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Sunday, July 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

1 Samuel 26:2

Saul went at once with three thousand of the best soldiers in Israel to the wilderness of Ziph to look for David,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Self-Control;   Ziph;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Desert;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ziph (1);   Holman Bible Dictionary - Samuel, Books of;   Ziph;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - David;   Ziph;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Saul;   Ziph (1);  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So Saul, accompanied by three thousand of the fit young men of Israel, went immediately to the Wilderness of Ziph to search for David there.
Hebrew Names Version
Then Sha'ul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Zif, having three thousand chosen men of Yisra'el with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Zif.
King James Version
Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
Lexham English Bible
Then Saul got up and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, and three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
English Standard Version
So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
New Century Version
So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to look for David there.
New English Translation
So Saul arose and went down to the desert of Ziph, accompanied by three thousand select men of Israel, to look for David in the desert of Ziph.
Amplified Bible
So Saul arose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, taking with him three thousand chosen men of Israel, to search for David [there] in the wilderness of Ziph.
New American Standard Bible
So Saul set out and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, taking with him three thousand chosen men of Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Saul arose, and went downe to the wildernes of Ziph, hauing three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, for to seeke Dauid in the wildernesse of Ziph.
Legacy Standard Bible
So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having with him three thousand chosen men of Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph.
Contemporary English Version
Saul took three thousand of Israel's best soldiers and went to look for David there in Ziph Desert.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then Sha'ul set out and went down to the Zif Desert with three thousand men chosen from Isra'el, to search for David in the Zif Desert.
Darby Translation
And Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
Easy-to-Read Version
Saul gathered 3000 of the best soldiers in Israel and went down to the desert of Ziph to search for David there.
George Lamsa Translation
Then Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
Literal Translation
And Saul rose up and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, and three thousand men were with him, chosen ones of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then Saul gat him vp, and wente downe to the wildernes of Siph, and thre thousande chosen men of Israel with him, to seke Dauid in the wildernes of Siph,
American Standard Version
Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
Bible in Basic English
Then Saul went down to the waste land of Ziph, taking with him three thousand of the best men of Israel, to make search for David in the waste land of Ziph.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Saul arose, & went downe to the wildernes of Ziph, hauing three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, for to seke Dauid in the wildernesse of Ziph.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
King James Version (1611)
Then Saul arose, and went downe to the wildernesse of Ziph, hauing three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seeke Dauid in the wildernesse of Ziph.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, and with him went three thousand men chosen out of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
English Revised Version
Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
Berean Standard Bible
So Saul, accompanied by three thousand choice men of Israel, went down to the Wilderness of Ziph to search for David there.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Saul roos, and yede doun in to deseert of Ziph, and with hym thre thousynde of men of the chosun of Israel, that he schulde seke Dauid in the desert of Ziph.
Young's Literal Translation
And Saul riseth, and goeth down unto the wilderness of Ziph, and with him three thousand men, chosen ones of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
Update Bible Version
Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
World English Bible
Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
New King James Version
Then Saul arose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph.
New Living Translation
So Saul took 3,000 of Israel's elite troops and went to hunt him down in the wilderness of Ziph.
New Life Bible
So Saul got ready and went down to the desert of Ziph. He had 3,000 chosen men of Israel with him, to look for David in the desert of Ziph.
New Revised Standard
So Saul rose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, with three thousand chosen men of Israel, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then Saul arose, and went down into the wilderness of Ziph, and, with him, three thousand chosen men of Israel, - to seek David in the wilderness of Zip.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph having with him three thousand chosen men of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
Revised Standard Version
So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, with three thousand chosen men of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having with him three thousand chosen men of Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph.

Contextual Overview

1 Some men from Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah and told him that David was hiding on Mount Hachilah at the edge of the Judean wilderness. 2 Saul went at once with three thousand of the best soldiers in Israel to the wilderness of Ziph to look for David, 3 and camped by the road on Mount Hachilah. David was still in the wilderness, and when he learned that Saul had come to look for him, 4 he sent spies and found out that Saul was indeed there. 5 He went at once and located the exact place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, slept. Saul slept inside the camp, and his men camped around him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Saul arose: 1 Samuel 23:23-25, 1 Samuel 24:17, Psalms 38:12, Psalms 140:4-9

three thousand: 1 Samuel 24:2

Reciprocal: Genesis 37:20 - and we Numbers 24:1 - saw Joshua 15:55 - Ziph Psalms 17:11 - compassed Psalms 120:7 - when

Cross-References

Genesis 12:1
The Lord said to Abram, "Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's home, and go to a land that I am going to show you.
Genesis 12:7
The Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, "This is the country that I am going to give to your descendants." Then Abram built an altar there to the Lord , who had appeared to him.
Genesis 17:1
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am the Almighty God. Obey me and always do what is right.
Genesis 18:1
The Lord appeared to Abraham at the sacred trees of Mamre. As Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day,
Genesis 26:10
"What have you done to us?" Abimelech said. "One of my men might easily have slept with your wife, and you would have been responsible for our guilt."
Genesis 26:20
The shepherds of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's shepherds and said, "This water belongs to us." So Isaac named the well "Quarrel."
Psalms 37:3
Trust in the Lord and do good; live in the land and be safe.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then Saul arose,.... Immediately, glad of an opportunity to seize on David, having the same disposition towards him as ever; and perhaps had repented he had not laid hold on him when he followed him out of the cave:

and went down to the wilderness of Ziph: or towards it:

having three thousand chosen men of Israel; young men, so called, because usually chosen for business, and for war particularly, rather than old men; the same number he took with him when he sought him at Engedi, 1 Samuel 24:2;

to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph; where or whereabouts he was informed by the Ziphites he was.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 26:2. Three thousand chosen men — Though they knew that David was but six hundred strong, yet Saul thought it was not safe to pursue such an able general with a less force than that mentioned in the text; and, that he might the better depend on them, they were all elect or picked men out of the whole of his army.


 
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