the Ammonite officials said to Hanun, “Do you really think David is trying to honor your father by sending these messengers to express his sympathy? ¹  No, his servants have come to you so they can get information and spy out the land!” ² 

As for the Hebronites: Jeriah was the leader of the Hebronites according to the genealogical records. In the fortieth year of David’s reign, they examined the records and discovered ¹  there were highly respected men in Jazer in Gilead.

After they had gone, an ¹  angel of the Lord ²  appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod ³  is going to look for the child to kill him.”

So Saul took three thousand select men from all Israel and went to find ¹  David and his men in the region of ²  the rocks of the mountain goats. ³ 

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.

“I will arise ¹  and look all around ²  throughout the town, and throughout the streets ³  and squares; I will search for my beloved.” I searched for him but I did not find him. ⁴ 

Even your clothes are stained with the lifeblood of the poor who had not done anything wrong; you did not catch them breaking into your homes. ¹  Yet, in spite of all these things you have done, ² 

I will seek the lost and bring back the strays; I will bandage the injured and strengthen the sick, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them – with judgment!

Then the man ¹  searched. He began with the oldest and finished with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack!

But Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among ¹  the men who went to investigate the land, lived.

They went to the entrance of Gedor, to the east of the valley, looking for pasture for their sheep.

Break the arm ¹  of the wicked and evil man! Hold him accountable for his wicked deeds, ²  which he thought you would not discover. ³ 

My heart tells me to pray to you, ¹  and I do pray to you, O Lord. ² 

When you will look for your opponents, ¹  you will not find them; your enemies ²  will be reduced to absolutely nothing.

The arrogance of Israel testifies against him, yet they refuse to return to the Lord their God! In spite of all this they refuse to seek him!

What did he mean by saying, ¹  ‘You will look for me ²  but will not find me, and where I am you cannot come’?”

Concerning this salvation, ¹  the prophets ²  who predicted the grace that would come to you ³  searched and investigated carefully.

So the people spread out ¹  through all the land of Egypt to collect stubble for straw.

So all of you approached me and said, “Let’s send some men ahead of us to scout out the land and bring us back word as to how we should attack it and what the cities are like there.”

Saul and his men went to look for him. ¹  But David was informed and went down to the rock and stayed in the desert of Maon. When Saul heard about it, he pursued David in the desert of Maon.