The Daily Audio Bible
Further Stops on David’s Flight
22 So David departed from there and escaped to the cave at Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s entire household heard about it, they went down to join him there. 2 Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. There were about four hundred men with him.
3 David went from there to Mizpah in Moab, and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come and stay with you, until I find out what God will do for me.” 4 So he brought them to the king of Moab, and they stayed with him the whole time that David was in the stronghold.
5 The prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Leave and go to the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the Forest of Hereth.
The Massacre of the Priests
6 Saul heard that David and the men with him had been located.
Saul was sitting under the tamarisk tree on an elevated location in Gibeah. He had his spear in his hand, and all his attendants were standing around him. 7 Saul said to his attendants who were standing around him, “Listen, you Benjaminites! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all officers over thousands and officers over hundreds? 8 So why have all of you conspired against me? Why is there no one who informs me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse? Why is there not one of you who sympathizes with me or informs me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, so that he is waiting to ambush me, as he is today?”
9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing beside Saul’s attendants, replied, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob. 10 The priest inquired of the Lord for him and gave him supplies and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 Then the king summoned the priest, Ahimelek son of Ahitub, along with all of his father’s house, that is, all the priests who were in Nob, and all of them came to the king. 12 Saul said, “Listen, you son of Ahitub.”
He answered, “I am listening, my lord.”
13 Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, by giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he can rise up against me and lie in ambush, as he is doing today?”
14 Then Ahimelek answered the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David? He is the king’s son-in-law, the head of your elite troops,[a] and is honored in your house. 15 Have I just begun to inquire of God for him today? Certainly not! The king should not charge anything against his servant or against all the house of my father, for your servant knows nothing at all about this matter, in whole or in part.”
16 The king said, “You shall certainly die, Ahimelek, you and all your father’s house.” 17 Then the king said to the bodyguards[b] who were standing around him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand too is with David. They knew that he was fleeing, but they did not inform me.”
But the attendants of the king would not raise a hand against the priests of the Lord.
18 The king said to Doeg, “You turn and attack the priests!”
Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests. On that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the special linen garment.[c] 19 He struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing babies, as well as cattle, donkeys, and sheep—all of them with the edge of the sword. 20 But one of the sons of Ahimelek son of Ahitub, whose name was Abiathar, escaped and fled to David.
21 Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the Lord’s priests.
22 David said to Abiathar, “On that day when Doeg the Edomite was present, I knew without a doubt that he would tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of all the members of your father’s house. 23 Stay with me. Do not be afraid, for the one who seeks my life also seeks your life. You will be safe with me.”
David and the People of Keilah
23 David was told, “Here’s news! The Philistines are fighting against Keilah and plundering the threshing floors.”
2 So David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and strike these Philistines?”
The Lord said to David, “Go strike the Philistines and save Keilah.”
3 But David’s men said to him, “Look how afraid we are here in Judah! How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines!”
4 Then David inquired of the Lord again, and the Lord answered him, “Set out and go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
5 So David and his men went to Keilah and fought against the Philistines. He took away their livestock and struck a heavy blow against the Philistines. David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 (When Abiathar son of Ahimelek fled with David to Keilah, he had brought the special vest, which was in his possession.)
7 When Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, he said, “God has delivered him into my hand, since David has trapped himself by entering a city that has barred gates.” 8 Then Saul summoned all the fighting men to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
9 David knew that Saul was planning to harm him, so he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the special vest here.” 10 Then David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has heard a specific report that Saul plans to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me. 11 Will the citzens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, God of Israel, please tell your servant.”
The Lord said, “He will come down.”
12 Then David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?”
The Lord said, “They will hand you over.”
13 Then David and his men, who numbered about six hundred, immediately departed from Keilah and went wherever they could.[d] When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up his plan to go there.
David in the Wilderness of Ziph
14 David stayed in the strongholds in the wilderness. He remained in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul searched for him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. 15 David knew that Saul had come to seek his life.
David was at Horesh in the Wilderness of Ziph. 16 Saul’s son Jonathan set out and came to David at Horesh. There he strengthened his hand in God. 17 He said to him, “Do not be afraid, because the hand of my father Saul will not find you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows that.” 18 They both made a covenant before the Lord. Then David stayed at Horesh, and Jonathan returned home.
19 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Do you know that David is hiding near us in the strongholds at Horesh near the Hill of Hakilah, in the southern part of the badlands?[e] 20 So now, O King, come down! Come down whenever you wish to come, and our role will be to deliver him up into the king’s hand.”
21 Saul said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, for you have sympathized with me. 22 Go and make sure that you know exactly where he is and who has seen him there, for I have been told that he is very wily. 23 Make sure that you know all the places where he hides. Then come back to me with solid information. Then I will come with you. If he is in the land, you can be sure that I will hunt him down among all the thousands of Judah.” 24 So Saul’s men set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.
Meanwhile David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah,[f] south of the badlands.
David in the Wilderness of Maon
25 Saul and his men went to look for David. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. 26 Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side. David hurried to get away from Saul and his men, who were trying to surround David and his men in order to capture them. 27 But a messenger came to Saul and said, “Hurry! Come back, because the Philistines have made a raid on the land!” 28 So Saul turned back from pursuing David and went to confront the Philistines. That is why that place is named Sela Hamahlekoth.[g]
David and Saul at En Gedi
29 Then David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En Gedi.[h]
The Good Shepherd
10 “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the door, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The doorkeeper opens the door for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own sheep, he walks ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration in speaking to the people, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
7 So Jesus said again, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: I am the door for the sheep. 8 All who came before me[a] were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. Whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.
10 “A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
11 “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired man, who is not a shepherd, does not own the sheep. He sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 13 Because he works for money, he does not care about the sheep.
14 “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me 15 (just as the Father knows me and I know the Father). And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I also have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again. This is the commission I received from my Father.”
19 There was a division among the Jews again because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is out of his mind! Why listen to him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the sayings of someone demon-possessed. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
Psalm 115
Not to Us
To God Alone Be Glory
1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to your name give glory,
because of your mercy,
because of your truth.
No Glory in Idols
2 Why should the nations say,
“So where is their God now?”
3 In fact, our God is in the heavens.
He does everything that pleases him.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
5 They have a mouth, but they do not speak.
They have eyes, but they do not see.
6 They have ears, but they do not hear.
They have a nose, but they do not smell.
7 Their hands—they do not even feel.
Their feet—they do not even walk around.
They do not even make a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
Trust in the Lord
9 Israel, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and their shield.
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord remembers us. He will bless.
He will bless the house of Israel.
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will bless those who fear the Lord—
the small with the great.
14 May the Lord add blessings to you,
to you and to your children.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Serve the Lord
18 A hothead stirs up a fight,
but a patient person calms a dispute.
19 The way of a lazy person is like a thorny hedge,
but the path of upright people is a highway.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.