1Samuel:23

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* 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 .

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