1Samuel:22-23

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* And David departed thence , and escaped to the cave ‘Adullam : and when his brothers and all his father ’s house heard it , they went down to him thither . * And there gathered themselves unto him every one that was in distress , and every one that had a creditor , and every one that had an embittered spirit ; and he became a captain over them : and there were with him about four hundred men . * And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab : and he said unto the king of Moab , Let my father and my mother , I pray thee , go forth with you , until I can know what God will do for me . * And he conducted them to the presence of the king of Moab : and they remained with him all the time that David was in the strong –hold . * And the prophet Gad said unto David , Thou must not remain in the strong –hold : depart , and get thee into the land of Judah . Then David departed , and came into the forest of Chereth . * And Saul heard that David was discovered , and the men that were with him , * Then said Saul unto his servants that stood about him , Hear , I pray you , men of Benjamin ! will the son of Jesse give , indeed , to every one of you fields and vineyards ? will he appoint you all captains of thousands , and captains of hundreds ? * That ye have conspired , all of you , against me , and there is none that informeth me , while my son hath made a covenant with the son of Jesse , and there is none of you that is concerned for me , or informeth me that my son hath stirred up my servant to lie in wait against me , as it is this day ? * Then answered Doeg the Edomite , who was set over the servants of Saul , and said , I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob , to Achimelech the son of Achitub . * And he asked counsel for him of the Lord , and he gave him provision , and gave him also the sword of Goliath the philistine . * Then sent the king to call Achimelech , the son of Achitub , the priest , and all his father ’s house , the priests that were in Nob : and they came , all of them , to the king . * And Saul said , Hear now , thou son of Achitub . And he said , here am I , my Lord . * And Saul said unto him , Why have ye conspired against me , thou and the son of Jesse , in that thou didst give him bread , and a sword , and hast asked counsel for him of God , that he should rise to lie in wait against me , as it is this day ! * Then answered Achimelech the king , and said , And who is among all thy servants so trusted as David , and the king ’s son –in –law , and freely admitted to thy private council , and is honored in thy house ? * Did I this day then begin to ask counsel for him of God ? far be it from me ; let not the king impute any thing unto his servant , to all the house of my father ; for thy servant knew not of all this , either a little or great thing . * And the king said , Thou shalt surely die , Achimelech , thou , and all thy father ’s house . * And the king said unto the runners that stood about him , Turn round and slay the priests of the Lord ; because their hand also is with David , and because they knew that he was fleeing , and did not disclose it to me . But the servants of the king would not stretch forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord . * And the king said to Doeg , Turn thou round , and fall upon the priests . And Doeg the Edomite turned round , and he fell upon the priests , and slew on that day eighty and five persons that did wear a linen ephod . * And Nob , the city of the priests , he smote with the edge of the sword , both men and women , children and sucklings , and oxen , and asses , and lambs , with the edge of the sword . * And there escaped one of the sons of Achimelech the son of Achitub , whose name was Ebyathar , and he fled after David . * And Ebyathar told David that Saul had slain the priests of the Lord . * And David said unto Ebyathar , I knew on that day , because Doeg the Edomite was there , that he would surely tell Saul : I have myself occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father ’s house . * Remain thou with me , fear nothing ; for he that will seek my life will seek thy life ; but thou shalt be well guarded with me . * Then they told David , saying , Behold , the Philistines are fighting against Ke ’ilah , and they are plundering the threshing –floors . * Thereupon David asked counsel of the Lord , saying , Shall I go and smite among these Philistines ? And the Lord said unto David , Go and smite among the Philistines , and deliver Ke ’ilah . * And David ’s men said unto him , Behold , here in Judah are we afraid : how much more then if we should go to Ke ’ilah against the battle –arrays of the Philistines ? * Then David asked yet again counsel of the Lord . And the Lord answered him and said , Arise , Go down to Ke ’ilah ; for I deliver the Philistines into thy hand . * So David and his men went to Ke ’ilah ; and he fought with the Philistines , and lead away their cattle , and smote among them a great slaughter . So David delivered the inhabitants of Ke ’ilah . * And it came to pass , when Ebyathar the son of Achimelech , fled over to David , to Ke ’ilah , that the ephod came down with him . * And it was told to Saul that David was come to Ke ’ilah . And Saul said , God hath delivered him into my hand ; for he is shut in , by entering into a town that hath gates and bars . * And Saul called all the people together to war , to go down to Ke ’ilah , to besiege David and his men . * And David understood that Saul secretly devised mischief against him ; and he said to Ebyathar the priest , Bring hither the ephod . * Then said David , O Lord , God of Israel , thy servant hath heard for certain that Saul seeketh to come to Ke ’ilah , to destroy the city for my sake . * Will the men of Ke ’ilah surrender me into his hand ? will Saul come down as thy servant hath heard ? O Lord , God of Israel , I beseech thee , tell thy servant . And the Lord said , He will come down . * Then said David , Will the men of Ke ’ilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul ! And the Lord said , They will surrender . * Then arose David and his men , about six hundred men , and departed out of Ke ’ilah , and wandered about whithersoever they could go . And when it was told to Saul that David was escaped from Ke ’ilah , he forbore to go forth . * And David remained in the wilderness in strong –holds , and abode on the mountain in the wilderness of Ziph . And Saul sought him all the time , but God delivered him not into his hand . * And David saw that Saul was gone forth to seek his life : and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the forest . * And Jonathan , the son of Saul , arose and went to David into the forest , and strengthened his hand in God . * And he said unto him , Fear not ; for the hand of Saul my father will not find thee ; and thou wilt be king over Israel , and I will be next unto thee ; and also Saul my father knoweth this . * And they made , both of them , a covenant before the Lord : and David remained in the forest ; but Jonathan went to his house . * Then came up the Ziphites unto Saul to Gib ’ah , saying , Behold , David is hiding himself with us in the strong –holds in the forest , on the hill of Chachilah , which is on the right of the desert . * And now in accordance with all the longing of thy soul , O king , to come down , come down ; and our part shall be to surrender him into the king ’s hand . * And Saul said , Blessed be ye of the Lord ; for ye have pity on me . * Go , I pray you , make yet more preparations , and remark and see his place where his foot may be , who hath seen him there ; for I am told that he dealeth with great subtilty . * See therefore , and remark every one of all the lurking –places where he usually hideth himself , and come ye again to me with the certainty , and I will go with you ; and it shall come to pass , if he be in the land , that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah . * And they arose , and went to Ziph before Saul ; but David and his men were in the wilderness of Ma ’on , in the plain on the right of the desert . * And Saul and his men went to make a search . And they told it to David : wherefore he came down to the rock , and abode in the wilderness of Ma ’on . And when Saul heard this , he pursued after David into the wilderness of Ma ’on . * And Saul went on this side of the mountain , and David and his men on that side of the mountain ; and David made haste to get away from before Saul ; and Saul and his men were compassing David and his men to seize them . * But a messenger came unto Saul , saying , Haste thee , and come ; for the Philistines have invaded the land . * Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David , and went against the Philistines : therefore they called that place Sela –hammachlekoth . * And David went up from there , and dwelt in strong –holds of ‘En –gedi . * And it came to pass , when Saul was returned from pursuing the Philistines , that it was told to him , saying , Behold , David is in the wilderness of ‘En –gedi .

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