1 Samuel 27

Modern

Literal

David and the Philistines

¹David, however, said to himself, “One of these days now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me all over Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”

¹And David said in his heart, “Now I will be swept away one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing for me better than that I diligently escape to the land of the Philistines. And Saul will despair of me to seek me anymore in all the border of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”

²So David set out with his six hundred men and went to Achish son of Maoch,^a the king of Gath.

²And David arose and passed over—he and the six hundred men who were with him—to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath.

³David 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.

³And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man and his household, and David and his two wives—Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelitess.

⁴And when Saul learned that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

⁴And it was declared to Saul that David had fled to Gath. And he sought him no more.

⁵Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let me be assigned a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. For why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”

⁵And David said to Achish, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, let them give to me a place in one of the cities of the field, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”

⁶That day Achish gave him Ziklag, and to this day it still belongs to the kings of Judah.

⁶And Achish gave to him that day Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.

⁷And the time that David lived in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.

⁷And the number of the days that David dwelt in the field of the Philistines was a year and four months.

⁸Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these people had inhabited the land extending to Shur and Egypt.)

⁸And David and his men went up and raided against the Geshurite, and the Girzite, and the Amalekite (for those were those dwelling in the land from of old) in your going to Shur, and as far as the land of Egypt.

⁹Whenever David attacked a territory, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but he took the flocks and herds, the donkeys, camels, and clothing.

Then he would return to Achish,

⁹And whenever David struck the land, he left alive not a man or a woman, and he took the sheep, and the oxen, and the donkeys, and the camels, and the apparel. And he returned and came to Achish.

¹⁰who would ask him, “What have you raided today?”

And David would reply, “The Negev of Judah,” or “The Negev of Jerahmeel,” or “The Negev of the Kenites.”

¹⁰And Achish would say, “Where have you made a raid today?” And David would say, “Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelite, and against the south of the Kenite.”

¹¹David did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he said, “Otherwise they will report us, saying, ‘This is what David did.’” And this was David’s custom the whole time he lived in Philistine territory.

¹¹And man and woman David would not save alive to be brought to Gath, saying, “Lest they declare it against us, saying, ‘Thus David did.’” And thus was his custom all the days that he dwelt in the field of the Philistines.

¹²So Achish trusted David, thinking, “Since he has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever.”

¹²And Achish believed David, saying, “He has made himself an utter stench among his people Israel, and he will be my servant forever.”