1   The Philistines were fighting against Keilah and plundering the threshing-floors; 2   and when David heard this, he consulted the Lord and asked whether he should go and attack the Philistines. The Lord answered, ‘Go, attack them, and relieve Keilah.’ 3   But David's men said to him, ‘As we are now, we have enough to fear from Judah. How much worse if we challenge the Philistine forces at Keilah!’ 4   David consulted the Lord once again and the Lord answered him, ‘Go to Keilah; I will give the Philistines into your hands.’ 5   So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines; they carried off their cattle, inflicted a heavy defeat on them and relieved the inhabitants. 6   Abiathar son of Ahimelech made good his escape and joined David at Keilah, bringing the ephod with him. 7   Saul was told that David had entered Keilah, and he said, ‘God has put him into my hands; for he has walked into a trap by entering a walled town with gates and bars.’ 8   He called out the levy to march on Keilah and besiege David and his men. 9   When David learnt how Saul planned his undoing, he told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod, 10   and then he prayed, ‘O Lord God of Israel, I thy servant have heard news that Saul intends to come to Keilah and destroy the city because of me. 11   Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come as I have heard? O Lord God of Israel, I pray thee, tell thy servant.’ The Lord answered, ‘He will come.’ 12   Then David asked, ‘Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?’, and the Lord answered, ‘They will.’ 13   Then David left Keilah at once with his men, who numbered about six hundred, and moved about from place to place. When the news reached Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, he made no further move.

14   While David was living in the fastnesses of the wilderness of Ziph, in the hill-country, Saul searched for him day after day, but God did not put him into his power. 15   David well knew that Saul had come out to seek his life; and while he was at Horesh in the wilderness of Ziph, 16   Saul's son Jonathan came to him there and gave him fresh courage in God's name: 17   ‘Do not be afraid,’ he said; ‘my father's hand shall not touch you. You will become king of Israel and I shall hold rank after you; and my father knows it.’ 18   The two of them made a solemn compact before the Lord; then David remained in Horesh and Jonathan went home. 19   While Saul was at Gibeah the Ziphites brought him this news: ‘David, we hear, is in hiding among us in the fastnesses of Horesh on the hill of Hachilah, south of Jeshimon. 20   Come down, your majesty, come whenever you will, and we are able to surrender him to you.’ 21   Saul said, ‘The Lord has indeed blessed you; you have saved me a world of trouble. 22   Go now and make further inquiry, and find out exactly

Saul and David where he is and who saw him there. They tell me that he by himself is crafty enough to outwit me. 23   Find out which of his hiding-places he is using; then come back to me at such and such a place, and I will go along with you. So long as he stays in this country, I will hunt him down, if I have to go through all the clans of Judah one by one.’ 24   They set out for Ziph without delay, ahead of Saul; David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. 25   Saul set off with his men to look for him; but David got wind of it and went down to a refuge in the rocks, and there he stayed in the wilderness of Maon. Hearing of this, Saul went into the wilderness after him; 26   he was on one side of the hill, David and his men on the other. While David and his men were trying desperately to get away and Saul and his followers were closing in for the capture, 27   a runner brought a message to Saul: ‘Come at once! the Philistines are harrying the land.’ 28   So Saul called off the pursuit and turned back to face the Philistines. 29    ^noteThis is why that place is called the Dividing Rock. David went up from there and lived in the fastnesses of En-gedi.

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