David saves Keilah
1When David was told, ‘Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing-floors,’ 2he enquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go and attack these Philistines?’
The Lord answered him, ‘Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.’
3But David’s men said to him, ‘Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!’
4Once again David enquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, ‘Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.’ 5So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah. 6(Now Abiathar son of Ahimelek had brought the ephod down with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)
Saul pursues David
7Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, ‘God has delivered him into my hands, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars.’ 8And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
9When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, ‘Bring the ephod.’ 10David said, ‘Lord, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. 11Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Lord, God of Israel, tell your servant.’
And the Lord said, ‘He will.’
12Again David asked, ‘Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?’
And the Lord said, ‘They will.’
13So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.
14David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.
15While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that23:15 Or he was afraid because Saul had come out to take his life. 16And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him to find strength in God. 17‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said. ‘My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You shall be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.’ 18The two of them made a covenant before the Lord. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.
19The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, ‘Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon? 20Now, Your Majesty, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for giving him into your hands.’
21Saul replied, ‘The Lord bless you for your concern for me. 22Go and get more information. Find out where David usually goes and who has seen him there. They tell me he is very crafty. 23Find out about all the hiding-places he uses and come back to me with definite information. Then I will go with you; if he is in the area, I will track him down among all the clans of Judah.’
24So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Desert of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon. 25Saul and his men began the search, and when David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard this, he went into the Desert of Maon in pursuit of David.
26Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27a messenger came to Saul, saying, ‘Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land.’ 28Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why they call this place Sela Hammahlekoth.23:28 Sela Hammahlekoth means rock of parting. 29And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.23:29 In Hebrew texts this verse (23:29) is numbered 24:1.
大衛營救基伊拉
1一天，大衛得知非利士人正在攻打基伊拉，搶掠麥場， 2便求問耶和華：「我可以去攻打非利士人嗎？」耶和華答道：「你可以去攻打非利士人，營救基伊拉。」 3大衛的部下卻對他說：「我們在猶大這裡尚且膽戰心驚，何況去基伊拉攻打非利士軍隊呢！」 4大衛再求問耶和華，耶和華答道：「到基伊拉去吧，我一定把非利士人交在你手裡。」 5於是，大衛和部下到基伊拉去攻打非利士人，大敗敵人，奪取了他們的牲畜，救出基伊拉人。
6亞希米勒的兒子祭司亞比亞他到基伊拉投奔大衛時，把以弗得也帶了去。 7掃羅得知大衛在基伊拉，就說：「這一次是上帝把他交在我手中了，因為他竟然自投網羅，進入有門有閂的城。」 8掃羅召集全軍準備攻打基伊拉，圍困大衛和他的部下。 9大衛知道了掃羅的計謀，便吩咐祭司亞比亞他把以弗得帶來， 10然後說：「耶和華，以色列的上帝啊，僕人聽說掃羅要來毀滅基伊拉，因為我在這裡。 11基伊拉的人會不會把我交給掃羅呢？掃羅是不是像我聽說的那樣要來這裡呢？耶和華，以色列的上帝啊，求你告訴我。」耶和華說：「掃羅一定會來。」 12大衛又問耶和華：「基伊拉的人會不會把我和我的部下交給掃羅呢？」耶和華說：「他們一定會。」 13於是，大衛率領自己的六百部下離開基伊拉，到處流浪。掃羅得知大衛已經離開基伊拉，就不去了。
14大衛住在曠野的堡壘或西弗曠野的山區。掃羅天天搜捕大衛，但上帝沒有把大衛交在他的手中。 15大衛在西弗曠野的何利沙得知掃羅要來殺他。 16掃羅的兒子約拿單去何利沙見大衛，鼓勵大衛堅定地信靠上帝。 17他對大衛說：「不要害怕，我父親害不了你。你將做以色列的王，我將做你的宰相。我父親也明白這一點。」 18二人在耶和華面前立了約。之後，大衛仍留在何利沙，約拿單則回家去了。
19西弗人去基比亞見掃羅，說：「大衛就躲在我們那裡，在曠野南面哈基拉山上何利沙的堡壘裡。 20王啊，你隨時都可以下來，我們一定把他交在王的手裡。」 21掃羅說：「願耶和華賜福給你們！因為你們體恤我。 22我聽說他非常狡猾，你們再回去弄清楚他的行蹤，誰在那裡見過他， 23查明他的藏身之處，回來如實告訴我，然後我會與你們同去。如果他在猶大境內，我要搜遍千家萬戶，找到他。」 24於是，西弗人先回去了。當時大衛和他的部下在曠野南面的亞拉巴，即瑪雲曠野。 25大衛聽說掃羅和手下正在搜尋他，便率領部下前往瑪雲曠野的磐石，住在那裡。掃羅得知後，便去瑪雲曠野追趕大衛。 26掃羅在山這邊走，大衛和他的部下在山那邊走，急急忙忙地躲避掃羅。掃羅和他的手下四面包圍過來，眼看就要抓住他們了。 27這時，掃羅的信使前來稟報，說非利士人前來犯境，請王速回。 28掃羅只好放棄追趕大衛，回師迎戰非利士人。因此，那地方叫「脫險岩」。 29後來，大衛從那裡轉移到隱·基底的堡壘裡。
