1 Samuel 23:13-24

New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised

¹³ Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, set out and left Keilah; they wandered wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. ¹⁴ David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but the Lord^[a] did not give him into his hand.

David Eludes Saul in the Wilderness

¹⁵ David was in the Wilderness of Ziph at Horesh when he learned that^[b] Saul had come out to seek his life. ¹⁶ Saul’s son Jonathan set out and came to David at Horesh; there he strengthened his hand through the Lord.^{[c] 17} He said to him, ‘Do not be afraid; for the hand of my father Saul shall not find you; you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be second to you; my father Saul also knows that this is so.’ ¹⁸ Then the two of them made a covenant before the Lord; David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.

¹⁹ Then some Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, ‘David is hiding among us in the strongholds of Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon. ²⁰ Now, O king, whenever you wish to come down, do so; and our part will be to surrender him into the king’s hand.’ ²¹ Saul said, ‘May you be blessed by the Lord for showing me compassion! ²² Go and make sure once more; find out exactly where he is, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning. ²³ Look around and learn all the hiding-places where he lurks, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.’ ²⁴ So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.

David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.