1 Samuel 23–24

DELIVERANCE AT KEILAH

23It was reported to David, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah^m and raiding the threshing floors.”

²So David inquired of the Lord:ⁿ “Should I launch an attack against these Philistines?”

The Lord answered David, “Launch an attack against the Philistines and rescue Keilah.”

³But David’s men said to him, “Look, we’re afraid here in Judah; how much more if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!”

⁴Once again, David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, “Go at once to Keilah, for I will hand the Philistines over to you.”^{o 5}Then David and his men went to Keilah, fought against the Philistines, drove their livestock away, and inflicted heavy losses on them. So David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah. ⁶Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, and he brought an ephod with him.

⁷When it was reported to Saul that David had gone to Keilah, he said, “God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself by entering a town with barred gates.” ⁸Then Saul summoned all the troops to go to war at Keilah and besiege David and his men.

⁹When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to the priest Abiathar,^p “Bring the ephod.”^q

¹⁰Then David said, “Lord God of Israel, your servant has reliable information that Saul intends to come to Keilah and destroy the town because of me. ¹¹Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? Lord God of Israel, please tell your servant.”

The Lord answered, “He will come down.”

¹²Then David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?”

“They will,”^r the Lord responded.

¹³So David and his men, numbering about six hundred,^s left Keilah at once and moved from place to place.^t When it was reported to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he called off the expedition. ¹⁴David then stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph.^u Saul searched for him every day, but God did not hand David over to him.^v

A RENEWED COVENANT

¹⁵David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in Horesh when he saw that Saul had come out to take his life. ¹⁶Then Saul’s son Jonathan came to David in Horesh and encouraged him in his faith^A in God,^{a 17}saying, “Don’t be afraid, for my father Saul will never lay a hand on you. You yourself will be king over Israel,^b and I’ll be your second-in-command. Even my father Saul knows it is true.”^{c 18}Then the two of them made a covenant in the Lord’s presence.^d Afterward, David remained in Horesh, while Jonathan went home.

DAVID’S NARROW ESCAPE

¹⁹Some Ziphites^e came up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “David is hiding among us in the strongholds in Horesh on the hill of Hachilah south of Jeshimon? ²⁰So now, whenever the king wants to come down, let him come down. As for us, we will be glad to hand him over to the king.”^f

²¹“May you be blessed by the Lord,” replied Saul, “for you have shown concern for me.^{g 22}Go and check again. Investigate^B where he goes^C and who has seen him there; they tell me he is extremely cunning. ²³Investigate^D all the places where he hides. Then come back to me with accurate information, and I’ll go with you. If it turns out he really is in the region, I’ll search for him among all the clans^E of Judah.” ²⁴So they went to Ziph ahead of Saul.

Now David and his men were in the wilderness near Maon^h in the Arabah south of Jeshimon, ²⁵and Saul and his men went to look for him. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. Saul heard of this and pursued David there.

²⁶Saul went along one side of the mountain and David and his men went along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away from Saul, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.^{i 27}Then a messenger came to Saul saying, “Come quickly, because the Philistines have raided the land!” ²⁸So Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to engage the Philistines. Therefore, that place was named the Rock of Separation. ²⁹From there David went up and stayed in the strongholds of En-gedi.^j

DAVID SPARES SAUL

24When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines,^k he was told, “David is in the wilderness near En-gedi.”^{l 2}So Saul took three thousand of Israel’s fit young men^m and went to look for David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. ³When Saul came to the sheep pens along the road, a cave was there, and he went in to relieve himself.^An David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave,^{o 4}so they said to him, “Look, this is the day the Lord told you about: ‘I will hand your enemy over to you so you can do to him whatever you desire.’ ” Then David got up and secretly cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.

⁵Afterward, David’s conscience bothered^Bp him because he had cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.^{C 6}He said to his men, “As the Lord is my witness, I would never do such a thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed.^q I will never lift my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.”^{r 7}With these words David persuaded^D his men, and he did not let them rise up against Saul.

Then Saul left the cave and went on his way. ⁸After that, David got up, went out of the cave, and called to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David knelt low with his face to the ground and paid homage.^{s 9}David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of people who say, ‘Look, David intends to harm you’? ¹⁰You can see with your own eyes that the Lord handed you over to me today in the cave.^t Someone advised me to kill you,^u but I^EF took pity on you and said: I won’t lift my hand against my lord, since he is the Lord’s anointed. ¹¹Look, my father!^v Look at the corner of your robe in my hand, for I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. Recognize^G that I’ve committed no crime or rebellion. I haven’t sinned against you even though you are hunting me down to take my life.^w

¹²“May the Lord judge between me and you, and may the Lord take vengeance on you for me, but my hand will never be against you.^{x 13}As the old proverb says, ‘Wickedness comes from wicked people.’^y My hand will never be against you. ¹⁴Who has the king of Israel come after? What are you chasing after? A dead dog? A single flea?^{z 15}May the Lord be judge and decide between you and me. May he take notice and plead my case and deliver^H me from you.”^aa

¹⁶When David finished saying these things to him, Saul replied, “Is that your voice, David my son?”^ab Then Saul wept aloud ¹⁷and said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have done what is good to me though I have done what is evil to you.^{a 18}You yourself have told me today what good you did for me: when the Lord handed me over to you, you didn’t kill me.^{b 19}When a man finds his enemy, does he let him go unharmed?^Ic May the Lord repay you with good for what you’ve done for me today.

²⁰“Now I know for certain you will be king, and the kingdom of Israel will be established^J in your hand.^{d 21}Therefore swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family.”^{e 22}So David swore to Saul. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.^f