Scriptures

New Living Translation (NLT)

1 Samuel 23
²³ Discover his hiding places, and come back when you are sure. Then I’ll go with you. And if he is in the area at all, I’ll track him down, even if I have to search every hiding place in Judah!”
²⁴ So the men of Ziph returned home ahead of Saul. Meanwhile, David and his men had moved into the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah Valley south of Jeshimon.
²⁵ When David heard that Saul and his men were searching for him, he went even farther into the wilderness to the great rock, and he remained there in the wilderness of Maon. But Saul kept after him in the wilderness.
²⁶ Saul and David were now on opposite sides of a mountain. Just as Saul and his men began to close in on David and his men,
²⁷ an urgent message reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again.
²⁸ So Saul quit chasing David and returned to fight the Philistines. Ever since that time, the place where David was camped has been called the Rock of Escape.
²⁹ David then went to live in the strongholds of En-gedi.
1 Samuel 24
¹ After Saul returned from fighting the Philistines, he was told that David had gone into the wilderness of En-gedi.
² So Saul chose 3,000 elite troops from all Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats.
³ At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding farther back in that very cave!
⁴ “Now’s your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the LORD is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.’” So David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul’s robe.