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1 Samuel Chapter 23

David relieves Ceila, besieged by the Philistines. He flees into the desert of Ziph. Jonathan and he confirm their former covenant. The Ziphites discover him to Saul, who pursuing close after him, is called away by an invasion from the Philistines.

English (Douay-Rheims)

1 And they told David, saying: Behold the Philistines fight against Ceila, and they rob the barns. 2 Therefore David consulted the Lord, saying: Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the Lord said to David: Go, and thou shalt smite the Philistines, and shalt save Ceila. 3 And the men that were with David, said to him: Behold we are in fear here in Judea, how much more if we go to Ceila against the bands of the Philistines? 4 Therefore David consulted the Lord again. And he answered and said to him: Arise, and go to Ceila: for I will deliver the Philistines into thy hand. 5 David, therefore, and his men, went to Ceila, and fought against the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and made a great slaughter of them: and David saved the inhabitants of Ceila. 6 Now at that time, when Abiathar, the son of Achimelech, fled to David, to Ceila, he came down, having an ephod with him. An ephod... Or the ephod. That is, the vestment of the high priest, with the urim and thummim, by which the Lord gave his oracle.

7 And it was told Saul that David was come to Ceila: and Saul said: The Lord hath delivered him into my hands, and he is shut up, being come into a city that hath gates and bars. 8 And Saul commanded all the people to go down to fight against Ceila, and to besiege David and his men. 9 Now when David understood that Saul secretly prepared evil against him, he said to Abiathar, the priest: Bring hither the ephod. 10 And David said: O Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath heard a report, that Saul designeth to come to Ceila, to destroy the city for my sake: 11 Will the men of Ceila deliver me into his hands? and will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, tell thy servant. And the Lord said: He will come down. 12 And David said: Will the men of Ceila deliver me and my men into the hands of Saul? And the Lord said: They will deliver thee up. 13 Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose, and departing from Ceila, wandered up and down, uncertain where they should stay: and it was told Saul that David was fled from Ceila, and had escaped: wherefore he forbore to go out. 14 But David abode in the desert in strong holds, and he remained in a mountain of the desert of Ziph, in a woody hill. And Saul sought him always: but the Lord delivered him not into his hands. 15 And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life. And David was in the desert of Ziph, in a wood. 16 And Jonathan, the son of Saul, arose, and went to David, into the wood, and strengthened his hands in God: and he said to him: 17 Fear not: for the hand of my father, Saul, shall not find thee, and thou shalt reign over Israel, and I shall be next to thee; yea and my father knoweth this. 18 And they two made a covenant before the Lord: and David abode in the wood: but Jonathan returned to his house.

19 And the Ziphites went up to Saul, in Gabaa, saying: Lo, doth not David lie hid with us in the strong holds of the wood, in mount Hachila, which is on the right hand of the desert. 20 Now therefore come down, as thy soul hath desired to come down: and it shall be our business to deliver him into the king's hands. 21 And Saul said: Blessed be ye of the Lord, for you have pitied my case. 22 Go, therefore, I pray you, and use all diligence, and curiously inquire, and consider the place where his foot is, and who hath seen him there: for he thinketh of me, that I lie craftily in wait for him. 23 Consider, and see all his lurking holes, wherein he is hid, and return to me with the certainty of the thing, that I may go with you. And if he should even go down into the earth to hide himself, I will search him out in all the thousands of Juda.

24 And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: and David and his men were in the desert of Maon, in the plain at the right hand of Jesimon. 25 Then Saul and his men went to seek him: and it was told David, and forthwith he went down to the rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon: and when Saul had heard of it, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. 26 And Saul went on this side of the mountain: and David and his men were on the other side of the mountain: and David despaired of being able to escape from the face of Saul: and Saul and his men encompassed David and his men round about, to take them. 27 And a messenger came to Saul, saying: Make haste to come, for the Philistines have poured in themselves upon the land. 28 Wherefore Saul returned, leaving the pursuit of David, and went to meet the Philistines. For this cause they called that place the rock of division.

Old Testament first published 1609 by the English College at Douay
New Testament first published 1582 by the English College at Rheims
Revised and Annotated 1749 by Bishop Richard Challoner
Imprimatur. +James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, September 1, 1899

Latin (Clementine Vulgate)

1 Et annuntiaverunt David, dicentes: Ecce Philisthiim oppugnant Ceilam et diripiunt areas. 2 Consuluit ergo David Dominum, dicens: Num vadam, et percutiam Philisthæos istos? Et ait Dominus ad David: Vade, et percuties Philisthæos, et Ceilam salvabis. 3 Et dixerunt viri qui erant cum David ad eum: Ecce nos hic in Judæa consistentes timemus: quanto magis si ierimus in Ceilam adversum agmina Philisthinorum? 4 Rursum ergo David consuluit Dominum. Qui respondens, ait ei: Surge, et vade in Ceilam: ego enim tradam Philisthæos in manu tua. 5 Abiit ergo David et viri ejus in Ceilam, et pugnavit adversum Philisthæos: et abegit jumenta eorum, et percussit eos plaga magna: et salvavit David habitatores Ceilæ. 6 Porro eo tempore quo fugiebat Abiathar filius Achimelech ad David in Ceilam, ephod secum habens descenderat.

7 Nuntiatum est autem Sauli quod venisset David in Ceilam: et ait Saul: Tradidit eum Deus in manus meas, conclususque est introgressus urbem, in qua portæ et seræ sunt. 8 Et præcepit Saul omni populo ut ad pugnam descenderet in Ceilam, et obsideret David et viros ejus. 9 Quod cum David rescisset quia præpararet ei Saul clam malum, dixit ad Abiathar sacerdotem: Applica ephod. 10 Et ait David: Domine Deus Israël, audivit famam servus tuus, quod disponat Saul venire in Ceilam, ut evertat urbem propter me: 11 si tradent me viri Ceilæ in manus ejus? et si descendet Saul, sicut audivit servus tuus? Domine Deus Israël, indica servo tuo. Et ait Dominus: Descendet. 12 Dixitque David: Si tradent me viri Ceilæ, et viros qui sunt mecum, in manus Saul? Et dixit Dominus: Tradent. 13 Surrexit ergo David et viri ejus quasi sexcenti, et egressi de Ceila, huc atque illuc vagabantur incerti: nuntiatumque est Sauli quod fugisset David de Ceila, et salvatus esset: quam ob rem dissimulavit exire. 14 Morabatur autem David in deserto in locis firmissimis, mansitque in monte solitudinis Ziph, in monte opaco: quærebat eum tamen Saul cunctis diebus, et non tradidit eum Deus in manus ejus. 15 Et vidit David quod egressus esset Saul ut quæreret animam ejus. Porro David erat in deserto Ziph in silva. 16 Et surrexit Jonathas filius Saul, et abiit ad David in silvam, et confortavit manus ejus in Deo: dixitque ei: 17 Ne timeas: neque enim inveniet te manus Saul patris mei, et tu regnabis super Israël, et ego ero tibi secundus: sed et Saul pater meus scit hoc. 18 Percussit ergo uterque fœdus coram Domino: mansitque David in silva, Jonathas autem reversus est in domum suam.

19 Ascenderunt autem Ziphæi ad Saul in Gabaa, dicentes: Nonne ecce David latitat apud nos in locis tutissimis silvæ, in colle Hachila, quæ est ad dexteram deserti? 20 Nunc ergo, sicut desideravit anima tua ut descenderes, descende: nostrum autem erit ut tradamus eum in manus regis. 21 Dixitque Saul: Benedicti vos a Domino, quia doluistis vicem meam. 22 Abite ergo, oro, et diligentius præparate, et curiosius agite, et considerate locum ubi sit pes ejus, vel quis viderit eum ibi: recogitat enim de me, quod callide insidier ei. 23 Considerate, et videte omnia latibula ejus in quibus absconditur: et revertimini ad me ad rem certam, ut vadam vobiscum. Quod si etiam in terram se abstruserit, perscrutabor eum in cunctis millibus Juda.

24 At illi surgentes abierunt in Ziph ante Saul: David autem et viri ejus erant in deserto Maon, in campestribus ad dexteram Jesimon. 25 Ivit ergo Saul et socii ejus ad quærendum eum. Et nuntiatum est David: statimque descendit ad petram, et versabatur in deserto Maon: quod cum audisset Saul, persecutus est David in deserto Maon. 26 Et ibat Saul ad latus montis ex parte una: David autem et viri ejus erant in latere montis ex parte altera. Porro David desperabat se posse evadere a facie Saul: itaque Saul et viri ejus in modum coronæ cingebant David et viros ejus, ut caperent eos. 27 Et nuntius venit ad Saul, dicens: Festina, et veni, quoniam infuderunt se Philisthiim super terram. 28 Reversus est ergo Saul desistens persequi David, et perrexit in occursum Philisthinorum: propter hoc vocaverunt locum illum, Petram dividentem.

Transcribed as part of the Clementine Vulgate Project
Please notify the original transcriber (little.mouth@soon.com) of any errors in this Latin edition