1Samuel 23:5 - Prayer Tents



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1Samuel 23
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David Saves the Town of Keilah

23David heard that the Philistines were attacking the town of Keilah and were stealing the newly harvested grain.H5046H1732H559H6430H3898H7084H8154H1637
2So he asked the LORD, "Shall I go and attack the Philistines?" "Yes," the LORD answered. "Attack them and save Keilah."H1732H7592H3068H559H3212H5221H6430H3068H559H1732H3212H5221H6430H3467H7084
3But David's men said to him, "We have enough to be afraid of here in Judah; it will be much worse if we go to Keilah and attack the Philistine forces!"H1732H582H559H3373H3063H3212H7084H4634H6430
4So David consulted the LORD again, and the LORD said to him, "Go and attack Keilah, because I will give you victory over the Philistines."H1732H7592H3068H3254H3068H6030H559H6965H3381H7084H5414H6430H3027
5So David and his men went to Keilah and attacked the Philistines; they killed many of them and took their livestock. And so it was that David saved the town.H1732H582H3212H7084H3898H6430H5090H4735H5221H1419H4347H1732H3467H3427H7084
6When Abiathar son of Ahimelech escaped and joined David in Keilah, he took the ephod with him.H54H1121H288H1272H1732H7084H3381H646H3027
7Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, "God has put him in my power. David has trapped himself by going into a walled town with fortified gates."H5046H7586H1732H935H7084H7586H559H430H5234H3027H5462H935H5892H1817H1280
8So Saul called his troops to war, to march against Keilah and besiege David and his men.H7586H8085H5971H8085H4421H3381H7084H6696H1732H582
9When David heard that Saul was planning to attack him, he said to the priest Abiathar, "Bring the ephod here."H1732H3045H7586H2790H7451H559H54H3548H5066H646
10Then David said, " LORD, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come to Keilah and destroy it on account of me, your servant.H559H1732H3068H430H3478H5650H8085H8085H7586H1245H935H7084H7843H5892
11Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to Saul? Will Saul really come, as I have heard? LORD, God of Israel, I beg you to answer me!" The LORD answered, "Saul will come."H1167H7084H5462H3027H7586H3381H5650H8085H3068H430H3478H5046H5650H3068H559H3381
12"And will the citizens of Keilah hand my men and me over to Saul?" David asked again. "They will," the LORD answered.H559H1732H1167H7084H5462H582H3027H7586H3068H559H5462
13So David and his men - about six hundred in all - left Keilah at once and kept on the move. When Saul heard that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up his plan.H1732H582H8337H3967H376H6965H3318H7084H1980H834H1980H5046H7586H1732H4422H7084H2308H3318

David in the Hill Country

14David stayed in hiding in the hill country, in the wilderness near Ziph. Saul was always trying to find him, but God did not turn David over to him.H1732H3427H4057H4679H3427H2022H4057H2128H7586H1245H3117H430H5414H3027
15David saw that Saul was out to kill him. David was at Horesh, in the wilderness near Ziph.H1732H7200H7586H3318H1245H5315H1732H4057H2128H2793
16Jonathan went to him there and encouraged him with assurances of God's protection,H3083H7586H1121H6965H3212H1732H2793H2388H3027H430
17saying to him, "Don't be afraid. My father Saul won't be able to harm you. He knows very well that you are the one who will be the king of Israel and that I will be next in rank to you."H559H3372H3027H7586H1H4672H4427H3478H4932H7586H1H3045
18The two of them made a sacred promise of friendship to each other. David stayed at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.H8147H3772H1285H6440H3068H1732H3427H2793H3083H1980H1004
19Some people from Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and said, "David is hiding out in our territory at Horesh on Mount Hachilah, in the southern part of the Judean wilderness.H5927H2130H7586H1390H559H1732H5641H4679H2793H1389H2444H3225H3452
20We know, Your Majesty, how much you want to capture him; so come to our territory, and we will make sure that you catch him."H4428H3381H185H5315H3381H5462H4428H3027
21Saul answered, "May the LORD bless you for being so kind to me!H7586H559H1288H3068H2550
22Go and make sure once more; find out for certain where he is and who has seen him there. I hear that he is very cunning.H3212H3559H3045H7200H4725H7272H7200H559H6191H6191
23Find out exactly the places where he hides, and be sure to bring back a report to me right away. Then I will go with you, and if he is still in the region, I will hunt him down, even if I have to search the whole land of Judah."H7200H3045H4224H2244H7725H3559H1980H3426H776H2664H505H3063
24So they left and returned to Ziph ahead of Saul. David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in a desolate valley in the southern part of the Judean wilderness.H6965H3212H2128H6440H7586H1732H582H4057H4584H6160H3225H3452
25Saul and his men set out to look for David, but he heard about it and went to a rocky hill in the wilderness of Maon and stayed there. When Saul heard about this, he went after David.H7586H582H3212H1245H5046H1732H3381H5553H3427H4057H4584H7586H8085H7291H310H1732H4057H4584
26Saul and his men were on one side of the hill, separated from David and his men, who were on the other side. They were hurrying to get away from Saul and his men, who were closing in on them and were about to capture them.H7586H3212H6654H2022H1732H582H6654H2022H1732H2648H3212H6440H7586H7586H582H5849H1732H582H5849H8610
27Just then a messenger arrived and said to Saul, "Come back at once! The Philistines are invading the country!"H935H4397H7586H559H4116H3212H6430H6584H776
28So Saul stopped pursuing David and went to fight the Philistines. That is why that place is called Separation Hill.H7586H7725H7291H310H1732H3212H7125H6430H7121H4725H5555
29David left and went to the region of Engedi, where he stayed in hiding.H1732H5927H3427H4679H5872


Good News Translation. Scripture taken from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission. More details.
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