27:1 But David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”
27:2 So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath.
27:3 David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.
27:4 When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
27:5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”
27:6 So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since.
27:7 David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.
27:8 Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.)
27:9 Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.
27:10 When Achish asked, “Where did you go raiding today?” David would say, “Against the Negev of Judah” or “Against the Negev of Jerahmeel” or “Against the Negev of the Kenites.”
27:11 He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, “They might inform on us and say, ‘This is what David did.’” And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory.
27:12 Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He has become so odious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant forever.”
27:1 And David said in his heart, I will now one day perish at the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines; then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within all the territory of Israel. Thus I will escape from his hand.
27:2 So David rose up and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
27:3 And David and his men remained with Achish in Gath, he and his men, each man with his household: David and his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the wife of Nabal, the Carmelite.
27:4 And it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he no longer sought him.
27:5 And David said to Achish, If now I have found favor in your sight, let me be given a place in one of the country towns; and I will dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?
27:6 So Achish gave him Ziklag that day; therefore Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah to this day.
27:7 And the length of time that David remained in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.
27:8 Now David and his men went up and attacked the Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites, for they were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as you go to Shur and unto the land of Egypt.
27:9 And David struck the land; and he left neither man nor woman alive but took the sheep and the oxen and the asses and the camels and the clothing. Then he returned and came to Achish.
27:10 Then Achish said, Against whom have you conducted an attack today? And David said, Against the south of Judah and against the south of the Jerahmeelites and against the south of the Kenites.
27:11 Now David left neither man nor woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he said, Perhaps they will tell of us, saying, Thus did David do. And such was his custom as long as he dwelt in the country of the Philistines.
27:12 And Achish trusted David, saying, He has made himself utterly odious to his people Israel; therefore he shall be my servant forever.