David Saves Keilah

23 When David was told, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah^(A) and are looting the threshing floors,”^{(B) 2} he inquired^(C) of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”

The Lord answered him, “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”

³ But David’s men said to him, “Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!”

⁴ Once again David inquired^(D) of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, “Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines^(E) into your hand.^(F)” ⁵ So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah. ⁶ (Now Abiathar^(G) son of Ahimelek had brought the ephod^(H) down with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)

Saul Pursues David

⁷ Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, “God has delivered him into my hands,^(I) for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars.”^{(J) 8} And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

⁹ When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar^(K) the priest, “Bring the ephod.^(L)” ¹⁰ David said, “Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. ¹¹ Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant.”

And the Lord said, “He will.”

¹² Again David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender^(M) me and my men to Saul?”

And the Lord said, “They will.”

¹³ So David and his men,^(N) about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.

¹⁴ David stayed in the wilderness^(O) strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph.^(P) Day after day Saul searched^(Q) for him, but God did not^(R) give David into his hands.

¹⁵ While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that^[a] Saul had come out to take his life.^{(S) 16} And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength^(T) in God. ¹⁷ “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king^(U) over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” ¹⁸ The two of them made a covenant^(V) before the Lord. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.

¹⁹ The Ziphites^(W) went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us^(X) in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah,^(Y) south of Jeshimon? ²⁰ Now, Your Majesty, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for giving^(Z) him into your hands.”

²¹ Saul replied, “The Lord bless^(AA) you for your concern^(AB) for me. ²² Go and get more information. Find out where David usually goes and who has seen him there. They tell me he is very crafty. ²³ Find out about all the hiding places he uses and come back to me with definite information. Then I will go with you; if he is in the area, I will track^(AC) him down among all the clans of Judah.”

²⁴ So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Desert of Maon,^(AD) in the Arabah south of Jeshimon.^{(AE) 25} Saul and his men began the search, and when David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard this, he went into the Desert of Maon in pursuit of David.

²⁶ Saul^(AF) was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them, ²⁷ a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land.” ²⁸ Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why they call this place Sela Hammahlekoth.^{[b] 29} And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds^(AG) of En Gedi.^[c](AH)

David Becomes King Over Israel^(A)

11 All Israel^(B) came together to David at Hebron^(C) and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. ² In the past, even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns.^(D) And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd^(E) my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.^(F)’”

³ When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed^(G) David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel.

David Conquers Jerusalem^(H)

⁴ David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus). The Jebusites^(I) who lived there ⁵ said to David, “You will not get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David.

⁶ David had said, “Whoever leads the attack on the Jebusites will become commander in chief.” Joab^(J) son of Zeruiah went up first, and so he received the command.

⁷ David then took up residence in the fortress, and so it was called the City of David. ⁸ He built up the city around it, from the terraces^[a](K) to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city. ⁹ And David became more and more powerful,^(L) because the Lord Almighty was with him.

David’s Mighty Warriors^(M)

¹⁰ These were the chiefs of David’s mighty warriors—they, together with all Israel,^(N) gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the Lord had promised^(O)— ¹¹ this is the list of David’s mighty warriors:^(P)

Jashobeam,^[b] a Hakmonite, was chief of the officers^[c]; he raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.

¹² Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three mighty warriors. ¹³ He was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At a place where there was a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines. ¹⁴ But they took their stand in the middle of the field. They defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.^(Q)

¹⁵ Three of the thirty chiefs came down to David to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley^(R) of Rephaim. ¹⁶ At that time David was in the stronghold,^(S) and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. ¹⁷ David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” ¹⁸ So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured^(T) it out to the Lord. ¹⁹ “God forbid that I should do this!” he said. “Should I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?” Because they risked their lives to bring it back, David would not drink it.

Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.

²⁰ Abishai^(U) the brother of Joab was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. ²¹ He was doubly honored above the Three and became their commander, even though he was not included among them.

²² Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel,^(V) performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.^{(W) 23} And he struck down an Egyptian who was five cubits^[d] tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s rod^(X) in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. ²⁵ He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

Others Join David at Hebron

²³ These are the numbers of the men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron^(A) to turn^(B) Saul’s kingdom over to him, as the Lord had said:^(C)

³⁸ All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel.^(H) All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king. ³⁹ The men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking,^(I) for their families had supplied provisions for them. ⁴⁰ Also, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules and oxen. There were plentiful supplies^(J) of flour, fig cakes, raisin^(K) cakes, wine, olive oil, cattle and sheep, for there was joy^(L) in Israel.