Nehemiah 3:17

⁴⁴Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages.

¹⁶After him, Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, the ruler of half the district of Beth Zur, made repairs to the place opposite the tombs of David, and to the pool that was made, and to the house of the mighty men.

⁴David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the LORD’s house, six thousand were officers and judges,

¹David was told, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and are robbing the threshing floors.”

²Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and strike these Philistines?” The LORD said to David, “Go strike the Philistines, and save Keilah.”

³David’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?”

⁴Then David inquired of the LORD yet again. The LORD answered him, and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

⁵David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their livestock, and killed them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

⁶When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.

⁷Saul was told that David had come to Keilah. Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he is shut in by entering into a town that has gates and bars.” ⁸Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. ⁹David knew that Saul was devising mischief against him. He said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” ¹⁰Then David said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. ¹¹Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? LORD, the God of Israel, I beg you, tell your servant.” The LORD said, “He will come down.”

¹²Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” The LORD said, “They will deliver you up.”

¹³Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah and went wherever they could go. Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah; and he gave up going there.