⁶ Now it happened when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech ^(A)fled to David at Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand. ⁷ Then it was told to Saul that David had come to Keilah, so Saul said, “God has ^[a]delivered him into my hand, for he shut himself in by entering a city with double gates and bars.” ⁸ Then Saul summoned all the people for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. ⁹ But David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; so he said to ^(B)Abiathar the priest, “^(C)Bring the ephod here.” ¹⁰ Then David said, “O Yahweh, the God of Israel, Your slave has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to make the city a ruin on my account. ¹¹ Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Your slave has heard? O Yahweh, the God of Israel, I pray, tell Your slave.” And Yahweh 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 Yahweh said, “^(D)They will surrender you.” ¹³ Then David and his men, ^(E)about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went ^(F)wherever they could go. Now it was told to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, so he ceased going out in pursuit. ¹⁴ And David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of ^(G)Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but ^(H)God did not give him into his hand.

Saul Pursues David

¹⁵ Then David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. Now David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.