23David heard that the Philistines were attacking the town of Keilah and were stealing the newly harvested grain.H5046H1732H559H6430H3898H7084H8154H16372So he asked the LORD, "Shall I go and attack the Philistines?" "Yes," the LORD answered. "Attack them and save Keilah."H1732H7592H3068H559H3212H5221H6430H3068H559H1732H3212H5221H6430H3467H70843But 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!"H1732H582H559H3373H3063H3212H7084H4634H64304So David consulted the LORD again, and the LORD said to him, "Go and attack Keilah, because I will give you victory over the Philistines."H1732H7592H3068H3254H3068H6030H559H6965H3381H7084H5414H6430H30275So 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.H1732H582H3212H7084H3898H6430H5090H4735H5221H1419H4347H1732H3467H3427H70846When Abiathar son of Ahimelech escaped and joined David in Keilah, he took the ephod with him.H54H1121H288H1272H1732H7084H3381H646H30277Saul 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."H5046H7586H1732H935H7084H7586H559H430H5234H3027H5462H935H5892H1817H12808So Saul called his troops to war, to march against Keilah and besiege David and his men.H7586H8085H5971H8085H4421H3381H7084H6696H1732H5829When David heard that Saul was planning to attack him, he said to the priest Abiathar, "Bring the ephod here."H1732H3045H7586H2790H7451H559H54H3548H5066H64610Then 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.H559H1732H3068H430H3478H5650H8085H8085H7586H1245H935H7084H7843H589211Will 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."H1167H7084H5462H3027H7586H3381H5650H8085H3068H430H3478H5046H5650H3068H559H338112"And will the citizens of Keilah hand my men and me over to Saul?" David asked again. "They will," the LORD answered.H559H1732H1167H7084H5462H582H3027H7586H3068H559H546213So 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.H1732H582H8337H3967H376H6965H3318H7084H1980H834H1980H5046H7586H1732H4422H7084H2308H331814David 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.H1732H3427H4057H4679H3427H2022H4057H2128H7586H1245H3117H430H5414H302715David saw that Saul was out to kill him. David was at Horesh, in the wilderness near Ziph.H1732H7200H7586H3318H1245H5315H1732H4057H2128H279316Jonathan went to him there and encouraged him with assurances of God's protection,H3083H7586H1121H6965H3212H1732H2793H2388H3027H43017saying 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."H559H3372H3027H7586H1H4672H4427H3478H4932H7586H1H304518The two of them made a sacred promise of friendship to each other. David stayed at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.H8147H3772H1285H6440H3068H1732H3427H2793H3083H1980H100419Some 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.H5927H2130H7586H1390H559H1732H5641H4679H2793H1389H2444H3225H345220We know, Your Majesty, how much you want to capture him; so come to our territory, and we will make sure that you catch him."H4428H3381H185H5315H3381H5462H4428H302721Saul answered, "May the LORD bless you for being so kind to me!H7586H559H1288H3068H255022Go 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.H3212H3559H3045H7200H4725H7272H7200H559H6191H619123Find 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."H7200H3045H4224H2244H7725H3559H1980H3426H776H2664H505H306324So 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.H6965H3212H2128H6440H7586H1732H582H4057H4584H6160H3225H345225Saul 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.H7586H582H3212H1245H5046H1732H3381H5553H3427H4057H4584H7586H8085H7291H310H1732H4057H458426Saul 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.H7586H3212H6654H2022H1732H582H6654H2022H1732H2648H3212H6440H7586H7586H582H5849H1732H582H5849H861027Just then a messenger arrived and said to Saul, "Come back at once! The Philistines are invading the country!"H935H4397H7586H559H4116H3212H6430H6584H77628So Saul stopped pursuing David and went to fight the Philistines. That is why that place is called Separation Hill.H7586H7725H7291H310H1732H3212H7125H6430H7121H4725H555529David left and went to the region of Engedi, where he stayed in hiding.H1732H5927H3427H4679H5872
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