7And Saul was told that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand; for he is trapped himself by entering a town that has gates and bars”. 8And Saul called all his warriors together to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9And David knew that Saul was plotting to do him harm; and he said to Abiathar, the priest, “Bring the ephod here”. 10Then David said, “O LORD God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city to take me. 11Will the men of Keilah turn me over to him? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beg You, tell Your servant”. And the LORD said, “He will come down.” 12Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into Saul’s hand?” And the LORD said, “They will give you up.” 13Then David and his men, about six hundred, arose and left Keilah, and went from place to place, wherever they could go. And Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah; so he did not go there.

14And David stayed in strongholds in the wilderness, in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not allow him to fall into his hand. 15And while David was at Horesh wilderness of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to seek his life. 16And Jonathan went into the wood to David, and encouraged him in God. 17And Jonathan said to him, “Fear not; for Saul shall not find you; and you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you; as my father, Saul, knows”. 18And they two made a covenant before the LORD; and David remained in the wood, and Jonathan returned home.

19Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, on the south of Jeshimon? 20Therefore, O king, come down whenever it suits you, and our part shall be to deliver David into your hand”. 21And Saul said, “Blessed be you of the LORD; for you have compassion on me. 22Go, and get more details as to where his haunt (hideout) is, and who has seen him there; for I understand that he deals very subtly. 23So take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with the certainty, and I will go with you; and if he is in the land, I will find him among all the thousands of Judah”. 24And they arose, and returned to Ziph ahead of Saul; but David and his men had by then moved to the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon.

25Saul, and his men, also went to find him. And they told David, so he went further into the wilderness of Maon to a rock, and abode in. And when Saul heard that, he pursued David into the wilderness of Maon. 26And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men were on that side of the mountain. And David hurried to get away; for Saul and his men had surrounded David and his men to take them. 27But there came a messenger to Saul, saying, “Come quickly; for the Philistines have invaded the land”. 28Therefore Saul returned from his pursuit of David, and went against the Philistines; therefore they called that place “Sela-hammah-lekoth”.

29And David left there, and stayed in strongholds at En-gedi.