1 Samuel 23 :: New American Standard Bible 2020 (NASB20)

David Saves Keilah

Then they informed^H5046 David^H1732, saying^H559, “Behold^H2009, the Philistines^H6430 are fighting^H3898 against Keilah^H7084 and are plundering^H8154 the threshing^H1637 floors^H1637.”

1Sa 23:2

1Sa 23:2So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and [fn]attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and [fn]attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”

1Sa 23:3

1Sa 23:3But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are fearful here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines?”

1Sa 23:4

1Sa 23:4So David inquired of the LORD once more. And the LORD answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I am going to hand the Philistines over to you.”

1Sa 23:5

1Sa 23:5Then David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines; and he drove away their livestock and struck them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

1Sa 23:6

Now it came^H1961 about^H1961, when Abiathar^H54 the son^H1121 of Ahimelech^H288 fled^H1272 to David^H1732 at Keilah^H7084, that he came^H3381 down^H3381 with an ephod^H646 in his hand^H3027.

1Sa 23:7

1Sa 23:7When it was reported to Saul that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, “God has handed him over to me, for he shut himself in by entering a city with double gates and bars.”

1Sa 23:8

1Sa 23:8So Saul summoned all the people for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

1Sa 23:9

1Sa 23:9But David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; so he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”

1Sa 23:10

1Sa 23:10Then David said, “LORD God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account.

1Sa 23:11

1Sa 23:11“Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? LORD God of Israel, please, tell Your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.”

1Sa 23:12

1Sa 23:12Then David said, “Will the citizens of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will hand you over.”

1Sa 23:13

1Sa 23:13Then David and his men, about six hundred, rose up and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When it was reported to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up [fn]the pursuit.

1Sa 23:14

1Sa 23:14David stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul searched for him every day, but God did not hand him over to him.

Saul Pursues David

1Sa 23:15

Now David^H1732 saw^H7200 that Saul^H7586 had come^H3318 out^H3318 to seek^H1245 his life^H5315 while David^H1732 was in the wilderness^H4057 of Ziph^H2128, at Horesh^H2793.

1Sa 23:16

1Sa 23:16And Jonathan, Saul’s son, set out and went to David at Horesh, and [fn]encouraged him in God.

1Sa 23:17

1Sa 23:17He said to him, “Do not be afraid, because the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel, and I will be second in command to you; and Saul my father knows that as well.”

1Sa 23:18

1Sa 23:18So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD; and David stayed at Horesh, while Jonathan went to his house.

1Sa 23:19

Then Ziphites^H2130 came^H5927 up^H5927 to Saul^H7586 at Gibeah^H1390, saying^H559, “Is David^H1732 not keeping^H5641 himself hidden^H5641 with us in the strongholds^H4679 at Horesh^H2793, on the hill^H1389 of Hachilah^H2444, which^H834 is south^H3225 of [fn]Jeshimon^H3452?

1Sa 23:20

1Sa 23:20“Now then, O king, come down, [fn]since you fully desire to [fn]do so; and our part shall be to hand him over to the king.”

1Sa 23:21

1Sa 23:21Saul said, “May you be blessed of the LORD, since you have had compassion on me.

1Sa 23:22

1Sa 23:22“Go now, be more persistent, and investigate and see his place where [fn]he is hiding, and who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning.

1Sa 23:23

1Sa 23:23“So look, and learn about all the hiding places where he keeps himself hidden, and return to me with certainty, and I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”

1Sa 23:24

So they set^H6965 out^H6965 and went^H1980 to Ziph^H2128 ahead^H6440 of Saul^H7586. Now David^H1732 and his men^H376 were in the wilderness^H4057 of Maon^H4584, in the Arabah^H6160 to the south^H3225 of [fn]Jeshimon^H3452.

1Sa 23:25

1Sa 23:25When Saul and his men went to seek him, they informed David, and he came down to the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard about it, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.

1Sa 23:26

1Sa 23:26Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain; and David was hurrying to get away from Saul, while Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to apprehend them.

1Sa 23:27

1Sa 23:27But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have launched an attack against the land!”

1Sa 23:28

1Sa 23:28So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to confront the Philistines; therefore they called that place [fn]the Rock of Division.

1Sa 23:29

1Sa 23:29 [fn]And David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of Engedi.

See the NASB20 Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NASB20 Footnotes

Lit strike

Lit strike

Lit going out

Lit strengthened his hand

(23:19)

Or the desert

(23:20)

Lit according to all your soul’s desire

Lit come down

Lit his foot is

Or the desert

Heb Sela-hammahlekoth; meaning uncertain, possibly Rock of Smoothness (i.e., “Slippery Rock”)

(23:29)

Ch 24:1 in Heb

New American Standard Bible 2020
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