David Delivers Keilah 1 UST One day messengers came and told David,“We have important news! The Philistine army is attacking the town of Keilah! They are stealing the grain from where the people are threshing it!” BSB BSB: Now it was reported to David, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and looting the threshing floors.”
2 UST So David asked Yahweh,“Should I lead my men to fight against these Philistine soldiers?” Yahweh told David,“Yes, go and attack them and rescue the people of Keilah.” BSB BSB: So David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
3 UST But David’ s men said to him,“Listen, we are afraid here in Judah that Saul might attack us. We will be even more afraid if we go to Keilah where we know the Philistine army is!” BSB BSB: But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”
4 UST So David asked Yahweh again if they should go to Keilah. Yahweh answered,“I will enable you to defeat the Philistines. So yes, go to Keilah{ and rescue the people there}.” BSB BSB: Once again, David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD answered him: “Go at once to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
5 UST So David and his men went to Keilah and fought against the Philistines. They killed many of their soldiers and captured many of their cattle. In that way David and his men rescued the people of Keilah. BSB BSB: Then David and his men went to Keilah, fought against the Philistines, and carried off their livestock, striking them with a mighty blow. So David saved the people of Keilah.
6 UST David was at Keilah when Abiathar son of Ahimelech ran away to join him. Abiathar brought a sacred apron with him{ that he could use to ask what God someone should do}. BSB BSB: (Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought the ephod with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)
Saul Pursues David (Psalm 54:1–7)
7 UST Someone told Saul that David was at Keilah. Saul said,“God is enabling me to capture him! David has trapped himself in that city, because a wall surrounds it, and I can get its people to lock the gates to keep David from leaving.” BSB BSB: When Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, he said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has trapped himself by entering a town with gates and bars.”
8 UST So Saul gathered his whole army so that they could go to Keilah and surround it. Saul wanted to force the people of the city to surrender David and his men to him. BSB BSB: Then Saul summoned all his troops to go to war at Keilah and besiege David and his men.
9 UST But David found out that Saul was preparing to capture him with his army. So he told Abiathar the priest,“Bring the sacred apron here{ so we can use it to consult Yahweh}.” BSB BSB: When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.”
10 UST { So when Abiathar brought it,} David prayed,“Yahweh, God of us Israelites, I have heard reliably that Saul is planning to come here to Keilah with his army. He will destroy the city if he has to in order to capture me. BSB BSB: And David said, “O LORD, God of Israel, Your servant has heard that Saul intends to come to Keilah and destroy the city on my account.
11 UST Will Saul actually come here to Keilah, as people have reported to me? Will the leaders of Keilah let Saul capture me? Yahweh, God of us Israelites, please tell me!”{ By means of the stones in the sacred apron,} Yahweh replied,“Yes, Saul will come here.” BSB BSB: Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell Your servant.” “He will,” said the LORD.
12 UST Then David asked,“{ If we stay here,} will the leaders of Keilah let Saul’ s army capture me and my men?” Yahweh replied,“Yes, they will.” BSB BSB: So David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” “They will,” said the LORD.
13 UST So David and his men left Keilah. By this time, he had 600 men with him. They continued to move around from one place to another, wherever they thought that Saul would not find them. And when Saul found out that David had gotten away from Keilah, he did not go there. BSB BSB: Then David and his men, about six hundred strong, set out and departed from Keilah, moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he declined to go forth.
14 UST After this, David and his men stayed in hiding places in the desert and in the hills of the desolate area that people call Ziph. Saul kept trying to find out where David was, but God enabled David to hide where Saul could not find him. BSB BSB: And David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God would not deliver David into his hand.
15 UST At one point, David and his men were hiding in the forest of Horesh in the desolate area of Ziph. David knew that Saul was trying to find out where he was so that he could kill him. BSB BSB: While David was in Horesh in the Wilderness of Ziph, he saw that Saul had come out to take his life.
16 UST But Saul’ s son Jonathan went to David in the forest. He helped him feel brave again by reassuring him that he could trust God to protect him. BSB BSB: And Saul’s son Jonathan came to David in Horesh and strengthened his hand in God,
17 UST Jonathan told him,“My father is not going to be able to harm you, so do not be afraid. Some day you will be the king of Israel, and I will be your most important official. Even my father Saul knows that.” BSB BSB: saying, “Do not be afraid, for my father Saul will never lay a hand on you. And you will be king over Israel, and I will be your second-in-command. Even my father Saul knows this is true.”
18 UST Then, with Yahweh as their witness, David and Jonathan repeated their solemn promise always to be loyal to each other. Then Jonathan went home, and David stayed in the forest. BSB BSB: So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David remained in Horesh, while Jonathan went home.
19 UST Then people who lived in the region of Ziph went to Gibeah to speak with Saul. They told him,“David and his men are hiding in our region! They are hiding in places in the forest on the hill of Hakilah, south of the desolate area that people call Jeshimon. BSB BSB: Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah south of Jeshimon?
20 UST So you may go there any time you wish, O king, and it will be our duty to enable you to capture him.” BSB BSB: Now, O king, come down whenever your soul desires, and we will be responsible for delivering him into your hand.”
21 UST Saul replied,“Because you have wanted to help me, I hope that Yahweh will make good things happen for you. BSB BSB: “May you be blessed by the LORD,” replied Saul, “for you have had compassion on me.
22 UST But people tell me that David is very clever{, so it will be difficult to capture him}. So I want you to go back and be sure that he is where you say. Have people look and find out exactly where he is staying.{ Do not just rely on what someone else says.} Make sure that one of you has actually seen him there. BSB BSB: Please go and prepare further. Investigate and watch carefully where he goes and who has seen him there, for I am told that he is extremely cunning.
23 UST Find out about all the places where he and his men hide. Then return and tell me what you have discovered. I will bring my army and go back with you. If David is anywhere in your area, we will find him, even if we have to look in every part of the territory of Judah!” BSB BSB: Observe and find out all the places where he hides. Then come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will search him out among all the clans of Judah.”
24 UST So those people went back to Ziph to get things ready for Saul to come there. At that time, David and his men were in a desolate area of the plain in the southern part of Jeshimon. People call that area Maon. BSB BSB: So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon in the Arabah south of Jeshimon,
25 UST Saul and his soldiers went to search for David, but someone told David that they were coming. So he and his men went farther south to stay on a rocky hill in the area of Maon. Saul found out about that, and he and his men chased David and his men farther into that desolate area. BSB BSB: and Saul and his men went to seek him. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard of this, he pursued David there.
26 UST David and his men were on one side of the hill, and Saul and his soldiers were on the other side. David and his men were hurrying to get away, because Saul and his soldiers were rushing around the other side of the hill to try to surround them and capture them. BSB BSB: Saul was proceeding along one side of the mountain, and David and his men along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.
27 UST But then a messenger came to Saul and said to him,“Come quickly! The Philistine army is attacking the people in our land!” BSB BSB: Then a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Come quickly, for the Philistines have raided the land!”
28 UST So Saul stopped pursuing David. Instead, he and his soldiers went to fight against the Philistine army. That is the reason why people call that place Sela Hammahlekoth. BSB BSB: So Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why that place is called Sela-hammahlekoth.
29 UST David and his men also left that place, and they went to the area of Engedi, where there were many places where they could hide safely. BSB BSB: And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En-gedi.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.