The Philistines Defeated^(A)

^17 (B)Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it ^(C)and went down to the stronghold. ¹⁸ The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in ^(D)the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ So David ^(E)inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”

And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

²⁰ So David went to ^(F)Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place ^[a]Baal Perazim. ²¹ And they left their ^[b]images there, and David and his men ^(G)carried them away.

^22 (H)Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ Therefore ^(I)David inquired of the Lord, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. ²⁴ And it shall be, when you ^(J)hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then ^(K)the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” ²⁵ And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from ^(L)Geba^[c] as far as ^(M)Gezer.