The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Samuel 23
1 David was told, “Behold, the Philistines
are fighting against Keilah, and are robbing the threshing floors.”
2 Therefore David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go and strike these
Philistines?” Yahweh said to David, “Go strike the
Philistines, and save Keilah.”
3 David’s men said to him, “Behold, we
are afraid here in Judah. How much more
then if we go to Keilah against the armies
of the Philistines?”
4 Then David inquired of Yahweh yet
again. Yahweh answered him, and said,
“Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver
the Philistines into your hand.”
5 David and his men went to Keilah and
fought with the Philistines, and brought
away their livestock, and killed them with
a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech
fled to David to 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 is shut in by entering
into a town that has gates and bars.”
8 Saul summoned all the people to war,
to go down to Keilah to besiege David and
his men.
9 David knew that Saul was devising mischief against him. He said to Abiathar the
priest, “Bring the ephod here.”
10 Then David said, “O Yahweh, the God
of Israel, your servant has surely heard
that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy
the city for my sake.
11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me up
into his hand? Will Saul come down, as
your servant has heard? Yahweh, the God
of Israel, I beg you, tell your servant.”
Yahweh said, “He will come down.”
12 Then David said, “Will the men of
Keilah deliver me and my men into the
hand of Saul?” Yahweh said, “They will deliver you up.”
13 Then David and his men, who were
about six hundred, arose and departed out
of Keilah and went wherever they could
go. Saul was told that David had escaped
from Keilah; and he gave up going there.
14 David stayed in the wilderness in
the strongholds, and remained in the hill
country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul
sought him every day, but God didn’t deliver him into his hand.
15 David saw that Saul had come out to
seek his life. David was in the wilderness
of Ziph in the woods.
16 Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went
to David into the woods, and strengthened
his hand in God.
17 He said to him, “Don’t be afraid,for the
hand of Saul my father won’t find you; and
you will be king over Israel, and I will be
next to you; and Saul my father knows that
also.”
18 They both made a covenant before
Yahweh. Then David stayed in the woods
and Jonathan went to his house.
19 Then the Ziphites came up to Saul
to Gibeah, saying, “Doesn’t David hide
himself with us in the strongholds in the
woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on
the south of the desert?
20 Now therefore, O king, come down.
According to all the desire of your soul to
come down; and our part will be to deliver
him up into the king’s hand.”
21 Saul said, “You are blessed by Yahweh,
for you have had compassion on me.
22 Please go make yet more sure, and
know and see his place where his haunt
is, and who has seen him there; for I have
been told that he is very cunning.
23 See therefore, and take knowledge of
all the lurking places where he hides himself; and come again to me with certainty,
and I will go with you. It shall happen, if
he is in the land, that I will search him out
among all the thousands of Judah.”
24 They arose, and went to Ziph before
Saul; but David and his men were in the
wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the
south of the desert.
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 that, he pursued
David in the wilderness of Maon.
26 Saul went on this side ofthe mountain,
and David and his men on that side of the
mountain; and David hurried to get away
for fear of Saul, for Saul and his men surrounded David and his men to take them.
27 But a messenger came to Saul, saying,
“Hurry and come, for the Philistines have
made a raid on the land!”
28 So Saul returned from pursuing
David, and went against the Philistines.
Therefore they called that place Sela
Hammahlekoth.†
29 David went up from there and lived in
the strongholds of En Gedi.