David Rescues Keilah and Escapes Saul

David heard that the Philistines were fighting against Keilah and robbing its threshing floors. He asked Yahweh whether he should go and strike them. David’s men were afraid, so David asked again. Yahweh answered that he should go, and that the Philistines would be given into his hand.

So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines. They drove away their livestock and struck them down in a great defeat. In this way David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. At that time Abiathar son of Ahimelech had come down to David at Keilah, bringing an ephod with him.

When Saul heard that David had come to Keilah, he thought David was trapped inside a town with gates and bars. Saul called the people to war to go down to Keilah and besiege David and his men. But David learned of Saul’s plan and asked Yahweh whether Saul would come and whether the men of Keilah would hand him over. The answer to both was yes. So David and about six hundred men left Keilah, and Saul gave up going there.

David stayed in wilderness strongholds, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. Saul kept seeking him every day, but God did not give David into his hand. While David was in the woods there, Jonathan came to him and strengthened his hand in God. Jonathan told him not to be afraid, said Saul would not find him, and said David would be king over Israel. Then they made a covenant before Yahweh, and Jonathan returned home.

Then the Ziphites went to Saul and offered to help deliver David into the king’s hand. Saul told them to make sure of David’s hiding places. David and his men were then in the wilderness of Maon. Saul pursued them there, and David hurried to get away as Saul and his men were surrounding him.

But a messenger came to Saul with news that the Philistines had raided the land, so Saul turned back to fight them. That place was called Sela Hammahlekoth, and David went up from there to the strongholds of En Gedi.