1 Samuel 27

1 But David said to himself, “One of these days Saul is going to get me. I think I'd better run away to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up looking for me all over Israel and he won't catch me.”

大衛心裏說：「必有一日我死在掃羅手裏，不如逃奔非利士地去。掃羅見我不在以色列的境內，就必絕望，不再尋索我；這樣我可以脫離他的手。」

2 So David and the six hundred men with him set off, crossed the border, and went to Achish, son of Maoch, the king of Gath.

於是大衛起身，和跟隨他的六百人投奔迦特王－瑪俄的兒子亞吉去了。

3 David and his men settled down with Achish in Gath. All the men had their families with them, and David had his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail from Carmel, Nabal's widow.

大衛和他的兩個妻，就是耶斯列人亞希暖和作過拿八妻的迦密人亞比該，並跟隨他的人，連各人的眷屬，都住在迦特的亞吉那裏。

4 When Saul found out that David had run away to Gath, he didn't go on looking for him.

有人告訴掃羅說：「大衛逃到迦特。」掃羅就不再尋索他了。

5 David said to Achish, “Please do me a favor: assign me somewhere in one of the towns in the countryside so I can live there. I, your servant, don't really deserve to live in the royal city with you.”

大衛對亞吉說：「我若在你眼前蒙恩，求你在京外的城邑中賜我一個地方居住。僕人何必與王同住京都呢？」

6 Achish gave him Ziklag right away, and the town still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day.

當日亞吉將洗革拉賜給他，因此洗革拉屬猶大王，直到今日。

7 David lived in the country of the Philistines for a year and four months.

大衛在非利士地住了一年零四個月。

8 During that time David and his men were raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. These people had lived in the land as far as Shur and Egypt from ancient times.

大衛和跟隨他的人上去，侵奪基述人、基色人、亞瑪力人之地。這幾族歷來住在那地，從書珥直到埃及。

9 When David attacked a place, he did not leave anybody alive. He took the flocks and herds, the donkeys, camels, and clothing. Then he would go back to Achish.

大衛擊殺那地的人，無論男女都沒有留下一個，又奪獲牛、羊、駱駝、驢，並衣服，回來見亞吉。

10 When Achish asked him, “Where have you been raiding today?” David would reply, “In the desert of Judah,” or “the desert of Jerahmeel,” or “the desert of the Kenites.”

亞吉說：「你們今日侵奪了甚麼地方呢？」大衛說：「侵奪了猶大的南方、耶拉篾的南方、基尼的南方。」

11 David didn't leave anybody alive that could come to Gath because he thought, “They might tell on us and say, ‘David did this.’” This is what he did all the time he lived in the country of the Philistines.

無論男女，大衛沒有留下一個帶到迦特來。他說：「恐怕他們將我們的事告訴人，說大衛住在非利士地的時候常常這樣行。」

12 Achish trusted David, and said to himself, “He's made himself so offensive to his people the Israelites that he'll have to serve me forever.”

亞吉信了大衛，心裏說：「大衛使本族以色列人憎惡他，所以他必永遠作我的僕人了。」