1 Samuel 23 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Someone told David, "Look — the Philistines are attacking Keilah and looting the threshing floors."

So David asked Yahweh, "Should I go and attack these Philistines?" Yahweh told David, "Go. Attack the Philistines and rescue Keilah."

But David's men said to him, "We're already afraid just being here in Judah. How much worse if we go to Keilah and take on the Philistine army!"

So David asked Yahweh again, and Yahweh answered him, "Get up and go down to Keilah. I am handing the Philistines over to you."

David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines, drove off their livestock, and dealt them a devastating blow. That's how David rescued the people of Keilah.

Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech had fled to David at Keilah, he came down carrying the priestly vest.

When Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, Saul said, "God has handed him over to me! He's locked himself in by entering a town with gates and bars."

Saul summoned all his forces for war, to march down to Keilah and besiege David and his men.

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

David said, "Yahweh, God of Israel, I've heard for certain that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town because of me."

"Will the leaders of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul actually come down, as I've heard? Yahweh, God of Israel, please tell me." Yahweh said, "He will come down."

Then David asked, "Will the leaders of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?" Yahweh said, "They will hand you over."

So David and his men — about six hundred of them — got up and left Keilah, moving from place to place wherever they could go. When Saul heard that David had escaped from Keilah, he called off the campaign.

David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hill country of the Ziph wilderness. Saul searched for him constantly, but God never let him find David.

David was aware that Saul had come out to hunt him down. David was in the Ziph wilderness at Horesh.

Then Jonathan, Saul's son, went to David at Horesh and strengthened his resolve through God.

He told him, "Don't be afraid. My father Saul's hand will never touch you. You are going to be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this is true."

The two of them made a covenant before Yahweh. David stayed at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.

Then some Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, "David is hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon."

"So whenever you're ready to come down, king, come! Our job will be to hand him over to you."

Saul replied, "May Yahweh show you favor for looking out for me."

"Go and do some more checking. Find out exactly where he goes and who has seen him there, because I'm told he's very cunning."

"Scout out all the hiding places where he hides, and come back to me with solid information. Then I'll go with you. If he's in the area, I'll track him down among all the clans of Judah."

So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon.

Saul and his men went to search for him. When David heard about it, he went further down to a rock formation and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard this, he chased David through the wilderness of Maon.

Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, rushing to get away from Saul. Just as Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them —

— a messenger came to Saul saying, "Come quickly! The Philistines have raided the land!"

So Saul turned back from chasing David and went to confront the Philistines. That's why they call that place Sela Hammahlekoth — "the Rock of Separation."

David went up from there and settled in the strongholds of En-gedi.