¹⁹ Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in the strongholds in ^[a]the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of ^[b]the desert? ²⁰ Now therefore, O king, come down, according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him up into the king’s hand. ²¹ And Saul said, Blessed be ye of Jehovah; for ye have had compassion on me. ²² Go, I pray you, make yet more sure, and know and see his place where his ^[c]haunt is, and who hath seen him there; for it is told me that he dealeth very subtly. ²³ See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking-places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me ^[d]of a certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out among all the ^[e]thousands of Judah.

²⁴ And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the south of ^[f]the desert. ²⁵ And Saul and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down to the rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. ²⁶ And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them. ²⁷ But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have made a raid upon the land. ²⁸ So Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place ^[g]Sela-hammahlekoth. ²⁹ And David went up from thence, and dwelt in the strongholds of En-gedi.