1 Samuel / Saul's Pursuit, Ziphite Betrayal, and David's Escape

Saul's Pursuit, Ziphite Betrayal, and David's Escape

1 Samuel 23:7-29

Chapter 23

⁷ And Saul was told that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “The LORD has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself up, entering a city with doors and bars.” ⁸ Saul heard that all the people were going down to Keilah to wage war against David and his men. ⁹ David knew that Saul was lying in wait for him to do evil, and he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here." ¹⁰ And David said, "LORD God of Israel, your servant has heard that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account." ¹¹ Will the lords of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? LORD God of Israel, please tell your servant." And the LORD said, "He will come down." ¹² And David said, "Will the lords of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?" And he said, "They will deliver you." ¹³ And David arose with his men, about six hundred men, and they went out from Keilah and went wherever they could go. And Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, and he stopped going out. ¹⁴ And David dwelt in the wilderness in strongholds, and he dwelt in the mountain in the Wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. ¹⁵ And David saw that Saul had gone out to seek his life, and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the thicket. ¹⁶ Jonathan son of Saul arose and went to David at Choresh and strengthened his hand in God. ¹⁷ And he said to him, "Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you. You will reign over Israel, and I will be second to you, and Saul my father knows this too." ¹⁸ They cut a covenant, both of them, before the LORD. And David sat in the thicket, and Jonathan went to his house. ¹⁹ And the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is David not hiding with us in the strongholds in the forest on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the right of the Jeshimon?" ²⁰ And now, behold, every desire of your soul, O king, go down, go down, and we will give him into the hand of the king. ²¹ And Saul said, "You are blessed by the LORD, for you have had compassion on me." ²² Go now, prepare yet more, and know and see his place where his foot will be. Who has seen him there? For he said to me, "They will make themselves naked." ²³ See and find out all the hiding places where he is hiding there, and return to me with the certainty, and I will go with you. And it will be if he is in the land, and I will search for him among all the thousands of Judah. ²⁴ They arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah toward the south of the wasteland. ²⁵ And Saul and his men went to seek him, and they told David, and he went down to the Rock and sat in the wilderness of Maon. And Saul heard, and he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon. ²⁶ And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain. And David was hastening to get away from Saul, and Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to seize them. ²⁷ A messenger came to Saul saying, "Hurry and go, for the Philistines have spread out over the land." ²⁸ Saul returned from pursuing David and went to meet the Philistines. Because of this, they called that place the Rock of Divisions. ²⁹ And David went up from there and dwelt in the strongholds of Ein Gedi.