1 Samuel 29

1 And the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek; and Israel encamped by the spring that is in Jizreel.

The Philistines gathered all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites set up camp by the spring in Jezreel.

2 And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rearward with Achish.

The Philistine rulers were marching out in their divisions of hundreds and thousands with David and his men at the rear with King Achish.

3 And the princes of the Philistines said, What are these Hebrews? And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years, and I have found nothing in him since the day of his falling away [to me] to this day?

But the Philistine commanders asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” Achish replied to the Philistine commanders, “That's David, an officer of King Saul of Israel. He's been with me for a long time, years even, and I haven't found any fault in him since the day he came over to our side up till now.”

4 But the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said to him, Make the man return, that he may go again to his place where thou hast appointed him, that he go not down with us to the battle, that in the battle he be not an adversary to us; for wherewith should this [fellow] reconcile himself to his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?

But the Philistine commanders got angry with Achish, and told him, “Send him back to the place he came from, to the town you assigned to him. He can't go with us into battle. What if he turns on us during the fighting? What a great way for him to please his master—by handing over the heads of our men!

5 Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul smote his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

Isn't this the David they sing about in their dances: ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”

6 And Achish called David, and said to him, [As] Jehovah liveth, thou art upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the camp is acceptable to me; for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming to me to this day; but thou art not acceptable to the lords.

So Achish called David over and told him, “As the Lord lives, you are honest and you've done what's right as far as I can see. As far as I'm concerned you should march with me into battle because I haven't found any fault in you from the day you arrived until now. But the other leaders don't approve of you.

7 And now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.

So go back home in peace, and that way you won't do anything to upset the Philistine leaders.”

8 And David said to Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee to this day, that I should not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?

“But what have I done?” David asked. “What fault have you found in me, your servant, from the day I came to you until now, that would prevent me from going to fight the enemies of my lord the king?”

9 And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art acceptable to me, as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.

“As far as I'm concerned, you're as good as an angel of God,” Achish replied. “But the Philistine commanders have stated, ‘He can't go into battle with us.’

10 And now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee; and rise ye early in the morning, and when ye have daylight, depart.

So get up early tomorrow morning and leave with your men as soon as it's light.”

11 And David rose up early, he and his men, to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jizreel.

David and his men got up early in the morning and went back to the country of the Philistines. But the Philistines advanced on Jezreel.