| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors. | 1They told David, "The Philistines are fighting in Keilah and are looting the threshing floors." |
| 2David asked the LORD, “Should I go and attack them?” “Yes, go and save Keilah,” the LORD told him. | 2So David asked the LORD, "Should I go and strike down these Philistines?" The LORD said to David, "Go, strike down the Philistines and deliver Keilah." |
| 3But David’s men said, “We’re afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don’t want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!” | 3But David's men said to him, "We are afraid while we are still here in Judah! What will it be like if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?" |
| 4So David asked the LORD again, and again the LORD replied, “Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.” | 4So David asked the LORD once again. But again the LORD replied, "Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand." |
| 5So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah. | 5So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines. He took away their cattle and thoroughly defeated them. David delivered the inhabitants of Keilah. |
| 6Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him. | 6Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech had fled to David at Keilah, he had brought with him an ephod. |
| 7Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. “Good!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got him now! God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled town!” | 7When Saul was told that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, "God has delivered him into my hand, for he has boxed himself into a corner by entering a city with two barred gates." |
| 8So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and besiege David and his men. | 8So Saul mustered all his army to go down to Keilah and besiege David and his men. |
| 9But David learned of Saul’s plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the LORD what he should do. | 9When David realized that Saul was planning to harm him, he told Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod!" |
| 10Then David prayed, “O LORD, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here. | 10Then David said, "O LORD God of Israel, your servant has clearly heard that Saul is planning to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me. |
| 11Will the leaders of Keilah betray me to him? And will Saul actually come as I have heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell me.” And the LORD said, “He will come.” | 11Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, please inform your servant!" Then the LORD said, "He will come down." |
| 12Again David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?” And the LORD replied, “Yes, they will betray you.” David Hides in the Wilderness | 12David asked, "Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me and my men into Saul's hand?" The LORD said, "They will deliver you over." |
| 13So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all. | 13So David and his men, who numbered about six hundred, set out and left Keilah; they moved around from one place to another. When told that David had escaped from Keilah, Saul called a halt to his expedition. |
| 14David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him. | 14David stayed in the strongholds that were in the desert and in the hill country of the desert of Ziph. Saul looked for him all the time, but God did not deliver David into his hand. |
| 15One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. | 15David realized that Saul had come out to seek his life; at that time David was in Horesh in the desert of Ziph. |
| 16Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. | 16Then Jonathan son of Saul left and went to David at Horesh. He encouraged him through God. |
| 17“Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.” | 17He said to him, "Don't be afraid! For the hand of my father Saul cannot find you. You will rule over Israel, and I will be your second in command. Even my father Saul realizes this." |
| 18So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the LORD. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh. | 18When the two of them had made a covenant before the LORD, David stayed on at Horesh, but Jonathan went to his house. |
| 19But now the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah and betrayed David to him. “We know where David is hiding,” they said. “He is in the strongholds of Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, which is in the southern part of Jeshimon. | 19Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Isn't David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon? |
| 20Come down whenever you’re ready, O king, and we will catch him and hand him over to you!” | 20Now at your own discretion, O king, come down. Delivering him into the king's hand will be our responsibility." |
| 21“The LORD bless you,” Saul said. “At last someone is concerned about me! | 21Saul replied, "May you be blessed by the LORD, for you have had compassion on me. |
| 22Go and check again to be sure of where he is staying and who has seen him there, for I know that he is very crafty. | 22Go and make further arrangements. Determine precisely where he is and who has seen him there, for I am told that he is extremely cunning. |
| 23Discover his hiding places, and come back when you are sure. Then I’ll go with you. And if he is in the area at all, I’ll track him down, even if I have to search every hiding place in Judah!” | 23Locate precisely all the places where he hides and return to me with dependable information. Then I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will find him among all the thousands of Judah." |
| 24So the men of Ziph returned home ahead of Saul. Meanwhile, David and his men had moved into the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah Valley south of Jeshimon. | 24So they left and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the desert of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. |
| 25When David heard that Saul and his men were searching for him, he went even farther into the wilderness to the great rock, and he remained there in the wilderness of Maon. But Saul kept after him in the wilderness. | 25Saul and his men went to look for him. But David was informed and went down to the rock and stayed in the desert of Maon. When Saul heard about it, he pursued David in the desert of Maon. |
| 26Saul and David were now on opposite sides of a mountain. Just as Saul and his men began to close in on David and his men, | 26Saul went on one side of the mountain, while David and his men went on the other side of the mountain. David was hurrying to get away from Saul, but Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men so they could capture them. |
| 27an urgent message reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again. | 27But a messenger came to Saul saying, "Come quickly, for the Philistines have raided the land!" |
| 28So Saul quit chasing David and returned to fight the Philistines. Ever since that time, the place where David was camped has been called the Rock of Escape. | 28So Saul stopped pursuing David and went to confront the Philistines. Therefore that place is called Sela Hammahlekoth. |
| 29 David then went to live in the strongholds of En-gedi. | 29Then David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En Gedi. |
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