1 Samuel 23

They told Dawud, saying, Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and are robbing the threshing floors. ²Therefore Dawud inquired of Allah, saying, Shall I go and strike these Philistines? Allah said to Dawud, Go, and strike the Philistines, and save Keilah. ³Dawud's men said to him, Behold, we are afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines? ⁴Then Dawud inquired of Allah yet again. Allah answered him, and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand. ⁵Dawud and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and killed them with a great slaughter. So Dawud saved the inhabitants of Keilah. ⁶It happened, when Abiathar Ibn Ahimelech fled to Dawud to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand. ⁷It was told Talut that Dawud had come to Keilah. Talut said, God has delivered him into my hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that has gates and bars. ⁸Talut summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege Dawud and his men. ⁹Dawud knew that Talut was devising mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring the ephod here. ¹⁰Then Dawud said, O Allah, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Talut seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. ¹¹Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? Will Talut come down, as your servant has heard? Allah, the God of Israel, I beg you, tell your servant. Allah said, He will come down. ¹²Then Dawud said, Will the men of Keilah deliver up to me and my men into the hand of Talut? Allah said, They will deliver you up. ¹³Then Dawud and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and went wherever they could go. It was told Talut that Dawud had escaped from Keilah; and he gave up going there. ¹⁴Dawud stayed in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill-country in the wilderness of Ziph. Talut sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. ¹⁵Dawud saw that Talut had come out to seek his life: and Dawud was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. ¹⁶Jonathan Ibn Talut arose, and went to Dawud at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. ¹⁷He said to him, Do not be afraid; for the hand of Talut my father shall not find you; and you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you; and that also Talut my father knows. ¹⁸The two made a covenant before Allah: and Dawud stayed at Horesh, and Jonathan went to his house. ¹⁹Then the Ziphites came to Talut at Gibeah, saying, Does not Dawud hide himself with us in the strongholds at Horesh, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the desert? ²⁰Now therefore, O king, come down, according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king's hand. ²¹Talut said, Allah bless you; for you have had compassion on me. ²²Please go make yet more sure, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who has seen him there; for it is told me that he deals very subtly. ²³See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking-places where he hides himself, and come again to me certainly, and I will go with you: and it shall happen, if he is in the land, that I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah. ²⁴They arose, and went to Ziph ahead of Talut: but Dawud and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the south of the desert. ²⁵Talut and his men went to seek him. Dawud was told about it, so he came down to the rock, and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. When Talut heard that, he pursued Dawud in the wilderness of Maon. ²⁶Talut went on one side of the mountain, and Dawud and his men on the other side of the mountain: and Dawud made haste to get away for fear of Talut; for Talut and his men surrounded Dawud and his men to take them. ²⁷But there came a messenger to Talut, saying, Hurry, and come; for the Philistines have made a raid on the land. ²⁸So Talut returned from pursuing Dawud, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Escape Rock. ²⁹Dawud went up from there, and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.