David Saves Keilah

¹Someone brought David the news: "The Philistines are attacking Keilah and raiding the threshing floors." ²David asked the LORD, "Should I go and fight these Philistines?" The LORD answered, "Go, attack the Philistines, and rescue Keilah." ³But David's men told him, "We're already afraid here in Judah. How much worse will it be if we march to Keilah and take on the Philistine army?" ⁴So David asked the LORD a second time. The LORD replied, "Get up and go to Keilah. I will hand the Philistines over to you." ⁵David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines, took their livestock, and struck them down with a great slaughter. Thus, David saved the people of Keilah. ⁶When Abiathar son of Ahimelech had fled to David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him. ⁷When Saul learned that David had gone to Keilah, he said, "God has handed him over to me. He's trapped himself by entering a town with gates and bars." ⁸Saul called up his entire army to march down to Keilah and lay siege to David and his men. ⁹David discovered that Saul was secretly scheming against him, so he told Abiathar the priest, 'Bring the ephod here.' ¹⁰Then David prayed, "LORD, God of Israel, your servant has heard for certain that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the city because of me." ¹¹"Will the people of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul actually come, as your servant has heard? LORD, God of Israel, I beg you, tell your servant." The LORD answered, "He will come." ¹²David asked again, "Will the people of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?" The LORD said, "They will surrender you." ¹³So David and his men — about 600 of them — left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul heard that David had escaped from Keilah, he called off the attack. ¹⁴David stayed in the wilderness, hiding in strongholds and in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. Saul hunted for him every day, but God did not deliver David into Saul's hand.