David Saves the City of Keilah

1 Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against ^eKeilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” 2 Therefore David ^finquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3 But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 Then David ^finquired of the Lord again. And the Lord answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, ^gfor I will give the Philistines into your hand.” 5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

6 ^hWhen Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. 7 Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8 And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, ⁱ“Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the Lord said, ^j“They will surrender you.” 13 Then David and his men, ^kwho were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went ^lwherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. 14 And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country ^mof the wilderness of ⁿZiph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.

Saul Pursues David

15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. 16 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. ^oSaul my father also knows this.” 18 ^pAnd the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.

19 ^qThen the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of ^rJeshimon? 20 Now come down, O king, according to all your heart’s desire to come down, ^sand our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” 21 And Saul said, ^t“May you be blessed by the Lord, ^ufor you have had compassion on me. 22 Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning. 23 See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” 24 And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.

Now David and his men were ^vin the wilderness of Maon, ^win the Arabah to the south of ^rJeshimon. 25 And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. 26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.¹ 29 ² And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of ^xEngedi.

The Lord Upholds My Life

To the choirmaster: with ^tstringed instruments. A Maskil¹ of David, ^uwhen the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”

My Soul Thirsts for You

A Psalm of David, ^swhen he was in the wilderness of Judah.

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 ^bWhile he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called ^cJudas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike ^dwith the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the servant¹ of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and ^eofficers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When ^fI was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is ^gyour hour, and ^hthe power of darkness.”

Peter Denies Jesus

54 ⁱThen they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, ^jand Peter was following at a distance. 55 ^kAnd when they had kindled a fire in the middle of ^lthe courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another ^minsisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and ⁿlooked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, ^o“Before the rooster crows today, you will ^pdeny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Is Mocked

63 ^qNow the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. 64 ^qThey also blindfolded him and kept asking him, ^r“Prophesy! ^rWho is it that struck you?” 65 And they said many other things against him, ^sblaspheming him.

Jesus Before the Council

66 ^tWhen day came, ^uthe assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their ^vcouncil, and they ^wsaid, 67 ^x“If you are ^ythe Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, 68 and if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated ^zat the right hand of the power of God.” 70 So they all said, “Are you ^athe Son of God, then?” And he said to them, ^b“You say that I am.” 71 Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips.”