David Goes Up Against the Philistines

¹⁷ Then the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, so ^(A)all the Philistines went up to seek out David. And David heard of it and went down to the ^(B)fortress. ¹⁸ Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves out in ^(C)the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ Then ^(D)David asked of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?” And ^(E)Yahweh said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” ²⁰ So David came to ^(F)Baal-perazim, and there David struck them down; and he said, “Yahweh has broken through my enemies before me, like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore he named that place ^[a]Baal-perazim. ²¹ And they forsook their idols there; so ^(G)David and his men carried them away.

²² Then ^(H)the Philistines yet again came up and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. ²³ So ^(I)David asked of Yahweh, and He said, “You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the ^[b]balsam trees. ²⁴ And it will be that when ^(J)you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the ^[c]balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then ^(K)Yahweh will have gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” ²⁵ Then David did so, just as Yahweh had commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from ^[d](L)Geba ^[e]as far as ^(M)Gezer.