1 Samuel 22-23
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 22
David Flees. 1 David left and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all of his father’s household heard, they went down to him there. 2 Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. He had about four hundred men with him.[a]
3 From there, David traveled to Mizpah in Moab. He said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you until I know what God will do with me.” 4 He brought them to the king of Moab, and they lived with him the whole time that David was in the stronghold.
5 But the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold.[b] Leave, and go to the land of Judah.” David left and went into the forest of Hareth.
Doeg Betrays Ahimelech. 6 Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. Saul, holding a spear in his hand, was sitting in Gibeah under the tree of Ramah, and all of his servants were standing around him. 7 Saul said to his servants who were standing around him, “Hear now, you Benjaminites. Will each of you give fields and vineyards to the son of Jesse? Will you all be officers of thousands and officers of hundreds? 8 Is that why all of you have conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me today.”
9 But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s servants, said, “I saw the son of Jesse go to Nob, to Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub. 10 Ahimelech inquired of the Lord for him, and he gave him provisions, and he gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 Saul Slays the Priests. The king summoned Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, the priest, as well as all of his father’s family in Nob who were also priests. All of them came to the king. 12 He said, “Listen now, O son of Ahitub.” He answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired with the son of Jesse against me? You gave him bread and a sword. You inquired of God whether he should lie in wait for me today.”
14 Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all of your servants is as faithful as David, the king’s son-in-law, who goes about at your bidding, and who is respected in your house? 15 Was that the first time I inquired of the Lord for him? No! Let the king not accuse your servant or any of my father’s family, for your servant knows absolutely nothing about any of this.”
16 The king said, “You must die, Ahimelech, you and all of your father’s family.” 17 The king said to the guards who were standing around him, “Turn around and kill the priests of the Lord, for they are in league with David. They knew about his fleeing, and they did not tell me.” But the king’s servants would not stretch out their hands to fall upon the priests of the Lord.
18 So the king said to Doeg, “You turn around and fall upon the priests.” Doeg the Edomite turned around, and he fell upon the priests, killing eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod that day. 19 He put Nob, the city of the priests, to the sword: men, women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep.
20 Abiathar Escapes. Now one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, escaped. He was named Abiathar, and he fled to David. 21 Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the Lord’s priests. 22 David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day, when I saw that Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of everyone in your father’s family. 23 Stay with me, and do not be afraid. The same man who seeks my life seeks your life as well, but you will be safe with me.”[c]
Chapter 23
David Rescues Keilah. 1 Some people then spoke to David saying, “Look, the Philistines are attacking Keilah and they are robbing the threshing floors.” 2 David inquired of the Lord saying, “Shall I go to attack these Philistines?” The Lord said to David, “Go attack the Philistines and rescue Keilah.” 3 David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more would we be if we went to Keilah to fight against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 David inquired of the Lord once again, and the Lord said, “Rise, go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hands.”
5 David and his men went to Keilah and they fought with the Philistines. They slaughtered many of them, and they brought away their livestock. Thus David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 When Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, fled to David at Keilah, he went down with an ephod in his hand.
Saul Chases David.[d] 7 Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hands for he has trapped himself behind gates and bars.” 8 Then Saul assembled all of the people for war, to go down to Keilah and lay siege to David and his men.
9 David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him, so he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has truly heard that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah to destroy the city on account of me. 11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hands? Will Saul come down here as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, I beg you to tell your servant.” The Lord said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hands of Saul?” The Lord answered, “They will deliver you over.”
13 So David and his men (there were around six hundred of them) left Keilah and went wherever they could go. Saul heard that David had left Keilah, so he halted the pursuit.
14 David stayed in the wilderness strongholds, and he remained in the hill country of the Desert of Ziph. Saul sought him every single day, but God did not deliver him into his hands. 15 David realized that Saul was coming out to seek his life while he was in the Desert of Ziph at Horesh.
16 Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in Horesh and encouraged him in God. 17 This is what he said to him, “Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul, my father, is not going to find you. You will be the king over Israel, and I will be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that.” 18 The two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan returned home.
19 The Ziphites then came up to Saul in Gibeah saying, “Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the woods, on the hill of Hachilah which is to the south of Jeshimon? 20 Therefore, come down as you wish to, O king, come down, and for our part we will deliver him into the king’s hands.” 21 Saul said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, for you have had compassion on me. 22 Go, please, and prepare yourselves. Investigate and reconnoiter where he is hidden and find out who has seen him there, for I have been told that he is very clever. 23 See, therefore, and find out about all the places where he is hiding, then come back to me with certain information. Then I will go with you, and if he is in the land, I will search for him all throughout the thousands of Judah.”
24 Escape from Saul. They rose up and preceded Saul to Ziph. David and his men were in the Desert of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. 25 Saul and his men were searching, and when David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. Saul heard about this and pursued David in the Desert of Maon.
26 Saul was on one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side of the mountain. David, out of fear, hurried to get away. Saul and his men were trying to surround David and his men to capture them.
27 A messenger came to Saul saying, “Come quickly, for the Philistines have invaded the land.” 28 Saul broke off his pursuit of David and he left to fight against the Philistines. This is why they called that place the Rock of Escape.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 22:2 David, himself a fugitive, gathers around him a motley crew of followers, who somehow remain faithful to him and who become military leaders and “mighty men” (2 Sam 23:8).
- 1 Samuel 22:5 Stronghold: a safe place, most likely connected with the cave in verse 1.
- 1 Samuel 22:23 You will be safe with me: unlike Saul, who destroyed the priesthood, David takes Abiathar, the lone survivor, under his wing.
- 1 Samuel 23:7 Saul again misreads the signs as if God would orchestrate David’s demise by presenting Saul with an opportunity to kill him. His behavior shows how out of touch with God’s ways he has strayed.
