Parallel Bible results for "1 samuel 23"

1 Samuel 23

New Living Translation NLT

1 One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors.

2 David asked the LORD, “Should I go and attack them?” “Yes, go and save Keilah,” the LORD told him.

3 But 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!”

4 So David asked the LORD again, and again the LORD replied, “Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.”

5 So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah.

6 Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him.

7 Saul 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!”

8 So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and besiege David and his men.

9 But David learned of Saul’s plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the LORD what he should do.

10 Then David prayed, “O LORD, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here.

11 Will 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.”

12 Again David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?” And the LORD replied, “Yes, they will betray you.”

13 So 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.

14 David 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.

15 One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him.

16 Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in 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.”

18 So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the LORD . Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh.

19 But 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.

20 Come down whenever you’re ready, O king, and we will catch him and hand him over to you!”

21 “The LORD bless you,” Saul said. “At last someone is concerned about me!

22 Go 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.

23 Discover 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!”

24 So 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.

25 When 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.

26 Saul 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,

27 an urgent message reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again.

28 So 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.

29 David then went to live in the strongholds of En-gedi.

Common English Bible CEB

1 David was told, "The Philistines are now attacking Keilah and looting the threshing floors!"

2 David asked the LORD, "Should I go and fight these Philistines?" "Go!" the LORD answered. "Fight the Philistines and save Keilah!"

3 But David's men said to him, "Look how frightened we are here in Judah. It'll be worse if we go to Keilah against Philistine forces!"

4 So David asked the LORD again, and the LORD reaffirmed, "Yes, go down to Keilah, because I will hand the Philistines over to you."

5 Then David and his soldiers went to Keilah and fought the Philistines, driving off their cattle and defeating them decisively. And that's how David saved the residents of Keilah.

6 Now after Abiathar, Ahimelech's son, fled to David, he had accompanied David to Keilah, bringing a priestly vest with him.

7 When Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, he said, "God has handed him over to me now because he has trapped himself by entering a town with gates and bars!"

8 So Saul called up all his troops for war, to go down to Keilah and attack David and his soldiers.

9 When David learned that Saul was planning to harm him, he told the priest Abiathar, "Bring the priestly vest now."

10 Then David said, "LORD God of Israel, I, your servant, have heard that Saul plans on coming to Keilah and will destroy the town because of me.

11 LORD God of Israel, will Saul come down as your servant has heard? Please tell your servant." "Yes, he will come down," the LORD answered.

12 Next David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah hand me and my soldiers over to Saul?" "Yes, they will hand you over," the LORD replied.

13 So David and his troops—approximately six hundred men—got up and left Keilah. They kept moving, going from one place to the next. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he didn't go there.

14 David lived in the fortresses in the wilderness and in the hills of the Ziph wilderness. Saul searched for him constantly, but God did not hand David over to Saul.

15 While David was at Horesh in the Ziph wilderness he learned that Saul was looking to kill him.

16 Saul's son Jonathan came to David at Horesh and encouraged him with God.

17 Jonathan said to him, "Don't be afraid! My father Saul's hand won't touch you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be your second in command. Even my father Saul knows this."

18 Then the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. David stayed at Horesh, but Jonathan went back home.

19 Some Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah. "David is hiding among us in the fortresses at Horesh on the hill of Hachilah, south of Jeshimon," they said.

20 "So whenever you want to come down, Your Majesty, do it! Leave it to us to hand him over to the king."

21 "The LORD bless you because you have shown this kindness to me!" Saul said.

22 "Go now and get everything ready. Find out everything you can: where he stays, where he goes, who has seen him. I am told he is very shrewd.

23 Find out every hiding place he uses there and come back to me when you know for certain. I will then go with you. If David is in the area, I will hunt him down among any of Judah's clans!"

24 So they got up and left for Ziph ahead of Saul. Meanwhile, David and his soldiers were in the Maon wilderness in the desert plain south of Jeshimon.

25 When Saul and his troops went looking for him, David was told about it, so he went down to a certain rock there and stayed in the Maon wilderness. When Saul heard that, he went into the Maon wilderness after David.

26 Saul was going around one side of a hill there while David and his soldiers were going around the other. David was hurrying to get away from Saul while Saul and his troops were trying to surround David and his soldiers in order to capture them.

27 But a messenger suddenly came to Saul. "Come quick!" he said. "The Philistines have invaded the land!"

28 So Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to fight the Philistines. That's why that place is called Escape Rock.

29 Then David went from there and lived at the En-gedi fortresses.