1 Samuel 29

1 And the Philistines gather all their camps to Aphek, and Israel is encamping at a fountain which [is] in Jezreel,

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

2 and the princes of the Philistines are passing on by hundreds, and by thousands, and David and his men are passing on in the rear 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 heads of the Philistines say, “What [are] these Hebrews?” And Achish says to the heads of the Philistines, “Is this not David, servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days or these years, and I have not found anything in him [wrong] from the day of his falling away until 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 And the heads of the Philistines are angry against him, and the heads of the Philistines say to him, “Send back the man, and he turns back to his place to where you have appointed him, and does not go down with us into battle, and is not for an adversary to us in battle; and with what does this one reconcile himself to his lord—is it not with the heads of those 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 this not David, of whom they answer in choruses, saying, Saul has struck among his thousands, and David among his myriads?”

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 calls to David and says to him, “YHWH lives, surely you [are] upright, and good in my eyes is your going out, and your coming in with me in the camp, for I have not found evil in you from the day of your coming to me until this day; but you are not good in the eyes of the princes;

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, and you do no evil in the eyes of the princes 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 says to Achish, “But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant from the day that I have been before you until this day—that I do not go in and have fought 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 answers and says to David, “I have known that you [are] good in my eyes as a messenger of God; only, the princes of the Philistines have said, He does not go up with us into 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 early in the morning—and the servants of your lord who have come with you. When you have risen early in the morning, and have light, then go.”

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

11 And David rises early, he and his men, to go in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines have gone up to Jezreel.

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.