1 Samuel 27

And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

1David thought to himself, "Someday Saul will kill me. The best thing I can do is run away to the land of the Philistines. The Philistines were Israel's enemies. Then Saul will give up looking for me in Israel. That way I will get away from him."

2And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

2So David left. He took the six hundred men who were with him. They went to Achish, the son of Maoch, who was king of the city of Gath.

3And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife.

3David and his men lived in Gath with Achish. Each man brought his family with him. David brought his two wives. They were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail from Carmel, who had been married to Nabal.

4And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.

4Someone told Saul that David had run away to Gath. So Saul stopped looking for him.

5And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?

5David said to Achish, "If you are pleased with me, please do this. Give me a place in one of the smaller towns to live. Why should I live here in the king's city with you?"

6Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.

6That day Achish gave David the town of Ziklag. That is why Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since.

7And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

7David lived in the land of the Philistines for one year and four months.

8And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.

8David and his men went out and attacked the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. Those peoples had lived in that land for a very long time. Their land stretched toward Shur and all the way to Egypt.

9And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.

9When David attacked a place, he left no man or woman alive. He took away the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, and the camels. He took their clothes too. Then he went back to Achish.

Note"Asses" in the old wording means donkeys. "Apparel" means clothing.

10And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites.

10Achish would ask, "Where did you raid today?" David would say, "The dry south country of Judah," or "the south country of the Jerahmeelites," or "the south country of the Kenites."

11And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines.

11David left no man or woman alive to be taken back to Gath. He said, "If I did, they might tell on us. They would say, 'This is what David did.'" David kept doing this the whole time he lived among the Philistines.

12And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.

12Achish trusted David. He thought, "David's own people, Israel, must hate him now. So he will be my servant forever."