23When David was told, "Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,"H5046H1732H559H6430H3898H7084H8154H16372he inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" The LORD answered him, "Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah."H1732H7592H3068H559H3212H5221H6430H3068H559H1732H3212H5221H6430H3467H70843But David's men said to him, "Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!"H1732H582H559H3373H3063H3212H7084H4634H64304Once again David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD answered him, "Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand."H1732H7592H3068H3254H3068H6030H559H6965H3381H7084H5414H6430H30275So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah.H1732H582H3212H7084H3898H6430H5090H4735H5221H1419H4347H1732H3467H3427H70846(Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought the ephod down with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)H54H1121H288H1272H1732H7084H3381H646H30277Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, "God has handed him over to me, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars."H5046H7586H1732H935H7084H7586H559H430H5234H3027H5462H935H5892H1817H12808And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.H7586H8085H5971H8085H4421H3381H7084H6696H1732H5829When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod."H1732H3045H7586H2790H7451H559H54H3548H5066H64610David said, "O LORD, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me.H559H1732H3068H430H3478H5650H8085H8085H7586H1245H935H7084H7843H589211Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant." And the LORD said, "He will."H1167H7084H5462H3027H7586H3381H5650H8085H3068H430H3478H5046H5650H3068H559H338112Again David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will."H559H1732H1167H7084H5462H582H3027H7586H3068H559H546213So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.H1732H582H8337H3967H376H6965H3318H7084H1980H834H1980H5046H7586H1732H4422H7084H2308H331814David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.H1732H3427H4057H4679H3427H2022H4057H2128H7586H1245H3117H430H5414H302715While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life.H1732H7200H7586H3318H1245H5315H1732H4057H2128H279316And Saul's son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.H3083H7586H1121H6965H3212H1732H2793H2388H3027H43017"Don't be afraid," he said. "My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this."H559H3372H3027H7586H1H4672H4427H3478H4932H7586H1H304518The two of them made a covenant before the LORD. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.H8147H3772H1285H6440H3068H1732H3427H2793H3083H1980H100419The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon?H5927H2130H7586H1390H559H1732H5641H4679H2793H1389H2444H3225H345220Now, O king, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for handing him over to the king."H4428H3381H185H5315H3381H5462H4428H302721Saul replied, "The LORD bless you for your concern for me.H7586H559H1288H3068H255022Go and make further preparation. Find out where David usually goes and who has seen him there. They tell me he is very crafty.H3212H3559H3045H7200H4725H7272H7200H559H6191H619123Find out about all the hiding places he uses and come back to me with definite information. Then I will go with you; if he is in the area, I will track him down among all the clans of Judah."H7200H3045H4224H2244H7725H3559H1980H3426H776H2664H505H306324So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Desert of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon.H6965H3212H2128H6440H7586H1732H582H4057H4584H6160H3225H345225Saul and his men began the search, and when David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard this, he went into the Desert of Maon in pursuit of David.H7586H582H3212H1245H5046H1732H3381H5553H3427H4057H4584H7586H8085H7291H310H1732H4057H458426Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them,H7586H3212H6654H2022H1732H582H6654H2022H1732H2648H3212H6440H7586H7586H582H5849H1732H582H5849H861027a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land."H935H4397H7586H559H4116H3212H6430H6584H77628Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why they call this place Sela Hammahlekoth.H7586H7725H7291H310H1732H3212H7125H6430H7121H4725H555529And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.H1732H5927H3427H4679H5872