1 Samuel 23

1 Word came to David: “Look — the Philistines are making war on Keilah, and they are plundering it; they are trampling the threshing floors.” 2 And David asked the Lord, “Am I to go and strike down these Philistines?” And the Lord said, “Go, and you will strike down these Philistines, and you will save Keilah.”

3 But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How will it be if we go to Keilah? We are walking into the Philistines’ plunder.” [a] 4 So David asked the Lord once more, and the Lord answered him and said to him, “Get up and go down to Keilah, for I am giving the Philistines into your hands.” 5 So David went to Keilah with the men who were with him, and fought the Philistines; and they fled from in front of him. He carried off their cattle and struck them a great blow, and David saved the people living in Keilah.

6 Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David, he went down with David to Keilah, with an ephod in his hand. [b] 7 Word came to Saul that David had come to Keilah, and Saul said, “God has sold him into my hands. He is shut in — he has gone into a town with gates and bars.” 8 And Saul called out all the people to go down to war at Keilah and hem David and his men in.

9 And David knew that Saul was not keeping quiet about the harm he meant him, and David said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod of the Lord here.” 10 And David said, “Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard for certain that Saul means to come to Keilah and destroy the city because of me. 11 Will this place be shut up? And now, will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “It will be shut up.” [d]

13 So David got up, and the men with him, about four hundred of them, and they went out from Keilah and went wherever they could go. And word came to Saul that David had got away from Keilah, and he held back from going out. 14 And David settled in the wilderness at Maserem, in the narrow places, and he stayed in the wilderness in the hills of Ziph, in the dry country. And Saul looked for him every day, but the Lord did not give him into his hands. [e] 15 And David saw that Saul had come out to look for him; and David was on the dry mountain at Caene of Ziph. [f]

16 And Jonathan son of Saul got up and went to David at Caene, and strengthened his hands in the Lord. 17 He said to him, “Do not be afraid. The hand of Saul my father will not find you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you — and Saul my father knows it.” 18 And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. And David stayed at Caene, and Jonathan went off to his own house.

19 And the Ziphites came up out of the dry country to Saul at the hill, and said, “Is David not hidden with us at Messara, in the narrow places, at Caene, on the hill of Hachilah, which is to the right of Jeshimon? [g] 20 So now, whatever the king’s soul is set on for coming down, let him come down to us: they have shut him up into the king’s hands.” [h] 21 And Saul said to them, “May you be blessed by the Lord, for you have taken trouble on my account.

22 Go now, and make ready again, and find out his place, where his foot will be — quickly, there where you spoke of — in case he plays some trick. 23 Look, and learn, and we will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” 24 So the Ziphites got up and went on ahead of Saul. And David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, to the west, to the right of Jeshimon. [i]

25 And Saul and his men went to look for him. And they brought word to David, and he went down to the rock in the wilderness of Maon; and Saul heard of it and went after David into the wilderness of Maon. 26 And Saul and his men were going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side of the mountain. David was keeping himself covered as he went, to get away from Saul, and Saul and his men made camp against David and his men, to take them. [j]

27 Then a messenger came to Saul and said, “Hurry, come — the Philistines have raided the land!” [k] 28 So Saul turned back from going after David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why that place was called the Divided Rock. [l]