So David and his men left Keilah. By this time, he had 600 men with him. They continued to move around from one place to another, wherever they thought that Saul would not find them. And when Saul found out that David had gotten away from Keilah, he did not go there.

After this, David and his men stayed in hiding places in the desert and in the hills of the desolate area that people call Ziph. Saul kept trying to find out where David was, but God enabled David to hide where Saul could not find him. \*

At one point, David and his men were hiding in the forest of Horesh in the desolate area of Ziph. David knew that Saul was trying to find out where he was so that he could kill him.

But Saul’s son Jonathan went to David in the forest. He helped him feel brave again by reassuring him that he could trust God to protect him. \*

Jonathan told him, “My father is not going to be able to harm you, so do not be afraid. Some day you will be the king of Israel, and I will be your most important official. Even my father Saul knows that.”

Then, with God as their witness, David and Jonathan repeated their solemn promise always to be loyal to each other. Then Jonathan went home, and David stayed in the forest. \*

Then people who lived in the region of Ziph went to Gibeah to speak with Saul. They told him, “David and his men are hiding in our region! They are hiding in places in the forest on the hill of Hakilah, south of the desolate area that people call Jeshimon.

So you may go there any time you wish, O king, and it will be our duty to enable you to capture him.” \*

Saul replied, “Because you have wanted to help me, I hope that God will make good things happen for you.

But people tell me that David is very clever{, so it will be difficult to capture him}. So I want you to go back and be sure that he is where you say. Have people look and find out exactly where he is staying. {Do not just rely on what someone else says.} Make sure that one of you has actually seen him there.

Find out about all the places where he and his men hide. Then return and tell me what you have discovered. I will bring my army and go back with you. If David is anywhere in your area, we will find him, even if we have to look in every part of the territory of Judah!” \*

So those people went back to Ziph to get things ready for Saul to come there. At that time, David and his men were in a desolate area of the plain in the southern part of Jeshimon. People call that area Maon.

Saul and his soldiers went to search for David, but someone told David that they were coming. So he and his men went farther south to stay on a rocky hill in the area of Maon. Saul found out about that, and he and his men chased David and his men farther into that desolate area. \*

David and his men were on one side of the hill, and Saul and his soldiers were on the other side. David and his men were hurrying to get away, because Saul and his soldiers were rushing around the other side of the hill to try to surround them and capture them.

But then a messenger came to Saul and said to him, “Come quickly! The Philistine army is attacking the people in our land!” \*

So Saul stopped pursuing David. Instead, he and his soldiers went to fight against the Philistine army. That is the reason why people call that place Sela Hammahlekoth.

David and his men also left that place, and they went to the area of Engedi, where there were many places where they could hide safely. \*