1 Samuel 23:9-24
New King James Version
9 When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, (A)he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O Lord God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah (B)to destroy the city for my sake. 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 pray, tell Your servant.”
And the Lord said, “He will come down.”
12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah [a]deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?”
And the Lord said, “They will deliver you.”
13 So David and his men, (C)about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; so he halted the expedition.
David in Wilderness Strongholds
14 And David stayed in strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in (D)the mountains in the Wilderness of (E)Ziph. Saul (F)sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. 15 So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph [b]in a forest. 16 Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and [c]strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said to him, (G)“Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. (H)Even my father Saul knows that.” 18 So the two of them (I)made a covenant before the Lord. And David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house.
19 Then the Ziphites (J)came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? 20 Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and (K)our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand.”
21 And Saul said, “Blessed are you of the Lord, for you have compassion on me. 22 Please go and find out for sure, and see the place where his hideout is, and who has seen him there. For I am told he is very crafty. 23 See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides; and come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. And it shall be, if he is in the land, that I will search for him throughout all the [d]clans of Judah.”
24 So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness (L)of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 23:12 Lit. shut up
- 1 Samuel 23:15 Or in Horesh
- 1 Samuel 23:16 encouraged him
- 1 Samuel 23:23 Lit. thousands
Psalm 54
New King James Version
Answered Prayer for Deliverance from Adversaries
To the Chief Musician. With [a]stringed instruments. A [b]Contemplation of David (A)when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Is David not hiding with us?”
54 Save me, O God, by Your name,
And vindicate me by Your strength.
2 Hear my prayer, O God;
Give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have risen up against me,
And oppressors have sought after my life;
They have not set God before them. Selah
4 Behold, God is my helper;
The Lord is with those who [c]uphold my life.
5 He will repay my enemies for their evil.
[d]Cut them off in Your [e]truth.
6 I will freely sacrifice to You;
I will praise Your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For He has delivered me out of all trouble;
(B)And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.
Footnotes
- Psalm 54:1 Heb. neginoth
- Psalm 54:1 Heb. Maschil
- Psalm 54:4 sustain my soul
- Psalm 54:5 Destroy them
- Psalm 54:5 Or faithfulness
Psalm 12
New King James Version
Man’s Treachery and God’s Constancy
To the Chief Musician. (A)On [a]an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.
12 Help,[b] Lord, for the godly man (B)ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.
2 (C)They speak idly everyone with his neighbor;
With flattering lips and [c]a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord [d]cut off all flattering lips,
And the tongue that speaks [e]proud things,
4 Who have said,
“With our tongue we will prevail;
Our lips are our own;
Who is lord over us?”
5 “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the Lord;
“I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.”
6 The words of the Lord are (D)pure words,
Like silver tried in a furnace of earth,
Purified seven times.
7 You shall keep them, O Lord,
You shall preserve them from this generation forever.
8 The wicked prowl on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
Footnotes
- Psalm 12:1 Heb. sheminith
- Psalm 12:1 Save
- Psalm 12:2 An inconsistent mind
- Psalm 12:3 destroy
- Psalm 12:3 great
1 Samuel 23:25
New King James Version
25 When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. Therefore he went down [a]to the rock, and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 23:25 Or from the rock
Psalm 17
New King James Version
Prayer with Confidence in Final Salvation
A Prayer of David.
17 Hear a just cause, O Lord,
Attend to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.
3 You have tested my heart;
You have visited me in the night;
(A)You have [a]tried me and have found [b]nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth shall not (B)transgress.
4 Concerning the works of men,
By the word of Your lips,
I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.
5 (C)Uphold my steps in Your paths,
That my footsteps may not slip.
6 (D)I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;
Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.
7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,
O You who [c]save those who trust in You
From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as the [d]apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
9 From the wicked who oppress me,
From my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have closed up their (E)fat hearts;
With their mouths they (F)speak proudly.
11 They have now surrounded us in our steps;
They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,
12 As a lion is eager to tear his prey,
And like a young lion lurking in secret places.
13 Arise, O Lord,
Confront him, cast him down;
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,
14 With Your hand from men, O Lord,
From men of the world who have their portion in this life,
And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure.
They are satisfied with children,
And leave the rest of their possession for their babes.
15 As for me, (G)I will see Your face in righteousness;
(H)I shall be satisfied when I (I)awake in Your likeness.
Footnotes
- Psalm 17:3 examined
- Psalm 17:3 Nothing evil
- Psalm 17:7 deliver
- Psalm 17:8 pupil
Psalm 28
New King James Version
Rejoicing in Answered Prayer
A Psalm of David.
28 To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock:
(A)Do not be silent to me,
(B)Lest, if You are silent to me,
I become like those who go down to the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications
When I cry to You,
(C)When I lift up my hands (D)toward Your holy sanctuary.
3 Do not [a]take me away with the wicked
And with the workers of iniquity,
(E)Who speak peace to their neighbors,
But evil is in their hearts.
4 (F)Give them according to their deeds,
And according to the wickedness of their endeavors;
Give them according to the work of their hands;
Render to them what they deserve.
5 Because (G)they do not regard the works of the Lord,
Nor the operation of His hands,
He shall destroy them
And not build them up.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplications!
7 The Lord is (H)my strength and my shield;
My heart (I)trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him.
8 The Lord is [b]their strength,
And He is the (J)saving refuge of His [c]anointed.
9 Save Your people,
And bless (K)Your inheritance;
Shepherd them also,
(L)And bear them up forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 28:3 drag
- Psalm 28:8 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. the strength of His people
- Psalm 28:8 Commissioned one, Heb. messiah
1 Samuel 23:26-29
New King James Version
26 Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. (A)So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men (B)were encircling David and his men to take them.
27 (C)But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!” 28 Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place [a]the Rock of Escape. 29 Then David went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at (D)En Gedi.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 23:28 Heb. Sela Hammahlekoth
Psalm 57
New King James Version
Prayer for Safety from Enemies(A)
To the Chief Musician. Set to [a]“Do Not Destroy.” A Michtam of David (B)when he fled from Saul into the cave.
57 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;
(C)And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
(D)Until these calamities have passed by.
2 I will cry out to God Most High,
To God (E)who performs all things for me.
3 (F)He shall send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches the one who [b]would swallow me up. Selah
God (G)shall send forth His mercy and His truth.
4 My soul is among lions;
I lie among the sons of men
Who are set on fire,
(H)Whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
5 (I)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
6 (J)They have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down;
They have dug a pit before me;
Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah
7 (K)My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and give praise.
8 Awake, (L)my glory!
Awake, lute and harp!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 (M)I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing to You among the [c]nations.
10 (N)For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,
And Your truth unto the clouds.
11 (O)Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 57:1 Heb. Al Tashcheth
- Psalm 57:3 snaps at or hounds me, or crushes me
- Psalm 57:9 Gentiles
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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