1 Samuel 23
New King James Version
David Saves the City of Keilah
23 Then they told David, saying, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against (A)Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.”
2 Therefore David (B)inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and [a]attack these Philistines?”
And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”
3 But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 Then David inquired of the Lord once again.
And the Lord answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.” 5 And David and his men went to Keilah and (C)fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 Now it happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech (D)fled to David at Keilah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand.
7 And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8 Then Saul called all the people together for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
9 When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, (E)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 (F)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 [b]deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?”
And the Lord said, “They will deliver you.”
13 So David and his men, (G)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 (H)the mountains in the Wilderness of (I)Ziph. Saul (J)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 [c]in a forest. 16 Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and [d]strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said to him, (K)“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. (L)Even my father Saul knows that.” 18 So the two of them (M)made a covenant before the Lord. And David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house.
19 Then the Ziphites (N)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 (O)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 [e]clans of Judah.”
24 So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness (P)of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. 25 When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. Therefore he went down [f]to the rock, and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. 26 Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. (Q)So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men (R)were encircling David and his men to take them.
27 (S)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 [g]the Rock of Escape. 29 Then David went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at (T)En Gedi.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 23:2 Lit. strike
- 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
- 1 Samuel 23:25 Or from the rock
- 1 Samuel 23:28 Heb. Sela Hammahlekoth
1 Samuel 23
English Standard Version
David Saves the City of Keilah
23 Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against (A)Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” 2 Therefore David (B)inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3 But David's men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 Then David (C)inquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, (D)for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” 5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 (E)When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. 7 Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8 And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, (F)“Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the Lord said, (G)“They will surrender you.” 13 Then David and his men, (H)who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went (I)wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. 14 And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country (J)of the wilderness of (K)Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
Saul Pursues David
15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. 16 And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said to him, “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. (L)Saul my father also knows this.” 18 (M)And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
19 (N)Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of (O)Jeshimon? 20 Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, (P)and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand.” 21 And Saul said, (Q)“May you be blessed by the Lord, (R)for you have had compassion on me. 22 Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning. 23 See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, 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 And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.
Now David and his men were (S)in the wilderness of Maon, (T)in the Arabah to the south of (U)Jeshimon. 25 And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. 26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.[a] 29 [b] And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of (V)Engedi.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 23:28 Or Rock of Divisions
- 1 Samuel 23:29 Ch 24:1 in Hebrew
1 Samuel 23
La Palabra (Hispanoamérica)
David en Queilá y Jorés
23 Cuando informaron a David de que los filisteos estaban atacando Queilá y saqueando las eras, 2 David consultó al Señor:
— ¿Puedo ir a atacar a esos filisteos?
El Señor le respondió:
- Sí, derrota a los filisteos y libera Queilá.
3 Pero sus hombres le dijeron:
— Mira, si aquí en Judá vivimos atemorizados, cuánto más si vamos a Queilá a luchar contra las huestes filisteas.
4 David volvió a consultar al Señor, y el Señor le respondió:
— Marcha hacia Queilá, porque voy a poner a los filisteos en tus manos.
5 Entonces David y sus hombres marcharon hacia Queilá, atacaron a los filisteos, les infligieron una dura derrota y se llevaron sus ganados. Así salvó David a los habitantes de Queilá. 6 Mientras tanto Abiatar, el hijo de Ajimélec, había huido refugiándose junto a David en Queilá y llevando consigo el efod.
7 Informaron a Saúl de que David había ido a Queilá y dijo:
— Dios lo ha puesto en mis manos, pues al meterse en una ciudad con puertas y cerrojos ha quedado encerrado.
8 Entonces Saúl movilizó a toda la gente a la lucha para bajar a Queilá y sitiar a David y a sus hombres. 9 Cuando David se enteró de que Saúl tramaba su desgracia, ordenó al sacerdote Abiatar:
— Tráete el efod.
10 Y David dijo:
— Señor, Dios de Israel, tu siervo ha oído que Saúl se propone venir a Queilá y destruir la ciudad por mi causa. 11 ¿Me entregarán en su poder los nobles de la ciudad? ¿Bajará Saúl como tu siervo ha oído? Señor, Dios de Israel, responde a tu siervo.
El Señor respondió:
— Sí, bajará.
12 David insistió:
— ¿Nos entregarán los nobles de Queilá a mí y a mis hombres en poder de Saúl?
Y el Señor respondió:
— Sí, les entregarán a ustedes.
13 Entonces David y sus hombres, unos seiscientos, partieron de Queilá y anduvieron errantes y sin rumbo. Se enteró Saúl de que David había escapado de Queilá y suspendió la expedición.
14 David se estableció en los refugios del desierto y vivió en los montes del desierto de Zif. Durante todo ese tiempo Saúl lo estuvo buscando, pero Dios lo libró de sus manos. 15 David estaba atemorizado, porque Saúl había salido para matarlo, mientras se encontraba en Jorés, en el desierto de Zif. 16 Jonatán, el hijo de Saúl, se puso en camino hacia Jorés para ver a David. Allí lo reanimó en nombre de Dios 17 diciéndole:
— No temas, porque la mano de mi padre Saúl no te alcanzará. Tú serás rey de Israel y yo seré tu segundo. Eso lo sabe hasta mi padre.
18 Luego los dos sellaron un pacto ante el Señor. David se quedó en Jorés y Jonatán volvió a su casa.
19 Gentes de Zif subieron a Guibeá a informar a Saúl:
— David está escondido entre nosotros, en los refugios de Jorés, en la colina de Jaquilá, al sur del desierto. 20 Así que, majestad, puedes bajar cuando quieras, que nosotros lo entregaremos en poder del rey.
21 Saúl les respondió:
— Que Dios los bendiga por haberse compadecido de mí. 22 Vayan, asegúrense aún más y comprueben el lugar por donde anda y si alguien lo ha visto, porque me han dicho que es muy astuto. 23 Comprueben también todos los escondites en que se oculta y regresen aquí con datos seguros, que yo iré con ustedes y, si está en esa comarca, yo lo buscaré entre todos los clanes de Judá.
24 Ellos se pusieron en camino hacia Zif por delante de Saúl. Mientras tanto, David y sus hombres estaban en el desierto de Maón, en la llanura al sur del desierto. 25 Saúl y su gente salieron en su busca. Cuando informaron a David, este bajó al roquedal del desierto de Maón. Saúl se enteró y se puso a perseguir a David por el desierto de Maón. 26 Saúl iba por un lado del monte y David y sus hombres por el otro lado. Trataba David de escapar cuanto antes de Saúl, ya que este y sus hombres estaban cercando a David con la intención de atraparlo, 27 cuando a Saúl le llegó un mensajero, diciendo:
— Ven inmediatamente, que los filisteos han invadido el país.
28 Entonces Saúl dejó de perseguir a David y marchó al encuentro de los filisteos. Por esta razón a aquel lugar se le llama “Roca de la separación”.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
La Palabra, (versión hispanoamericana) © 2010 Texto y Edición, Sociedad Bíblica de España