1 Samuel 27
1 David said in his heart, "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me except that I escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel. So shall I escape out of his hand."
David said in his heart, “I will now perish one day by Saul's hand; there is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines; Saul will give up looking for me any more within all the borders of Israel; in this way I will escape out of his hand.”
2 David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
David arose and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish son of Maok, the king of Gath.
3 David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal's wife.
David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his own household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite woman, and Abigail the Carmelite woman, Nabal's wife.
4 It was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.
Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, so he looked for him no longer.
5 David said to Achish, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?"
David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”
6 Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: why Ziklag pertains to the kings of Judah to this day.
So that day Achish gave him Ziklag; that is why Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah to this very day.
7 The number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.
The number of days that David lived in the land of the Philistines was a full year and four months.
8 David and his men went up, and made a raid on the Geshurites, and the Girzites, and the Amalekites. And look, the land was inhabited from Telem, going in the direction of Shur, as far as the land of Egypt.
David and his men attacked various places, making raids on the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those nations were the inhabitants of the land, as you go to Shur, as far as the land of Egypt. They had been living there in the land from ancient times.
9 David struck the land, and saved neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the cattle, and the donkeys, and the camels, and the clothing; and he returned, and came to Achish.
David attacked the land and saved neither man nor woman alive; he took away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing; he would return and come again to Achish.
10 Achish said, "Against whom have you made a raid today?" David would say, "Against the Negev of Judah," or "Against the Negev of Jerahmeel," or "Against the Negev of the Kenizzites."
Achish would say, “Against whom have you made a raid today?” David would answer, “Against the south of Judah,” or “Against the south of the Jerahmeelites,” or “Against the south of the Kenites.”
11 David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, "Lest they should tell of us, saying, 'David has done this, and this has been his way all the time he has lived in the country of the Philistines.'"
David would keep neither man nor woman alive to bring them to Gath, saying, “So that they cannot say about us, 'David did such and such.'” This was what he did all the while he was living in the country of the Philistines.
12 Achish believed David, saying, "He has made his people Israel utterly to abhor him. Therefore he shall be my servant forever."
Achish believed David, saying, “He has made his people Israel utterly abhor him; he will therefore be my servant forever.”
