1 Så kom det nogen og sa til David: Filistrene har nu kringsatt Ke'ila, og de plyndrer låvene.
2 Da spurte David Herren: Skal jeg ta avsted og slå disse filistrer? Herren svarte David: Ta avsted og slå filistrene og frels Ke'ila!
3 Men Davids menn sa til ham: Vi må jo være redde for livet her i Juda; og så skulde vi dra til Ke'ila mot filistrenes fylkinger?
4 Da spurte David Herren ennu en gang, og Herren svarte ham og sa: Ta ut og dra ned til Ke'ila! Jeg gir filistrene i din hånd.
5 Så drog David og hans menn til Ke'ila, og han stred mot filistrene og drev deres buskap bort og påførte dem et stort mannefall. Således frelste David Ke'ilas innbyggere.
6 Da Abjatar, Akimeleks sønn, flyktet til David i Ke'ila, hadde han livkjortelen med sig der ned.
7 Da Saul fikk spurt at David var kommet til Ke'ila, sa han: Gud kjennes ikke ved ham og har gitt ham i min hånd; for han har stengt sig selv inne ved å gå inn i en by med dobbelte porter og bommer.
8 Så kalte Saul alt folket sammen til strid og vilde dra ned til Ke'ila for å kringsette David og hans menn.
9 Da David skjønte at det var mot ham Saul la op onde råd, sa han til Abjatar, presten: Kom hit med livkjortelen!
10 Så sa David: Herre, Israels Gud! Din tjener har hørt at Saul har i sinne å komme til Ke'ila og ødelegge byen for min skyld.
11 Vil Ke'ilas menn overgi mig til ham? Vil Saul dra her ned, som din tjener har hørt? Herre, Israels Gud! Åpenbar det for din tjener! Herren svarte: Ja, han vil dra her ned.
12 Da sa David: Vil Ke'ilas menn overgi mig og mine menn til Saul? Herren svarte: Ja, det vil de.
13 Da brøt David op med sine folk, omkring seks hundre mann; de drog bort fra Ke'ila og vanket om hvor det traff sig. Og da Saul fikk spurt at David hadde sloppet bort fra Ke'ila, lot han være å dra ut.
14 Siden holdt David til i ørkenen, i fjellborgene; han holdt til i fjellene i Sifs ørken; og Saul søkte efter ham hele tiden, men Gud gav ham ikke i hans hånd.
15 Men David skjønte at Saul hadde draget ut for å stå ham efter livet. Mens David var i skogen i Sifs ørken,
16 drog Jonatan, Sauls sønn, avsted og kom til ham i skogen, og han styrket hans mot i Gud.
17 Han sa til ham: Vær ikke redd! Min far Sauls hånd skal ikke nå dig; du skal bli konge over Israel, og jeg skal være den næste efter dig; det vet også Saul, min far.
18 Så gjorde de begge en pakt for Herrens åsyn; og David blev i skogen, men Jonatan drog hjem igjen.
19 Men nogen sifitter drog op til Saul i Gibea og sa: David holder sig skjult hos oss i fjellborgene i skogen, på Kakilahaugen sønnenfor ørkenen.
20 Så kom nu her ned, konge, så sant det er din attrå å komme her ned, og vi skal sørge for å overgi ham i kongens hånd.
21 Saul svarte: Velsignet være I av Herren, fordi I har medynk med mig!
22 Dra nu bort og pass på fremdeles, så I kan få rede på og se efter hvor han vanker, og hvem som har sett ham der! For folk har sagt mig at han er meget slu.
23 Se efter og gjør eder kjent med alle de smutthuller hvor han skjuler sig, og kom så tilbake til mig med sikker beskjed. Så vil jeg gå med eder, og dersom han er i landet, skal jeg søke ham op blandt alle Judas tusener.
24 Så brøt de op og drog til Sif forut for Saul; men David og hans menn var da i Maons ørken, på den øde mark sønnenfor ørkenen.
25 Siden gikk Saul og hans menn avsted for å lete efter David; men David fikk vite det, og han drog ned til klippen og blev i Maons ørken; og da Saul fikk høre det, satte han efter David til Maons ørken.
26 Saul gikk på den ene side av fjellet og David og hans menn på den andre side. Og David søkte engstelig å komme bort fra Saul, mens Saul og hans menn holdt på å omringe David og hans menn for å gripe dem.
27 Da kom det et bud til Saul og sa: Skynd dig og dra avsted! Filistrene har falt inn i landet.
28 Så vendte Saul tilbake og forfulgte ikke David lenger, men drog mot filistrene; derfor har de kalt dette sted Sela-Hammahlekot*. / {* undkomst-klippen.}
1 And they sent word to David, saying, The Philistines are fighting against Keilah and taking the grain from the grain-floors.
2 So David, questioning the Lord, said, Am I to go and make an attack on these Philistines? And the Lord said to David, Go and make an attack on the Philistines so that Keilah may be kept from falling into their hands.
3 And David's men said to him, Even here in Judah we are full of fear: how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?
4 Then David put the question to the Lord again, and the Lord answering said, Up! go down to Keilah; for I will give the Philistines into your hands.
5 So David and his men went to Keilah, and had a fight with the Philistines, and took away their cattle, and put them to the sword with great destruction. So David was the saviour of the people of Keilah.
6 Now when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, went in flight to David, he came down to Keilah with the ephod in his hand.
7 And news was given to Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, Now God has given him into my hands; for by going into a walled town with locked doors, he has let himself be shut in.
8 And Saul sent for all the people to come to the fight, and go down to Keilah to make an attack on David and his men.
9 And it was clear to David that Saul had evil designs against him, and he said to Abiathar the priest, Come here with the ephod.
10 Then David said, O Lord, the God of Israel, news has been given to your servant that it is Saul's purpose to come to Keilah and send destruction on the town because of me.
11 And now, is it true, as they have said to me, that Saul is coming? O Lord, the God of Israel, give ear to your servant, and say if these things are so. And the Lord said, He is coming down.
12 Then David said, Will the men of Keilah give me and my men up to Saul? and the Lord said, They will give you up.
13 Then David and his men, about six hundred of them, went out of Keilah, and got away wherever they were able to go. And Saul, hearing that David had got away from Keilah, did not go there.
14 And David kept in the waste land, in safe places, waiting in the hill-country in the waste land of Ziph. And Saul was searching for him every day, but God did not give him up into his hands.
15 And David was full of fear, in the knowledge that Saul had come out to take his life; and David was in the waste land of Ziph, in Horesh.
16 And Saul's son Jonathan went to David in Horesh, and made his hands strong in God;
17 And said to him, Have no fear, for Saul my father will not get you into his power; and you will be king of Israel, and I will be by your side, and my father Saul is certain of this.
18 And the two of them made an agreement before the Lord: and David went on living in Horesh, and Jonathan went back to his house.
19 Then the Ziphites came up to Gibeah to see Saul, and said, Is not David living secretly among us in the strong places in Horesh, in the hill of Hachilah to the south of the waste land?
20 So now, O king, have your soul's desire and come down, and we, for our part, will give him up into the king's hands.
21 And Saul said, The Lord's blessing will be yours, for you have had pity on me.
22 Go now, and take more steps, and see where he is living: for they say that he is expert in deceit.
23 So take care to get knowledge of all the secret places where he is taking cover, and be certain to come back to me, and I will go with you: and without doubt, if he is anywhere in the land, I will get him, among all the families of Judah.
24 And they went back and came to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the waste land of Maon, in the dry land south of the waste land.
25 And Saul and his men went in search of him. And David had word of it, so he came down to the rock in the waste land of Maon. And Saul, hearing of this, went after David into the waste land of Maon.
26 And Saul and his men went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men went on the other: and David's purpose was to get away as quickly as possible, for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men were making a circle round David and his men in order to take them.
27 But a man came to Saul saying, Be quick and come; for the Philistines have made an attack on the land.
28 So turning back from going after David, Saul went against the Philistines: so that place was named Sela-hammah-lekoth.