1 Samuel 27

1 And David said in his heart: “At some time, I will one day fall into the hands of Saul. Is it not better if I flee, and be saved in the land of the Philistines, so that Saul may despair and cease to seek me in all the parts of Israel? Therefore, I will flee away from his hands.”

And David said to himself, Some day death will come to me by the hand of Saul: the only thing for me to do is to get away into the land of the Philistines; then Saul will give up hope of taking me in any part of the land of Israel: and so I may be able to get away from him.

2 And David rose up and went away, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish, the son of Maoch, the king of Gath.

So David and the six hundred men who were with him went over to Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

3 And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men: each man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam, the Jezreelite, and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel.

And David and his men were living with Achish at Gath; every man had his family with him, and David had his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, who had been the wife of Nabal.

4 And it was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath. And so, he did not continue to seek him.

And Saul, hearing that David had gone to Gath, went after him no longer.

5 And David said to Achish: “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given to me in one of the cities of this region, so that I may live there. For why should your servant stay in the city of the king with you?”

Then David said to Achish, If now I have grace in your eyes, let me have a place in one of the smaller towns of your land, to be my living-place; for it is not right for your servant to be living with you in the king's town.

6 And so, Achish gave Ziklag to him on that day. And for this reason, Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah, even to this day.

So Achish straight away gave him Ziklag: and for that reason Ziklag has been the property of the kings of Judah to this day.

7 Now the number of days that David lived in the region of the Philistines was four months.

And David was living in the land of the Philistines for the space of a year and four months.

8 And David and his men went up and took plunder from Geshuri, and from Girzi, and from the Amalekites. For in the land long ago, these were the inhabitants of the area, going from Shur as far as the land of Egypt.

And David and his men went up and made attacks on the Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites; for these were the people who were living in the land from Telam on the way to Shur, as far as Egypt.

9 And David struck the entire land. Neither did he leave alive man or woman. And he took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the donkeys, and the camels, and the garments. And he returned and went to Achish.

And David again and again made attacks on the land till not a man or a woman was still living; and he took away the sheep and the oxen and the asses and the camels and the clothing; and he came back to Achish.

10 Then Achish said to him, “Whom did you go out against today?” And David responded, “Against the south of Judah, and against the south of Jerahmeel, and against the south of Keni.”

And every time Achish said, Where have you been fighting today? David said, Against the South of Judah and the South of the Jerahmeelites and the South of the Kenites.

11 Neither man nor woman was left alive by David. Neither did he lead back any of them to Gath, saying, “Lest perhaps they may speak against us.” David did these things. And this was his decision during all the days that he lived in the region of the Philistines.

Not one living man or woman did David ever take back with him to Gath, fearing that they might give an account of what had taken place, and say, This is what David did, and so has he been doing all the time while he has been living in the land of the Philistines.

12 Therefore, Achish trusted David, saying: “He has worked much harm against his people Israel. And so, he will be a servant to me forever.”

And Achish had belief in what David said, saying, He has made himself hated by all his people Israel, and so he will be my servant for ever.