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Flight to a Cave and to Moab
22 So David walked from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father’s house heard about it, they went down there to him. 2 Anyone who was in distress, anyone in debt, and anyone embittered rallied around him, and he became their leader. There were about 400 men with him.
3 Then David left from there to Mizpah of Moab, and he said to the king of Moab, “Please, let my father and my mother come and stay with you until I know what God will do for me.” 4 Then he brought them to the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.
5 But the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go to the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
6 Then Saul heard that David and the men with him were located. Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree on the height, spear in his hand, and all his courtiers were attending him. 7 Saul said to his courtiers standing about him, “Listen now, Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you captains of thousands and captains of hundreds? 8 Yet all of you have conspired against me, and there was nobody disclosing to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse! None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush—as is the case today?”
9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing among Saul’s courtiers, answered and said, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob—to Ahimelech son of Ahitub— 10 and he inquired of Adonai for him, gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 Then the king sent word to summon the kohen Ahimelech son of Ahitub and all the kohanim of his father’s house who were in Nob. So they all came to the king. 12 “Listen now, son of Ahitub,” Saul said.
“Here I am, my lord,” he said.
13 Then Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me—you and the son of Jesse—by giving him bread and a sword, and by inquiring of God for him, that he should rise against me by lying in ambush, as is the case today?”
14 Then Ahimelech answered the king saying, “Who among all your servants is as trusted as David, the king’s son-in-law, a captain of the royal guard, and honored in your house? 15 Just today I began to inquire of God for him? Far be it from the king to accuse his servant or to anyone of my father’s house. For your servant knows nothing of all this, whether little or much.”
16 But the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” 17 Then the king ordered the guards attending him, “Turn around and kill the kohanim of Adonai, for they are in cahoots with David, for they knew that he was running away but did not inform me.” But the servants of the king were not willing to raise their hand to assault the kohanim of Adonai. 18 So the king said to Doeg, “You, turn around and kill the kohanim!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and fell upon the kohanim and on that day killed 85 men who wore the linen ephod. 19 Nob, the town of the kohanim, he struck with the edge of the sword: men and women, children and infants, oxen, asses, and sheep with the edge of the sword.
20 Yet one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to David. 21 Abiathar told David that Saul had slain Adonai’s kohanim. 22 Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have brought about the death of all the people of your father’s house. 23 Stay with me, and fear not; for the one who is seeking my life is seeking your life too—but with me you will be safe.”
David Hides and Saul Seeks
23 Then they reported to David saying, “Look, the Philistines are raiding Keilah and they are plundering the threshing floors.” 2 So David inquired of Adonai saying, “Shall I go and attack those Philistines?”
Adonai said to David, “Go, attack the Philistines and deliver Keilah.”
3 But David’s fellow men said to him, “Look, we’re afraid here in Judah; how much more so if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces?”
4 Once again David inquired of Adonai, and Adonai answered him saying, “Arise! Go to Keilah, for I am going to deliver the Philistines into your hand.” 5 So David and his fellow men went to Keilah and fought against the Philistines, drove off their livestock and inflicted a great slaughter on them. Thus David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah. 6 It came about, when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.
7 Now when Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand! For he shut himself in by entering a town with barred gates.” 8 So Saul summoned all the troops for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his fellow men.
9 Now David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him, so he said to Abiathar the kohen, “Bring the ephod.” 10 Then David said, “Adonai, God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul intends to come to Keilah to destroy the town because of me. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? Adonai God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.”
“He will come down,” Adonai said.
12 Then David asked, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my fellow men into the hand of Saul?”
“They will surrender,” Adonai said.
13 Then David and his fellow men, about 600, got up and left Keilah, and went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he stopped the pursuit. 14 So David stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness, remaining in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul searched for him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
15 By now David was aware that Saul would come out to seek his life while David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Choresh. 16 Then Saul’s son Jonathan arose and went to David at Choresh and strengthened him in God. 17 “Don’t be afraid,” he said to him, “because my father Saul will never find you. You will be king over Israel and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul recognizes that.” 18 Again they cut a covenant before Adonai. David remained at Choresh, but Jonathan went home.
19 Then some of the Ziphites went up to Saul in Gibeah, saying, “Isn’t David hiding with us in the strongholds at Choresh, in the hill of Hachilah which is south of Jeshimon? 20 Now therefore, O king, come down whenever it is a desire of your soul to come down—our part will be to deliver him into the king’s hand.”
21 “May you be blessed of Adonai,” Saul said, “for you have taken pity on me. 22 Go now, make more sure, investigate and scout out his place where he usually goes and who has seen him there. For I have been told that he is very cunning. 23 Look around and see in which of all the hiding places he has been hiding, and return to me with certainty, and I will go with you. If he is in the area, I will search him out among all the clans of Judah.” 24 Then they got up and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.
But David and his men were then in the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah, to the south of Jeshimon. 25 So when Saul and his men began the search, David was informed. Then he went down to the rocky area and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. On hearing this, Saul pursued David in the wilderness of Maon. 26 Then, while Saul was advancing on one side of the mountain, David and his men were on the other side of the mountain. David was hurrying to elude Saul. Meanwhile Saul and his men were closing-in on David and his men to seize them. 27 But a messenger came to Saul saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!” 28 So Saul had to return from chasing after David, and go to engage the Philistines. Therefore they called that place the Rock of Separation. 29 From there David went up and stayed in the strongholds of En-gedi.
The Faithful Hear the Shepherd’s Voice
10 “Amen, amen I tell you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters through the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice. The shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 “When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them; and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Yeshua told them this parable, but they did not understand what He was telling them.
7 So Yeshua said again, “Amen, amen I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All those who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate![a] If anyone comes in through Me, he will be saved. He will come and go and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal, slaughter, and destroy. I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly!
11 “I am the Good Shepherd.[b] The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 The hired worker is not the shepherd, and the sheep are not his own. He sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and flees. Then the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep. 13 The man is only a hired hand and does not care about the sheep.
14 “I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, 15 just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not from this fold; those also I must lead, and they will listen to My voice. So there shall be one flock, one Shepherd.
17 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life, so that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.”
19 Again a division arose among the Judeans because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He has a demon. He’s insane! Why listen to Him?” 21 Others said, “These are not the sayings of someone who is plagued by a demon. A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can it?”
Bless the Maker of Heaven and Earth
Psalm 115
1 Not to us, Adonai, not to us,
but to Your Name be the glory—
because of Your love and Your faithfulness.
2 Why should the nations say:
“Where is their God now?”
3 Our God is in the heavens—
He does whatever pleases Him!
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak;
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear;
noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel;
feet, but cannot walk,
nor utter a sound with their throat.
8 Those making them will become like them
—everyone trusting in them.
9 O Israel, trust in Adonai—
He is their help and their shield!
10 O house of Aaron, trust in Adonai—
He is their help and their shield!
11 O you who fear Adonai, trust in Adonai—
He is their help and their shield!
12 Adonai has been mindful of us,
He will bless:
He will bless the house of Israel;
He will bless the house of Aaron;
13 He will bless those who fear Adonai,
the small together with the great.
14 May Adonai increase you more and more
—you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by Adonai,
Maker of heaven and earth.
16 The heavens are the heavens of Adonai,
but the earth He gave to the children of men.
17 The dead do not praise Adonai,
nor do any who go down into silence.
18 But we—we will bless Adonai
both now and forever. Halleluyah!
18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,
but one who is slow to anger calms a quarrel.
19 The way of the slacker is a hedge of thorns,
but the path of the upright is a highway.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.