1 Samuel 27
1 And David says to his heart, “Now I am consumed by the hand of Saul one day; there is nothing better for me than that I diligently escape to the land of the Philistines, and Saul has been despairing of me—of seeking me anymore in all the border of Israel, and I have escaped out of his hand.”
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."
2 And David rises, and passes over, he and six hundred men who [are] with him, to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath;
David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
3 and David dwells with Achish in Gath, he and his men, each one with his household, [even] David and his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelitess.
So David lived with Achish, he and his men, along with his men and their families, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow.
4 And it is declared to Saul that David has fled to Gath, and he has not added to seek him anymore.
Now it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he no longer searched for him.
5 And David says to Achish, “Now if I have found grace in your eyes, they give a place to me in one of the cities of the field, and I dwell there, indeed, why does your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”
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?"
6 And Achish gives Ziklag to him in that day, therefore Ziklag has been for the kings of Judah until this day.
So he gave him Ziklag that day. (For that reason Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.)
7 And the number of the days which David has dwelt in the field of the Philistines [is one year] of days and four months;
The number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.
8 and David and his men go up, and they push toward the Geshurite, and the Gerizite, and the Amalekite (for they are inhabitants of the land from of old), as you come to Shur and to the land of Egypt,
Now David and his men went up, and made a raid on the Geshurites, and the Amalekites. And look, the land was inhabited from Telem, until you come to Shur, and on toward Egypt.
9 and David has struck the land, and does not keep alive man and woman, and has taken sheep, and oxen, and donkeys, and camels, and garments, and turns back, and comes to Achish.
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.
10 And Achish says, “To where have you pushed today?” And David says, “Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelite, and to the south of the Kenite.”
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."
11 David keeps alive neither man nor woman, to bring in [word] to Gath, saying, “Lest they declare [it] against us, saying, Thus David has done, and thus [is] his custom all the days that he has dwelt in the fields of the Philistines.”
And neither man nor woman would he leave alive to be brought to Gath, thinking, "Otherwise they will tell about us, saying, 'This is what David did,'" and this has been his practice all the time he lived in the country of the Philistines.
12 And Achish believes in David, saying, “He has made himself utterly abhorred among his people in Israel, and has been for a perpetual servant to me.”
Achish believed David, saying, "He has made his people Israel utterly to abhor him. Therefore he shall be my servant forever."
