1
David heard that the Philistines were attacking the town of Keilah and were stealing the newly harvested grain.
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So he asked the LORD, "Shall I go and attack the Philistines?" "Yes," the LORD answered. "Attack them and save Keilah."
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But David's men said to him, "We have enough to be afraid of here in Judah; it will be much worse if we go to Keilah and attack the Philistine forces!"
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So David consulted the LORD again, and the LORD said to him, "Go and attack Keilah, because I will give you victory over the Philistines."
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So David and his men went to Keilah and attacked the Philistines; they killed many of them and took their livestock. And so it was that David saved the town.
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When Abiathar son of Ahimelech escaped and joined David in Keilah, he took the ephod with him.
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Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, "God has put him in my power. David has trapped himself by going into a walled town with fortified gates."
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So Saul called his troops to war, to march against Keilah and besiege David and his men.
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When David heard that Saul was planning to attack him, he said to the priest Abiathar, "Bring the ephod here."
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Then David said, " LORD, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come to Keilah and destroy it on account of me, your servant.
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Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to Saul? Will Saul really come, as I have heard? LORD, God of Israel, I beg you to answer me!" The LORD answered, "Saul will come."
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"And will the citizens of Keilah hand my men and me over to Saul?" David asked again. "They will," the LORD answered.
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So David and his men---about six hundred in all---left Keilah at once and kept on the move. When Saul heard that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up his plan.
14
David stayed in hiding in the hill country, in the wilderness near Ziph. Saul was always trying to find him, but God did not turn David over to him.
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David saw that Saul was out to kill him. David was at Horesh, in the wilderness near Ziph.
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Jonathan went to him there and encouraged him with assurances of God's protection,
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saying to him, "Don't be afraid. My father Saul won't be able to harm you. He knows very well that you are the one who will be the king of Israel and that I will be next in rank to you."
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The two of them made a sacred promise of friendship to each other. David stayed at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
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Some people from Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and said, "David is hiding out in our territory at Horesh on Mount Hachilah, in the southern part of the Judean wilderness.
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We know, Your Majesty, how much you want to capture him; so come to our territory, and we will make sure that you catch him."
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Saul answered, "May the LORD bless you for being so kind to me!
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Go and make sure once more; find out for certain where he is and who has seen him there. I hear that he is very cunning.
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Find out exactly the places where he hides, and be sure to bring back a report to me right away. Then I will go with you, and if he is still in the region, I will hunt him down, even if I have to search the whole land of Judah."
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So they left and returned to Ziph ahead of Saul. David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in a desolate valley in the southern part of the Judean wilderness.
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Saul and his men set out to look for David, but he heard about it and went to a rocky hill in the wilderness of Maon and stayed there. When Saul heard about this, he went after David.
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Saul and his men were on one side of the hill, separated from David and his men, who were on the other side. They were hurrying to get away from Saul and his men, who were closing in on them and were about to capture them.
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Just then a messenger arrived and said to Saul, "Come back at once! The Philistines are invading the country!"
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So Saul stopped pursuing David and went to fight the Philistines. That is why that place is called Separation Hill.
29
David left and went to the region of Engedi, where he stayed in hiding.
1
I come to you, LORD, for protection; never let me be defeated. You are a righteous God; save me, I pray!
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Hear me! Save me now! Be my refuge to protect me; my defense to save me.
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You are my refuge and defense; guide me and lead me as you have promised.
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Keep me safe from the trap that has been set for me; shelter me from danger.
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I place myself in your care. You will save me, LORD; you are a faithful God.
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You hate those who worship false gods, but I trust in you.
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I will be glad and rejoice because of your constant love. You see my suffering; you know my trouble.
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You have not let my enemies capture me; you have given me freedom to go where I wish.
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Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am in trouble; my eyes are tired from so much crying; I am completely worn out.
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I am exhausted by sorrow, and weeping has shortened my life. I am weak from all my troubles; even my bones are wasting away.
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All my enemies, and especially my neighbors, treat me with contempt. Those who know me are afraid of me; when they see me in the street, they run away.
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Everyone has forgotten me, as though I were dead; I am like something thrown away.
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I hear many enemies whispering; terror is all around me. They are making plans against me, plotting to kill me.
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But my trust is in you, O LORD; you are my God.
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I am always in your care; save me from my enemies, from those who persecute me.
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Look on your servant with kindness; save me in your constant love.
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I call to you, LORD; don't let me be disgraced. May the wicked be disgraced; may they go silently down to the world of the dead.
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Silence those liars--- all the proud and arrogant who speak with contempt about the righteous.
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How wonderful are the good things you keep for those who honor you! Everyone knows how good you are, how securely you protect those who trust you.
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You hide them in the safety of your presence from the plots of others; in a safe shelter you hide them from the insults of their enemies.
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Praise the LORD! How wonderfully he showed his love for me when I was surrounded and attacked!
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I was afraid and thought that he had driven me out of his presence. But he heard my cry, when I called to him for help.
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Love the LORD, all his faithful people. The LORD protects the faithful, but punishes the proud as they deserve.
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Be strong, be courageous, all you that hope in the LORD.
1
Save me by your power, O God; set me free by your might!
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Hear my prayer, O God; listen to my words!
3
Proud people are coming to attack me; cruel people are trying to kill me--- those who do not care about God.
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But God is my helper. The Lord is my defender.
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May God use their own evil to punish my enemies. He will destroy them because he is faithful.
6
I will gladly offer you a sacrifice, O LORD; I will give you thanks because you are good.
7
You have rescued me from all my troubles, and I have seen my enemies defeated.
1
"Do not judge others, so that God will not judge you,
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for God will judge you in the same way you judge others, and he will apply to you the same rules you apply to others.
3
Why, then, do you look at the speck in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the log in your own eye?
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How dare you say to your brother, 'Please, let me take that speck out of your eye,' when you have a log in your own eye?
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You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
6
"Do not give what is holy to dogs---they will only turn and attack you. Do not throw your pearls in front of pigs---they will only trample them underfoot.
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"Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
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For everyone who asks will receive, and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to those who knock.
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Would any of you who are fathers give your son a stone when he asks for bread?
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Or would you give him a snake when he asks for a fish?
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As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
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"Do for others what you want them to do for you: this is the meaning of the Law of Moses and of the teachings of the prophets.
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"Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it.
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But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it.
15
"Be on your guard against false prophets; they come to you looking like sheep on the outside, but on the inside they are really like wild wolves.
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You will know them by what they do. Thorn bushes do not bear grapes, and briers do not bear figs.
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A healthy tree bears good fruit, but a poor tree bears bad fruit.
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A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a poor tree cannot bear good fruit.
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And any tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown in the fire.
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So then, you will know the false prophets by what they do.
21
"Not everyone who calls me 'Lord, Lord' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only those who do what my Father in heaven wants them to do.
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When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God's message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!'
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Then I will say to them, 'I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people!'
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"So then, anyone who hears these words of mine and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.
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The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, and the wind blew hard against that house. But it did not fall, because it was built on rock.
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"But anyone who hears these words of mine and does not obey them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
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The rain poured down, the rivers flooded over, the wind blew hard against that house, and it fell. And what a terrible fall that was!"
28
When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowd was amazed at the way he taught.
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He wasn't like the teachers of the Law; instead, he taught with authority.
