1 Samuel 23-24

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

23 Then they told David, Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.

² So David inquired of the Lord, Shall I go and attack these Philistines? And the Lord said to David, Go, smite the Philistines and save Keilah.

³ 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?

⁴ Then David inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.

⁵ So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines with a great slaughter and brought away their cattle. So David delivered the people of Keilah.

⁶ When Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he came with an ephod in his hand.

⁷ Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. Saul said, God has delivered him into my hand, for he is shut in by going into a town that has gates and bars.

⁸ Saul summoned all the men for war, to go to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

⁹ David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring the ephod here.

¹⁰ Then David said, O Lord, the God of Israel, Your servant has surely heard that Saul intends to come and destroy the city of Keilah on my account.

¹¹ Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O Lord, God of Israel, I beseech You, tell Your servant. And the Lord said, He will come down.

¹² Then David asked, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into Saul’s hand? The Lord said, They will deliver you up.

¹³ Then David and his men, about 600, arose and left Keilah, going wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up going there.

¹⁴ David remained in the wilderness strongholds in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hands.

¹⁵ David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in the wood [at Horesh].

¹⁶ And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went into the wood to David [at Horesh] and strengthened his hand in God.

¹⁷ He said to him, Fear not; the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father knows that too.

¹⁸ And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. And David remained in the wood [at Horesh], and Jonathan went to his house.

¹⁹ Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, Does not David hide himself with us in strongholds in the wood [at Horesh], on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?

²⁰ Now come down, O king, according to all your heart’s desire to come down, and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hands.

²¹ And Saul said, The Lord bless you, for you have compassion on me.

²² Go, make yet more sure; and know and see where his haunt is and who has seen him there; for I am told he deals very craftily.

²³ See and take note of all his hiding places and come back to me with the certain facts, and I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.

²⁴ So they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon.

²⁵ Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told; so he went down to the rock in the Wilderness of Maon and stayed. When Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon.

²⁶ And Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David made haste to get away for fear of Saul, for Saul and his men were surrounding [him] and his men to capture them.

²⁷ But a messenger came to Saul, saying, Make haste and come, for the Philistines have made a raid on the land.

²⁸ So Saul returned from pursuing David and went against the Philistines. So they called that place the Rock of Escape.

²⁹ David went up from there and dwelt in the strongholds of En-gedi.

24 When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, Behold, David is in the Wilderness of En-gedi.

² Then Saul took 3,000 chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men among the Rocks of the Wild Goats.

³ He came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the cave’s innermost recesses.

⁴ David’s men said to him, Behold the day of which the Lord said to you, Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hands and you shall do to him as seems good to you. Then David arose [in the darkness] and stealthily cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe.

⁵ Afterward, David’s heart smote him because he had cut off Saul’s skirt.

⁶ He said to his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to put my hand out against him, when he is the anointed of the Lord.

⁷ So David checked his men with these words and did not let them rise against Saul. But Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.

⁸ David also arose afterward and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, My lord the king! And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and did obeisance.

⁹ And David said to Saul, Why do you listen to the words of men who say, David seeks to do you harm?

¹⁰ Behold, your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hands in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.

¹¹ See, my father, see the skirt of your robe in my hand! Since I cut off the skirt of your robe and did not kill you, you know and see that there is no evil or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, yet you hunt my life to take it.

¹² May the Lord judge between me and you, and may the Lord avenge me upon you, but my hand shall not be upon you.

¹³ As the proverb of the ancients says, Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness; but my hand shall not be against you.

¹⁴ After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog? After a flea?

¹⁵ May the Lord be judge and judge between me and you, and see and plead my cause, and deliver me out of your hands.^(A)

¹⁶ When David had said this to Saul, Saul said, Is this your voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.

¹⁷ He said to David, You are more upright in God’s eyes than I, for you have repaid me good, but I have rewarded you evil.

¹⁸ You have declared today how you have dealt well with me; for when the Lord gave me into your hand, you did not kill me.

¹⁹ For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away unharmed? Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done for me this day.

²⁰ And now, behold, I well know that you shall surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hands.

²¹ Swear now therefore to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me and that you will not destroy my name out of my father’s house.

²² David gave Saul his oath; and Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.