1 Samuel 29

1 The Philistia army gathered at Aphek [Valley, which is near Shunem]. The Israelis set up their tents at Jezreel [city, which was in the same valley].

And the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek; and Israel encamped by the spring that is in Jizreel.

2 The kings of Philistia divided their men into groups; some groups had 100 soldiers and some groups had 1,000 soldiers. David and his men were marching behind, with King Achish.

And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rearward with Achish.

3 But the Philistia commanders asked, “What are these Hebrews [doing here, marching with us to battle]?” Achish replied, “[Their leader is] David. [He] previously worked for King Saul of Israel, but now he has been living near me for more than a year. During all the time since he left Saul, I have not seen/found that he has any faults.”

And the princes of the Philistines said, What are these Hebrews? And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years, and I have found nothing in him since the day of his falling away [to me] to this day?

4 But the Philistia army commanders were angry with Achish [for allowing David’s army to be going with them]. They said to him, “Send David [and his men] back to the city that you gave to him! We do not want him to go with us into the battle. [If he goes with us, ] we will have an enemy in our own midst! He would please King Saul by killing our own soldiers [RHQ]!

But the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said to him, Make the man return, that he may go again to his place where thou hast appointed him, that he go not down with us to the battle, that in the battle he be not an adversary to us; for wherewith should this [fellow] reconcile himself to his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?

5 [Have you forgotten that] David is the one about whom the Israelis dance and sing, saying, ‘Saul has killed 1000 of our enemies, but David has killed 10,000 of them!’?”

Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul smote his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

6 So Achish summoned David, and said to him, “Just as surely as Yahweh lives, you have been loyal to me. I would like very much for you to fight along with my army. Since the day that you came to me, I have not found/seen that you have any faults. But the other Philistia rulers do not trust you.

And Achish called David, and said to him, [As] Jehovah liveth, thou art upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the camp is acceptable to me; for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming to me to this day; but thou art not acceptable to the lords.

7 So all of you go back home, and I hope/desire that things will go well for you. I do not want you(sg) to do anything that the other rulers of Philistia will not be pleased with.”

And now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.

8 David replied, “What wrong have I done? Since the day that I first came to you until today, have I done anything that you think is evil? Your majesty, why will you not allow me to go and fight against your enemies?”

And David said to Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee to this day, that I should not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?

9 Achish replied, “I know that you are as just as good as an angel from God. But the commanders of my army have said, ‘We will not allow David [and his men] to go with us into the battle.’

And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art acceptable to me, as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.

10 So early tomorrow morning you and your men must leave. Get up as soon as it is light and leave.”

And now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee; and rise ye early in the morning, and when ye have daylight, depart.

11 So David and his men got up early the following morning and returned to the area where the Philistia people lived. And the Philistia army went up to Jezreel.

And David rose up early, he and his men, to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jizreel.