23REMAIN! WITH ME MAY NOT YOU BE AFRAID FOR [THE ONE] WHO HE SEEKS <OBJ.> LIFE MY HE SEEKS <OBJ.> LIFE YOUR FOR [ARE] IN GOOD CARE YOU WITH ME 23Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks your life is seeking mine as well. You will be safe with me.”
1AND PEOPLE TOLD TO DAVID <TO> SAYING THERE! [THE] PHILISTINES [ARE] FIGHTING AGAINST KEILAH AND THEY [ARE] PLUNDERING <OBJ.> THE THRESHING FLOORS David Delivers Keilah 1Now it was reported to David, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and looting the threshing floors.”
2AND HE ENQUIRED DAVID BY YAHWEH <TO> SAYING ¿ WILL I GO AND WILL I STRIKE? <IN> THE PHILISTINES <THE> THESE AND HE SAID YAHWEH TO DAVID GO AND YOU WILL STRIKE <IN> THE PHILISTINES AND YOU WILL DELIVER <OBJ.> KEILAH 2So David inquired of the LORD “Should I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
3AND THEY SAID [THE] MEN OF DAVID TO HIM HERE! WE HERE IN JUDAH [ARE] FEARFUL AND INDEED? IF WE WILL GO KEILAH AGAINST [THE] BATTLE LINES OF [THE] PHILISTINES 3But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”
4AND HE REPEATED AGAIN DAVID TO ENQUIRE BY YAHWEH AND HE ANSWERED HIM YAHWEH AND HE SAID ARISE GO DOWN KEILAH FOR I [AM] ABOUT TO GIVE <OBJ.> [THE] PHILISTINES IN HAND YOUR 4Once again, David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD answered him: “Go at once to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
5AND HE WENT DAVID AND MEN HIS KEILAH AND HE FOUGHT AGAINST THE PHILISTINES AND HE DROVE AWAY <OBJ.> LIVESTOCK THEIR AND HE DEFEATED <IN> <THE> THEM A DEFEAT GREAT AND HE DELIVERED DAVID <OBJ.> [THE] INHABITANTS OF KEILAH 5Then David and his men went to Keilah, fought against the Philistines, and carried off their livestock, striking them with a mighty blow. So David saved the people of Keilah.
6AND IT WAS WHEN FLED ABIATHAR [THE] SON OF AHIMELECH TO DAVID KEILAH AN EPHOD IT CAME DOWN IN HAND HIS 6(Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought the ephod with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)
7AND IT WAS TOLD TO SAUL THAT HE HAD GONE DAVID KEILAH AND HE SAID SAUL HE HAS ALIENATED <OBJ.> HIM GOD IN HAND MY FOR HE HAS SHUT HIMSELF UP BY GOING IN A CITY OF DOORS AND BAR[S] Saul Pursues David (Psalm 54:1–7) 7When Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, he said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has trapped himself by entering a town with gates and bars.”
8AND HE SUMMONED SAUL <OBJ.> ALL THE PEOPLE FOR <THE> BATTLE TO GO DOWN KEILAH TO LAY SIEGE AGAINST DAVID AND AGAINST MEN HIS 8Then Saul summoned all his troops to go to war at Keilah and besiege David and his men.
9AND HE KNEW DAVID THAT ON HIM SAUL [WAS] PLOTTING <THE> EVIL AND HE SAID TO ABIATHAR THE PRIEST BRING NEAR! THE EPHOD 9When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.”
10AND HE SAID DAVID O YAHWEH [THE] GOD OF ISRAEL CERTAINLY <TO HEAR> HE HAS HEARD SERVANT YOUR THAT [IS] SEEKING SAUL TO COME TO KEILAH TO DESTROY <TO> THE CITY BECAUSE OF ME 10And David said, “O LORD, God of Israel, Your servant has heard that Saul intends to come to Keilah and destroy the city on my account.
11¿ WILL THEY DELIVER UP ME [THE] CITIZENS OF KEILAH IN HAND HIS ¿ WILL HE COME DOWN SAUL JUST AS HE HAS HEARD SERVANT YOUR O YAHWEH [THE] GOD OF ISRAEL TELL PLEASE TO SERVANT YOUR AND HE SAID YAHWEH HE WILL COME DOWN 11Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me into his hand?*NoteCloseSome manuscripts omit this question. Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell Your servant.” “He will,” said the LORD.
12AND HE SAID DAVID ¿ WILL THEY DELIVER UP [THE] CITIZENS OF KEILAH <OBJ.> ME AND <OBJ.> MEN MY IN [THE] HAND OF SAUL AND HE SAID YAHWEH THEY WILL DELIVER [YOU] UP 12So David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” “They will,” said the LORD.
13AND HE AROSE DAVID AND MEN HIS ABOUT SIX HUNDRED<S> MAN AND THEY WENT OUT FROM KEILAH AND THEY WENT ABOUT AT WHERE THEY WENT ABOUT AND TO SAUL IT WAS TOLD THAT HE HAD ESCAPED DAVID FROM KEILAH AND HE CEASED TO GO FORTH 13Then David and his men, about six hundred strong, set out and departed from Keilah, moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he declined to go forth.
14AND HE DWELT DAVID IN THE WILDERNESS IN THE STRONGHOLDS AND HE DWELT IN THE HILL COUNTRY IN [THE] WILDERNESS OF ZIPH AND HE SOUGHT HIM SAUL ALL THE DAYS AND NOT HE GAVE HIM GOD IN HAND HIS 14And David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God would not deliver David into his hand.
15AND HE SAW DAVID THAT HE HAD COME FORTH SAUL TO SEEK <OBJ.> LIFE HIS AND DAVID [WAS] IN [THE] WILDERNESS OF ZIPH AT <THE> HORESH 15While David was in Horesh in the Wilderness of Ziph, he saw that Saul had come out to take his life.
16AND HE AROSE JONATHAN [THE] SON OF SAUL AND HE WENT TO DAVID HORESH AND HE STRENGTHENED <OBJ.> HAND HIS IN GOD 16And Saul’s son Jonathan came to David in Horesh and strengthened his hand in God,
17AND HE SAID TO HIM MAY NOT YOU BE AFRAID FOR NOT IT WILL FIND YOU [THE] HAND OF SAUL FATHER MY AND YOU YOU WILL REIGN OVER ISRAEL AND I I WILL BECOME TO <THE> YOU <INTO> SECOND IN RANK AND ALSO SAUL FATHER MY [IS] KNOWING [IT IS] THUS 17saying, “Do not be afraid, for my father Saul will never lay a hand on you. And you will be king over Israel, and I will be your second-in-command. Even my father Saul knows this is true.”
18AND THEY MADE [THE] TWO OF THEM A COVENANT <TO> BEFORE YAHWEH AND HE REMAINED DAVID AT <THE> HORESH AND JONATHAN HE WENT TO HOUSE HIS 18So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David remained in Horesh, while Jonathan went home.
19AND THEY WENT UP ZIPHITES TO SAUL <THE> GIBEAH TOWARDS <TO> SAYING ¿ NOT [IS] DAVID HIDING HIMSELF WITH US IN THE STRONGHOLDS AT <THE> HORESH ON [THE] HILL OF <THE> HAKILAH WHICH [IS] FROM [THE] SOUTH OF <THE> JESHIMON 19Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah south of Jeshimon?
20AND NOW TO ALL [THE] DESIRE OF SELF YOUR O KING TO COME DOWN COME DOWN AND [BELONGS] TO <THE> US TO DELIVER UP HIM IN [THE] HAND OF THE KING 20Now, O king, come down whenever your soul desires and we will be responsible for delivering him into your hand
21AND HE SAID SAUL [BE] BLESSED YOU BY YAHWEH FOR YOU HAVE HAD COMPASSION ON ME 21“May you be blessed by the LORD,” replied Saul, “for you have had compassion on me.
22GO PLEASE PREPARE STILL AND KNOW AND SEE <OBJ.> PLACE HIS WHERE IT IS FOOT HIS WHO? HAS HE SEEN HIM THERE FOR SOMEONE HAS SAID TO ME CERTAINLY <TO BE CRAFTY> HE IS CRAFTY HE 22Please go and prepare further. Investigate and watch carefully where he goes and who has seen him there, for I am told that he is extremely cunning.
23AND SEE AND KNOW FROM ALL THE HIDING PLACES WHERE HE HIDES HIMSELF THERE AND YOU WILL RETURN TO ME TO A CERTAIN [THING] AND I WILL GO WITH YOU AND IT WILL BE IF THERE HE [IS] IN THE LAND AND I WILL SEARCH OUT <OBJ.> HIM AMONG ALL [THE] THOUSANDS OF JUDAH 23Observe and find out all the places where he hides. Then come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will search him out among all the clans of Judah.”
24AND THEY AROSE AND THEY WENT ZIPH TOWARDS <TO> BEFORE SAUL AND DAVID AND MEN HIS [WERE] IN [THE] WILDERNESS OF MAON IN THE ARABAH TO [THE] SOUTH OF <THE> JESHIMON 24So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon in the Arabah south of Jeshimon,
25AND HE WENT SAUL AND MEN HIS TO SEEK [HIM] AND PEOPLE TOLD TO DAVID AND HE WENT DOWN THE ROCK AND HE REMAINED IN [THE] WILDERNESS OF MAON AND HE HEARD SAUL AND HE PURSUED AFTER DAVID [THE] WILDERNESS OF MAON 25and Saul and his men went to seek him. When David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard of this, he pursued David there.
26AND HE WENT SAUL FROM [THE] SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN FROM THIS AND DAVID AND MEN HIS [WERE] FROM [THE] SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN FROM THIS AND HE WAS DAVID HURRYING AWAY TO GO FROM BEFORE SAUL AND SAUL AND MEN HIS [WERE] SURROUNDING <TO> DAVID AND <TO> MEN HIS TO CATCH THEM 26Saul was proceeding along one side of the mountain, and David and his men along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.
27AND A MESSENGER HE CAME TO SAUL <TO> SAYING MAKE HASTE! AND COME! FOR THEY HAVE MADE A RAID [THE] PHILISTINES ON THE LAND 27Then a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Come quickly, for the Philistines have raided the land!”
28AND HE TURNED BACK SAUL FROM PURSUING AFTER DAVID AND HE WENT TO MEET [THE] PHILISTINES THERE- -FORE PEOPLE CALLED <TO> THE PLACE <THE> THAT SELA HAMMAHLEKOTH 28So Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why that place is called Sela-hammahlekoth.*NoteCloseSela-hammahlekoth means Rock of Escape.
29AND HE WENT UP DAVID FROM THERE AND HE DWELT IN [THE] STRONGHOLDS OF EN GEDI 29And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En-gedi.