17
And said to him, Have no fear, for Saul my father will not get you into his power; and you will be king of Israel, and I will be by your side, and my father Saul is certain of this.
18
And the two of them made an agreement before the Lord: and David went on living in Horesh, and Jonathan went back to his house.
19
Then the Ziphites came up to Gibeah to see Saul, and said, Is not David living secretly among us in the strong places in Horesh, in the hill of Hachilah to the south of the waste land
20
So now, O king, have your soul's desire and come down, and we, for our part, will give him up into the king's hands.
21
And Saul said, The Lord's blessing will be yours, for you have had pity on me
22
Go now, and take more steps, and see where he is living: for they say that he is expert in deceit.
23
So take care to get knowledge of all the secret places where he is taking cover, and be certain to come back to me, and I will go with you: and without doubt, if he is anywhere in the land, I will get him, among all the families of Judah.
24
And they went back and came to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the waste land of Maon, in the dry land south of the waste land.
25
And Saul and his men went in search of him. And David had word of it, so he came down to the rock in the waste land of Maon. And Saul, hearing of this, went after David into the waste land of Maon.
26
And Saul and his men went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men went on the other: and David's purpose was to get away as quickly as possible, for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men were making a circle round David and his men in order to take them.
27
But a man came to Saul saying, Be quick and come; for the Philistines have made an attack on the land.