23THEN THEY told David, Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.H5046H1732H559H6430H3898H7084H8154H16372So David inquired of the Lord, Shall I go and attack these Philistines? And the Lord said to David, Go, smite the Philistines and save Keilah.H1732H7592H3068H559H3212H5221H6430H3068H559H1732H3212H5221H6430H3467H70843David's men said to him, Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more, then, if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?H1732H582H559H3373H3063H3212H7084H4634H64304Then David inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.H1732H7592H3068H3254H3068H6030H559H6965H3381H7084H5414H6430H30275So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines with a great slaughter and brought away their cattle. So David delivered the people of Keilah.H1732H582H3212H7084H3898H6430H5090H4735H5221H1419H4347H1732H3467H3427H70846When Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he came with an ephod in his hand.H54H1121H288H1272H1732H7084H3381H646H30277Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. Saul said, God has delivered him into my hand, for he is shut in by going into a town that has gates and bars.H5046H7586H1732H935H7084H7586H559H430H5234H3027H5462H935H5892H1817H12808Saul summoned all the men for war, to go to Keilah to besiege David and his men.H7586H8085H5971H8085H4421H3381H7084H6696H1732H5829David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring the ephod here.H1732H3045H7586H2790H7451H559H54H3548H5066H64610Then David said, O Lord, the God of Israel, Your servant has surely heard that Saul intends to come and destroy the city of Keilah on my account.H559H1732H3068H430H3478H5650H8085H8085H7586H1245H935H7084H7843H589211Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O Lord, God of Israel, I beseech You, tell Your servant. And the Lord said, He will come down.H1167H7084H5462H3027H7586H3381H5650H8085H3068H430H3478H5046H5650H3068H559H338112Then David asked, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into Saul's hand? The Lord said, They will deliver you up.H559H1732H1167H7084H5462H582H3027H7586H3068H559H546213Then David and his men, about 600, arose and left Keilah, going wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up going there.H1732H582H8337H3967H376H6965H3318H7084H1980H834H1980H5046H7586H1732H4422H7084H2308H331814David remained in the wilderness strongholds in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hands.H1732H3427H4057H4679H3427H2022H4057H2128H7586H1245H3117H430H5414H302715David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in the wood [at Horesh].H1732H7200H7586H3318H1245H5315H1732H4057H2128H279316And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went into the wood to David [at Horesh] and strengthened his hand in God.H3083H7586H1121H6965H3212H1732H2793H2388H3027H43017He said to him, Fear not; the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father knows that too.H559H3372H3027H7586H1H4672H4427H3478H4932H7586H1H304518And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. And David remained in the wood [at Horesh], and Jonathan went to his house.H8147H3772H1285H6440H3068H1732H3427H2793H3083H1980H100419Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, Does not David hide himself with us in strongholds in the wood [at Horesh], on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?H5927H2130H7586H1390H559H1732H5641H4679H2793H1389H2444H3225H345220Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, and our part shall be to deliver him into the king's hands.H4428H3381H185H5315H3381H5462H4428H302721And Saul said, The Lord bless you, for you have compassion on me.H7586H559H1288H3068H255022Go, make yet more sure; and know and see where his haunt is and who has seen him there; for I am told he deals very craftily.H3212H3559H3045H7200H4725H7272H7200H559H6191H619123See and take note of all his hiding places and come back to me with the certain facts, and I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.H7200H3045H4224H2244H7725H3559H1980H3426H776H2664H505H306324So they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon.H6965H3212H2128H6440H7586H1732H582H4057H4584H6160H3225H345225Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told; so he went down to the rock in the Wilderness of Maon and stayed. When Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon.H7586H582H3212H1245H5046H1732H3381H5553H3427H4057H4584H7586H8085H7291H310H1732H4057H458426And Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David made haste to get away for fear of Saul, for Saul and his men were surrounding [him] and his men to capture them.H7586H3212H6654H2022H1732H582H6654H2022H1732H2648H3212H6440H7586H7586H582H5849H1732H582H5849H861027But a messenger came to Saul, saying, Make haste and come, for the Philistines have made a raid on the land.H935H4397H7586H559H4116H3212H6430H6584H77628So Saul returned from pursuing David and went against the Philistines. So they called that place the Rock of Escape.H7586H7725H7291H310H1732H3212H7125H6430H7121H4725H555529David went up from there and dwelt in the strongholds of En-gedi.H1732H5927H3427H4679H5872
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