Then they told David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against ^aKeilah and are plundering (robbing) the threshing floors of the grain.” 2 So David ^ainquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3 But David’s men said to him, “Listen, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the battle lines of the Philistines?” 4 Then David inquired of the LORD again. And the LORD answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for ^aI will hand over the Philistines to you.” 5 So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines; he drove away their cattle and struck them with a great slaughter. So David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah.

6 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech ^afled to David at Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand. 7 Now when Saul was informed that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, “God has handed him over to me, for he shut himself in by entering a city that has double gates and bars.” 8 So Saul summoned all the people (soldiers) for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. 9 But David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; and he said to ^aAbiathar the priest, “^bBring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul intends to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the men of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David asked, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?” The LORD said, “^aThey will surrender you.” 13 Then David and his men, ^aabout six hundred, arose and left Keilah, and they went ^bwherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the pursuit. 14 David stayed in the wilderness in strongholds, in the hill country of the Wilderness of ^aZiph. Saul searched for him every day, but ^bGod did not hand David over to him.

15 Now David became aware that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in the woods at Horesh. 16 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went into the woods to David at Horesh, and ^1aencouraged him in God. 17 He said to him, “^aDo not be afraid; the hand of my father Saul will not find you. You will be king over Israel and I will be second in command to you; ^bmy father Saul knows this too.” 18 So ^athe two of them made a covenant before the LORD; and David stayed in the woods at Horesh and Jonathan went to his house.

19 Then the ^aZiphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in strongholds of Horesh, on ^bthe hill of Hachilah, which is south of ¹Jeshimon? 20 Now then, O king, come down to Ziph in accordance with all your heart’s desire to do so and capture him; and ^aour part shall be to hand him over to the king.” 21 Saul said, “May you be blessed by the LORD, ^abecause you have had compassion on me. 22 Go now, be very persistent and investigate, and see where his ¹haunt is and who has seen him there; for I am told he is very cunning. 23 So look, and take note of all the places where he hides and come back to me with the established facts, then I will go with you. If he is anywhere in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”

24 So they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Wilderness of ^aMaon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon. 25 Then Saul and his men went to search for him. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed there in the Wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard it, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. 26 Saul 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, for Saul and his men ^awere surrounding David and his men to capture them. 27 But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, because the Philistines have attacked the land.” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to meet the Philistines; therefore they called that place the Rock of Escape. 29 ¹David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of ^aEngedi.