صَمُوئِيلَ ٱلْأَوَّلُ 27

١ 1 وَقَالَ دَاوُدُ فِي قَلْبِهِ: «إِنِّي سَأَهْلِكُ يَوْمًا بِيَدِ شَاوُلَ، فَلَا شَيْءَ خَيْرٌ لِي مِنْ أَنْ أُفْلِتَ إِلَى أَرْضِ ٱلْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ، فَيَيْأَسَ شَاوُلُ مِنِّي فَلَا يُفَتِّشَ عَلَيَّ بَعْدُ فِي جَمِيعِ تُخُومِ إِسْرَائِيلَ، فَأَنْجُوَ مِنْ يَدِهِ».

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.”

٢ 2 فَقَامَ دَاوُدُ وَعَبَرَ هُوَ وَٱلسِّتُّ مِئَةِ ٱلرَّجُلِ ٱلَّذِينَ مَعَهُ، إِلَى أَخِيشَ بْنِ مَعُوكَ مَلِكِ جَتٍّ.

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.

٣ 3 وَأَقَامَ دَاوُدُ عِنْدَ أَخِيشَ فِي جَتٍّ هُوَ وَرِجَالُهُ، كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ وَبَيْتِهِ، دَاوُدُ وَٱمْرَأَتَاهُ أَخِينُوعَمُ ٱلْيَزْرَعِيلِيَّةُ وَأَبِيجَايِلُ ٱمْرَأَةُ نَابَالَ ٱلْكَرْمَلِيَّةُ.

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.

٤ 4 فَأُخْبِرَ شَاوُلُ أَنَّ دَاوُدَ قَدْ هَرَبَ إِلَى جَتٍّ فَلَمْ يَعُدْ أَيْضًا يُفَتِّشُ عَلَيْهِ.

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

٥ 5 فَقَالَ دَاوُدُ لِأَخِيشَ: «إِنْ كُنْتُ قَدْ وَجَدْتُ نِعْمَةً فِي عَيْنَيْكَ، فَلْيُعْطُونِي مَكَانًا فِي إِحْدَى قُرَى ٱلْحَقْلِ فَأَسْكُنَ هُنَاكَ. وَلِمَاذَا يَسْكُنُ عَبْدُكَ فِي مَدِينَةِ ٱلْمَمْلَكَةِ مَعَكَ؟»

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.”

٦ 6 فَأَعْطَاهُ أَخِيشُ فِي ذَلِكَ ٱلْيَوْمِ صِقْلَغَ. لِذَلِكَ صَارَتْ صِقْلَغُ لِمُلُوكِ يَهُوذَا إِلَى هَذَا ٱلْيَوْمِ.

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

٧ 7 وَكَانَ عَدَدُ ٱلْأَيَّامِ ٱلَّتِي سَكَنَ فِيهَا دَاوُدُ فِي بِلَادِ ٱلْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ سَنَةً وَأَرْبَعَةَ أَشْهُرٍ.

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

٨ 8 وَصَعِدَ دَاوُدُ وَرِجَالُهُ وَغَزَوْا ٱلْجَشُورِيِّينَ وَٱلْجَرِزِّيِّينَ وَٱلْعَمَالِقَةَ، لِأَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ مِنْ قَدِيمٍ سُكَّانُ ٱلْأَرْضِ مِنْ عِنْدِ شُورٍ إِلَى أَرْضِ مِصْرَ.

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.

٩ 9 وَضَرَبَ دَاوُدُ ٱلْأَرْضَ، وَلَمْ يَسْتَبْقِ رَجُلًا وَلَا ٱمْرَأَةً، وَأَخَذَ غَنَمًا وَبَقَرًا وَحَمِيرًا وَجِمَالًا وَثِيَابًا وَرَجَعَ وَجَاءَ إِلَى أَخِيشَ.

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.

١٠ 10 فَقَالَ أَخِيشُ: «إِذًا لَمْ تَغْزُوا ٱلْيَوْمَ». فَقَالَ دَاوُدُ: «بَلَى. عَلَى جَنُوبِيِّ يَهُوذَا، وَجَنُوبِيِّ ٱلْيَرْحَمِئِيلِيِّينَ، وَجَنُوبِيِّ ٱلْقِينِيِّينَ».

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.”

١١ 11 فَلَمْ يَسْتَبْقِ دَاوُدُ رَجُلًا وَلَا ٱمْرَأَةً حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ إِلَى جَتٍّ، إِذْ قَالَ: «لِئَّلَا يُخْبِرُوا عَنَّا قَائِلِينَ: هَكَذَا فَعَلَ دَاوُدُ». وَهَكَذَا عَادَتُهُ كُلَّ أَيَّامِ إِقَامَتِهِ فِي بِلَادِ ٱلْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ.

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.

١٢ 12 فَصَدَّقَ أَخِيشُ دَاوُدَ قَائِلًا: «قَدْ صَارَ مَكْرُوهًا لَدَى شَعْبِهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ، فَيَكُونُ لِي عَبْدًا إِلَى ٱلْأَبَدِ».

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.”