1 Samuel 22–23

Saul Takes Revenge on the Priests Who Helped David

22David went from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father’s household^a heard, they came down to him there. ²Every man in distress and every man who had a creditor and every embittered man gathered to him, and he became their commander.^b Now there were about four hundred men with him. ³And David went up from there to Mizpah of Moab. He said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay^c with you until I know what God will do for me.” ⁴So he brought them before the king of Moab,^d and they stayed with him all the days David was in the stronghold.

⁵Then Gad the prophet said to David, “You should not stay in the stronghold; leave and go into the land of Judah.” So David left and came to the forest of Hereth. ⁶Now Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been located. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree at Ramah. Now his spear was in his hand and all his servants were stationed around him. ⁷Then Saul said to the servants who were standing around him, “Please listen, Benjaminites!^e Will the son of Jesse give you all fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? ⁸For all of you have conspired against me, and no one discloses to me^f the making^g of an agreement between my son and the son of Jesse! None of you have had sympathy for me or disclosed to me^h that my son commissioned my servant against me to ambush meⁱ as has been done this day!”

⁹But Doeg the Edomite, who was stationed among the servants of Saul, answered and said, “I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. ¹⁰And he inquired of Yahweh for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” ¹¹So the king sent to summon Ahimelech the son of Ahitub the priest, and all his father’s household, the priests who were at Nob. So all of them came to the king. ¹²Saul said, “Listen please, son of Ahitub.” He said, “Here I am, my lord.” ¹³Then Saul said to him, “Why did you conspire against me, you and the son of Jesse, when you gave to him bread and a sword, and by inquiring of God for him so that he might arise against me to ambush me as has been done this day?” ¹⁴But Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David? He is the son-in-law of the king who moves quickly to safeguard you and is honored in your house. ¹⁵Only today I began to inquire of God for him. Far be it from me that the king should impute anything against his servant^j or against my father’s household, for your servant has not known any of this matter, little or much.” ¹⁶Then the king said, “You must certainly die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household!” ¹⁷So the king said to the runners who were stationed around him, “Turn and kill the priests of Yahweh, because they also support David^k and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not disclose it to me.”^l But the servants of the king were not willing to raise their hand to attack the priests of Yahweh. ¹⁸Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and attack the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests himself, and on that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. ¹⁹And he put to the sword^m Nob, the city of the priests, from man to woman, from child to infant, and ox and donkey and sheep;ⁿ all to the sword.^o

²⁰But, one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, whose name was Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. ²¹Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of Yahweh. ²²Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day that Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would certainly tell Saul. I am responsible for the deaths of all your father’s household!^{p 23}Stay with me! Do not fear, because he who seeks my life seeks your life. You are in good care with me.”

David Defeats the Philistines at Keilah

23Now they told David, “Look, the Philistines are fighting in Keilah and they are raiding the threshing floors.” ²So David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And Yahweh said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save^a Keilah.” ³But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more^b if we go to Keilah to the battle lines of the Philistines?” ⁴So David again inquired of Yahweh, and Yahweh answered him and said, “Get up, go down to Keilah, for I am giving the Philistines into your hand.” ⁵So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines. They drove off their livestock and dealt them a heavy blow.^c So David saved^d the inhabitants of Keilah.

David Flees from Saul at Keilah

⁶Now when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled^e to David at Keilah, he went down with an ephod in his hand. ⁷When it was told to Saul that David had gone to Keilah, Saul said, “God has given him^f into my hand, because he has shut himself in by going into a city with two barred gates.^{g 8}Saul then summoned all of the army for the battle, to go down to Keilah to lay a siege against David and his men. ⁹When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” ¹⁰And David said, “O Yahweh, God of Israel, your servant has clearly heard that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me. ¹¹Will the rulers of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O Yahweh, God of Israel, please tell your servant!” And Yahweh said, “He will come down.” ¹²Then David said, “Will the rulers of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And Yahweh said, “They will deliver you.” ¹³So David and his men got up, about six hundred men, and went out from Keilah and wandered wherever they could go. When it was told to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he stopped his pursuit.^h

David Eludes Saul’s Pursuit

¹⁴David remained in the wilderness, in the strongholds, and in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him continually,ⁱ but God did not give him into his hand. ¹⁵When David realized that Saul had gone out to seek his life, David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. ¹⁶So Jonathan the son of Saul got up and went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him^j through God. ¹⁷He said to him, “Do not be afraid, for the hand of my father Saul will not find you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you.^k My father Saul knows this also.” ¹⁸Then the two of them made^l a covenant before Yahweh. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went to his house.

¹⁹Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, which is south of Jeshimon? ²⁰So then, O king, whenever you want^m to come down, come down, and it will be for us to deliver him into the hand of the king.” ²¹And Saul said to them, “May you be blessed by Yahweh, for you have shown me compassion! ²²Go, please, make certain again! Find out and see exactly where he isⁿ and who has seen him there! For they have said to me, ‘He is very cunning.’ ²³Look, find out all of the hiding places where he hides. Then return to me with dependable information,^o and I will go with you. And then if he is there in the land, then I will seek him among all the thousands of Judah.” ²⁴Then they got up and went to Ziph before Saul.

Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah, to the south of Jeshimon. ²⁵And Saul and his men went to seek him, and they told David, so he went down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard this, he pursued David into the wilderness of Maon. ²⁶Saul went on one side of the mountain,^p and David and his men went on the other side of the mountain.^q David was hurrying to get away from Saul, while Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them. ²⁷But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, because the Philistines have made a raid on the land!” ²⁸So Saul returned from pursuing David, and he went to confront^r the Philistines. Therefore, they called that place the Rock of Division.^{s 29t} David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En Gedi.