¹⁷ After him the Levites repaired: Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired for his district.

^44 (A)Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah: nine cities with their villages.

¹⁶ After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired to a point opposite ^(A)the tombs of David, as far as ^(B)the artificial pool, and as far as the house of the mighty men.

⁴ “Twenty-four thousand of these,” David said,^{[a] (A)}“shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord, 6,000 shall be ^(B)officers and judges,

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.