1 Samuel 29

1 Now the Philistines gathered together all their army at Aphek; the Israelites camped by the spring that is in Jezreel.

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

2 The princes of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands; David and his men passed on in the rear guard with Achish.

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.

3 Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” Achish said to the other princes of the Philistines, “Is not this David, the servant of Saul, the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or rather these years, and I have found no fault with him since he came away to me to this day?”

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?”

4 But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him and said, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He will not go down with us into battle, for he will turn against us during the fighting. For how else could he make himself acceptable to his master than by taking the heads of our own men?

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?

5 Is this not David of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, 'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?”

Is this not David, of whom they answer in choruses, saying, Saul has struck among his thousands, and David among his myriads?”

6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “As Yahweh lives, you have been good, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my view; for I have found nothing wrong with you since the day of your coming to me to this very day. Nevertheless, the princes are not favorable to you.

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;

7 So now return and go in peace, so that you do not displease the princes of the Philistines.”

and now, return, and go in peace, and you do no evil in the eyes of the princes of the Philistines.”

8 David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant as long as I have been before you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my master the king?”

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?”

9 Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless, the princes of the Philistines have said, 'He must not go up with us to the battle.'

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;

10 So now rise up early in the morning with the servants of your master who have come with you; as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, go away.”

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.”

11 So David rose up early, he and his men, to leave in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

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.