¹And they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshing-floors. ²And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And Jehovah said to David, Go and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah. ³But 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? ⁴And David inquired of Jehovah yet again. And Jehovah answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will give the Philistines into thy hand. ⁵And David and his men went to Keilah, and fought against the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. ⁶And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.

⁷And it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. Then Saul said, God has cast him off into my hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a city that has gates and bars. ⁸And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. ⁹And when David knew that Saul devised mischief against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring the ephod. ¹⁰Then said David, Jehovah, God of Israel, thy servant hath heard for certain that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. ¹¹Will the citizens of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? Jehovah, God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And Jehovah said, He will come down. ¹²And David said, Will the citizens of Keilah deliver up me and my men into the hand of Saul? And Jehovah said, They will deliver thee up. ¹³Then David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, and he forbore to go forth.

¹⁴And David abode in the wilderness in strongholds, and abode in the mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand. ¹⁵And David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life; and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood. ¹⁶And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. ¹⁷And he said to him, Fear not; for the hand of Saul my father will not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next to thee; and that also Saul my father knows. ¹⁸And they two made a covenant before Jehovah; and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.

¹⁹And the Ziphites came up to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Does not David hide himself with us in strongholds in the wood, on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the waste? ²⁰And now, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and it will be for us to deliver him up into the king’s hand. ²¹And Saul said, Blessed be ye of Jehovah; for ye have compassion upon me. ²²Go, I pray you, make yet more sure, and know and see his place where his track is, who has seen him there; for it is told me that he deals very subtilly. ²³And see, and ascertain all the lurking-places where he hides himself, and come ye again to me with sure information, that I may go with you; and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout the thousands of Judah. ²⁴And they arose and went to Ziph before Saul; but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of the waste. ²⁵And Saul and his men went to seek him. And they told David; and he came down from the rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And Saul heard that, and he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. ²⁶And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain; and David made haste to get away from Saul; and Saul and his men sought to surround David and his men to take them. ²⁷But there came a messenger to Saul, saying, Haste thee and come; for the Philistines have made a raid against the land. ²⁸And Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines; therefore they called that place Sela-hammahlekoth. ²⁹And David went up from thence, and abode in the strongholds of Engedi.

Chapter 24

¹And it came to pass when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi. ²And Saul took three thousand men, chosen out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. ³And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet; and David and his men were abiding in the recesses of the cave. ⁴And David’s men said to him, Behold the day of which Jehovah said to thee, Behold, I will give thine enemy into thy hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good to thee. And David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe secretly. ⁵And it came to pass afterwards that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. ⁶And he said to his men, Jehovah forbid that I should do this thing to my master, Jehovah’s anointed, to stretch forth my hand against him, for he is the anointed of Jehovah. ⁷And David checked his men with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. And Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way. ⁸David also arose afterwards, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king! And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth, and did obeisance.

⁹And David said to Saul, Why dost thou listen to words of men, saying, Behold, David seeks thy hurt? ¹⁰Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that Jehovah had given thee this day into my hand in the cave; and they bade me kill thee; but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord, for he is the anointed of Jehovah. ¹¹And see, my father, yes, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand. For in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou liest in wait for my life to take it. ¹²Jehovah judge between me and thee, and Jehovah avenge me of thee; but my hand shall not be upon thee. ¹³As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked; but my hand shall not be upon thee. ¹⁴After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a single flea. ¹⁵Jehovah therefore shall be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and do me justice in delivering me out of thy hand.

¹⁶And as soon as David had ended speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. ¹⁷And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. ¹⁸And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me, forasmuch as when Jehovah had delivered me up into thy hand, thou didst not kill me. ¹⁹For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore Jehovah reward thee good for that thou hast done to me this day. ²⁰And now behold, I know that thou shalt certainly be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thy hand. ²¹Swear now therefore to me by Jehovah, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father’s house. ²²And David swore to Saul. And Saul went home; and David and his men went up to the stronghold.

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