1 Samuel 23

1 One day someone told David, “You need to know that the Philistia army is attacking Keilah [town] and they are stealing grain from where men are threshing it.”

One day David heard the news, “The Philistines are attacking Keilah and stealing the grain from the threshing floors.”

2 David asked Yahweh, “Should my men and I go to fight against those men from the Philistia people-group?” Yahweh answered, “Yes, go. Attack them, and rescue the people of Keilah.”

So he asked advice from the Lord, “Should I go and attack these Philistines?” The Lord told David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”

3 But David’s men said to him, “We are afraid [that Saul will attack us] here in Judah. We will be more afraid if we go to Keilah where the Philistia army is!”

But David's men told him, “Even here in Judah we feel afraid. If we went to Keilah to fight the Philistine armies we'd be absolutely terrified!”

4 So David asked Yahweh again [if they should go to Keilah]. Yahweh answered, “Yes, go down to Keilah. I will help you to defeat the men of the Philistia people-group.”

So David asked advice from the Lord again, and the Lord told him, “Go immediately to Keilah, for I will give you victory over the Philistines.”

5 So David and his men went to Keilah. They fought against the men of the Philistia people-group and captured many of their cattle. David and his men killed many of the Philistia men and rescued the people of Keilah.

Then David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines. They slaughtered them and drove off their livestock. By doing this David saved the people of Keilah.

6 Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, fled to be with David at Keilah, and he brought the sacred vest with him [to use it to determine what God wanted to be done].

(When Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, ran away to David at Keilah he brought the ephod with him.)

7 Soon Saul found out that David was at Keilah. So he said, “That is good! God is enabling me to capture him! He has trapped himself in that town, because it has high walls with gates around it.”

When Saul found out that David had gone to Keilah, he said, “God has handed him over to me, because he has locked himself inside a town with gates that can be barred shut.”

8 So Saul summoned his army, and they prepared to go down to Keilah to attack David and his men.

So Saul called up his whole army to go and attack Keilah and to besiege David and his men.

9 But David found out that Saul was planning [for his army] to attack him. So he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring [here] the sacred vest.”

When David learned that Saul was plotting to attack him, he asked Abiathar the priest, “Please bring the ephod.”

10 [So when Abiathar brought it, ] David prayed, “Yahweh, God of us Israelis, I have heard that Saul is planning to come here [with his army] and destroy Keilah because I am here.

David prayed, “Lord, God of Israel, I your servant have been clearly told that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town because of me.

11 Will Saul come down [here to Keilah], as people reported to me? Will the leaders of Keilah enable Saul to capture me? Yahweh, God of us Israelis, please tell me!” Yahweh answered, “Yes, Saul will come down.”

Are the town leaders of Keilah going to hand me over to him? Is Saul going to come, as I have heard? Lord, God of Israel, please tell me.” “Yes, he'll come,” the Lord replied.

12 Then David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah enable Saul’s army to capture me and my men [if we stay here]?” [By means of the stones in the sacred vest], Yahweh replied, “Yes, they will.”

“And will the town leaders of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?” David asked. “Yes, they will,” the Lord replied.

13 So David and his 600 men left Keilah. They continued to move from one place to another, [wherever they thought that Saul would not find them]. And when Saul found out that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.

So David and his men, who numbered around six hundred, left Keilah and moved around from place to place. When Saul discovered that David had escaped from Keilah, he didn't bother going there.

14 David and his men stayed in hiding places in the desert and in the hills of Ziph Desert. Every day Saul [sent men to] search for David, but Yahweh did not allow them to capture David.

David set up camp in the wilderness strongholds, staying in the mountains of the Desert of Ziph. Saul searched for him continually, but God did not let David be captured.

15 While David and his men were at [a place named] Horesh in Ziph desert, he found out that Saul was coming there to kill him.

While David was staying at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he found out that Saul was on his way to murder him.

16 But Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him to continue to trust [God].

Saul's son Jonathan went to see David in Horesh and encouraged him to go on trusting in God, telling him,

17 Jonathan told him, “Do not be afraid, because my father will not be able to harm [IDM] you. [Some day] you will be the king of Israel, and I will be the second [most important man in Israel]. My father Saul also knows that.”

“Don't worry, because my father Saul is never going to find you. You're going to be king of Israel, and I'll be your deputy. Even my father Saul knows this.”

18 Then the two of them repeated their solemn promise that Yahweh [had heard them make previously, that they would always be loyal to each other]. Then Jonathan went home, but David stayed at Horesh.

The two of them made an agreement before the Lord. David stayed in Horesh and Jonathan went home.

19 Some people from Ziph went to Saul when he was at Gibeah, and they told him, “David [and his men] are hiding in our land [RHQ]! They are hiding in places at Horesh on Hakilah Hill, south of [a place named] Jeshimon.

Then the people of Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and told him, “David is hiding in our area, in the strongholds in Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, in the southern wastelands.

20 So, O king, come down there any time that you want to. It is our duty to capture him and turn him over to you.”

So, Your Majesty, please come whenever you want, and we'll make sure to hand him over to you.”

21 Saul replied, “I hope/desire that Yahweh will bless you [for telling that to me].

“The Lord bless you for thinking about me,” Saul replied.

22 Go back and find out more about him. Find out exactly where he is staying, and find out who has seen him there. People tell me that he is very clever, [so we need to be clever also to be able to capture him].

“Please go and make absolutely sure you know exactly where he is—where he stays and who has seen him there—because people tell me that he's very devious.

23 Find out all the places where he and his men hide. Then come back and tell me everything that you have found out. Then I will [take my army and] go there with you. If David is in any of the clans/caves of Judah, we will search for him [and find him]!”

Look for and mark down all his hiding places. Then come back to me when you're sure, and I'll go back with you. If he's here in the country, I will hunt him down among all the people of Judah.”

24 So those people went back to Ziph before Saul went there. At that time David and his men were in Maon Desert, south of Jeshimon.

So the people of Ziph set off, returning to Ziph ahead of Saul. David and his men were in the Desert of Maon in the Arabah Valley in the southern wastelands.

25 Saul and his soldiers went to search for David, but David heard about that. So he and his men went further [south] to a rocky hill/peak in the Maon Desert. When Saul heard about that, he and his men followed David and his men to the Maon Desert.

Saul and his men started hunting for him. When David found out, he went down to the rock, and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard this, he chased after David in the Desert of Maon.

26 Saul and his soldiers were walking along one side of the hill/peak, and David and his men were on the other side. David and his men were hurrying to escape from Saul’s soldiers, because Saul and his soldiers were coming much closer.

Saul was traveling along one side of the mountain, while David and his men were on the other side, rushing to get away. But just as Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men, about to capture them,

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

a messenger arrived to tell Saul, “Come at once! The Philistines have invaded the country!”

28 So Saul stopped pursuing David, and he [and his soldiers] went to fight against the Philistia army. That is the reason that people call that place ‘Escape Rock’.

So Saul had to stop chasing David and went to confront the Philistines. That's why the place is called the “Rock of Escape.”

29 David and his men also left the Maon Desert and went to places to hide safely at En-Gedi.

Then David left and went to live in the strongholds of En-gedi.