1 Samuel 23:1–13

David Saves the City of Keilah

23Then they told David, saying, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against ^aKeilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.”

²Therefore David ^binquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and ¹attack these Philistines?”

And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”

³But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” ⁴Then David inquired of the Lord once again.

And the Lord answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.” ⁵And David and his men went to Keilah and ^cfought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

⁶Now it happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech ^dfled to David at Keilah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand.

⁷And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” ⁸Then Saul called all the people together for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

⁹When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, ^ehe said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” ¹⁰Then David said, “O Lord God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah ^fto destroy the city for my sake. ¹¹Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.”

And the Lord said, “He will come down.”

¹²Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah ²deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?”

And the Lord said, “They will deliver you.”

¹³So David and his men, ^gabout six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; so he halted the expedition.