David Delivers Keilah

1Then they tolde Dauid, saying: Beholde, the Philistines fight against Keila, and spoyle the barnes. 2Therfore Dauid asked counsell of the lord, saying: Shal I go and smyte these Philistines? And the Lord aunswered vnto Dauid: Go, and smite the Philistines, and saue Keila. 3And Dauids men said vnto him, See, we be afrayde here in Iuda: howe much more then if we come to Keila against the hoast of the Philistines? 4Then Dauid asked counsell of the Lorde agayne. And the Lorde aunswered him, and sayd: Aryse, and go downe to Keila, for I will deliuer the Philistines into thyne hande. 5And so Dauid and his men went to Keila, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattell, & smote them with a great slaughter, and so Dauid saued ye inhabitauntes of Keila.

6And when Abiathar the sonne of Ahimelech fled to Dauid to Keila, he brought an Ephod with him in his hande.

Saul Pursues David
(Psalm 54:1–7)

7And it was tolde Saul that Dauid was come to Keila: And Saul sayde, God hath deliuered him into myne hande: For he is shut in, now that he is come into a towne that hath gates and barres. 8And Saul called all the people together to warre, for to go downe to Keila, and to besiege Dauid and his men. 9And Dauid hauing knowledge that Saul imagined mischiefe agaynst him, sayde to Abiathar the priest: Bring the Ephod. 10Then sayde Dauid: O Lorde God of Israel, thy seruaunt hath hearde that Saul is about to come to Keila to destroye the citie for my sake: 11Will the lordes of Keila deliuer me into his hande? And will Saul come downe, as thy seruaunt hath hearde, O Lorde God of Israel: I besech thee tell thy seruaunt. And the Lorde sayde: He wil come downe. 12Then sayde Dauid: Will the lordes of Keila deliuer me and the men that are with me into the hand of Saul? And the Lorde sayde: They wil deliuer thee vp. 13Then Dauid, & his men, whiche were vpon a sixe hundred, arose and departed out of Keila, and went whyther they coulde: And it was tolde Saul that Dauid was fled from Keila, and he let the iourney alone. 14Dauid abode in the wildernesse in strong holdes, and remained in a mountayne in the wildernesse of Ziph: And Saul sought him euery day, but God deliuered him not into his hande.

15And Dauid sawe that Saul was come out to seke his lyfe: And Dauid was in the wildernesse of Ziph in the wood. 16And Ionathan Sauls sonne arose and went to Dauid into the wood, and comforted his hande in God, 17And sayd vnto him: Feare not, for the hand of Saul my father shall not finde thee, & thou shalt be king ouer Israel, and I shall be next vnto thee: and that doeth Saul my father knowe. 18And they made a bond both of them together before the Lorde: And Dauid taried still in the wood, and Ionathan went to his house.

19Then came the Ziphites to Saul to Gibea, saying: Doth not Dauid hyde him selfe fast by vs in strong holdes, in the wood in the hill of Hachila, on the right side of Iesimon? 20Nowe therfore O king, thou mayest come downe according to all the lust of thy soule, and our part shalbe to deliuer him into the kinges hande. 21And Saul sayde: Blessed are ye in the Lord, for ye haue compassion on me: 22Go I pray you and prepare yet better, knowe and see where his foote hath ben, & who hath seene him there: for it is tolde me that he is very subtyll. 23See therfore, and know al the lurking places where he hydeth him selfe, and come ye againe to me with ye certaintie, and I wil go with you: And yf he be in the lande, I will searche him out throughout al the thousandes of Iuda.

24And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: But Dauid & his men were in the wildernesse of Maon, in the plaine that is on the right hande of Iesimon. 25Saul also and his men went to seke him: And they told Dauid, wherfore he came downe vnto a rocke, and abode in the wildernesse of Maon: And when Saul heard that, he folowed after Dauid in the wildernesse of Maon. 26And Saul and his men went on the one syde of the mountayne, and Dauid & his men on the other syde of the mountaine: And Dauid made haste to get fro the presence of Saul. For Saul and his men, compassed Dauid and his men round about, to take them. 27But ther came a messenger to Saul, saying: Haste thee and come, for the Philistines haue inuaded the lande. 28Wherfore Saul returned from persecuting Dauid, and went against the Philistines: And therfore they called that place, Sela Hamnahlekoth. 29(23:28) And Dauid went thence, and dwelt in strong holdes at Engadi.