1Samuel:23

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* And they told David , saying , Behold , the Philistines fight against Keilah , and they rob the threshing-floors . * And David asked of the LORD , saying , Shall I go ? And shall I strike these Philistines ? And the LORD said to David , Go and strike the Philistines , and save Keilah . * And David 's men said to him , Behold , we are afraid here in Judah . How much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines ? * And David inquired of the LORD once again . And the LORD answered him and said , Arise , go down [to ] Keilah . For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand . * And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines . And they led away their cattle and struck them with a great slaughter . And David saved the people of Keilah . * And it happened when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled [to ] David to Keilah , he came down [with ] an ephod in his hand . * And it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah . And Saul said , God has delivered him into my hands , for he is shut in by entering into a town that has gates and bars . * And Saul [called ] all the people together to war , to go down [to ] Keilah to besiege David and his men . * And David knew that Saul secretly planned evil against him . And [he ] said to Abiathar the priest , Bring the ephod here . * And David said , O Lord God of Israel , Your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah , to destroy the city for my sake . * Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand ? Will Saul come down as Your servant has heard ? O LORD God of Israel , I beg of You , tell Your servant . And the LORD said , He will come down . * And David said , Will the men of Keilah shut up me and my men into the hand of Saul ? And the LORD said , They will shut [you up ]. * And David and his men , about six hundred , arose and departed out of Keilah and went wherever they could go . And it was told to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah . And he did not go forth . * And David stayed in the wilderness in strongholds , and remained in the stronghold in the wilderness of Ziph . And Saul looked for him every day , but God did not deliver him into his hand . * And David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life . And David [was ] in the wilderness of Ziph in a woods . * And Jonathan , Saul 's son , arose and went to David into the woods , and strengthened his hand in God . * And he said to him , Do not fear , for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you . And you shall be king over Israel , and I shall be next to you . And my father Saul knows that also . * And the two of them cut a covenant before the LORD . And David stayed in the forest , and Jonathan went to his house . * And the men of Ziph came up to Saul , to Gibeah , saying , Does not David hide himself with us in strongholds in the forest , in the hill of Hachilah , which [is ] on the south of the wilderness ? * And now , O king , come down according to all the desire of your soul . Come down , and it is for us to shut him up into the king 's hand . * And Saul said , Blessed [are ] you from the LORD , for you have pity on me . * Please go , make more sure , and know and see the place where his foot is . Who has seen him there ? For I am told that he is very subtle . * And see and know of all the hiding places where he hides himself there , and return to me prepared . And I will go with you . And it shall be , if he is in the land , 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 Maon , in the plain , on the south of the desert . * Saul and his men also went to look [for him ]. And they told David . And he came down from the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon . And when Saul heard , he followed after David in the wilderness of Maon . * And Saul went on this side of the mountain , and David and his men on that side of the mountain . And David hurried to get away before Saul . For Saul and his men were encircling David and his men , to take them . * And a messenger came to Saul , saying , Hurry and come ! For the Philistines have invaded the land . * And Saul returned from pursuing David , and went against the Philistines . Therefore they called that place , The Rock of the Division . * And David went up from there and stayed in strongholds [at ] En-gedi .

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