1 Samuel 27
27
David Among the Philistines
1David thought, “Some day Saul will destroy me. So the best thing I can do is escape. I’ll go to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop looking for me everywhere in Israel. His hand won’t be able to reach me.”
2So David and his 600 men left Israel. They went to Achish, the king of Gath. He was the son of Maok. 3David and his men made their homes in Gath near Achish. Each of David’s men had his family with him. David had his two wives with him. They were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail from Carmel. Abigail was Nabal’s widow. 4Saul was told that David had run away to Gath. So he didn’t look for David anymore.
5David said to Achish, “If you are pleased with me, give me a place in one of your country towns. I can live there. I don’t really need to live near you in the royal city.”
6So on that day Achish gave David the town of Ziklag. It has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since that time. 7David lived in Philistine territory for a year and four months.
8Sometimes David and his men would go up and attack the Geshurites. At other times they would attack the Girzites or the Amalekites. All those people had lived in the land that reached all the way to Shur and Egypt. They had been there for a long time. 9When David would attack an area, he wouldn’t leave a man or woman alive. But he would take their sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels and clothes. Then he would return to Achish.
10Achish would ask, “Who did you attack today?” David would answer, “The people who live in the Negev Desert of Judah.” Or he would answer, “The people in the Negev Desert of Jerahmeel.” Or he would answer, “The people in the Negev Desert of the Kenites.” 11David wouldn’t leave a man or woman alive to be brought back to Gath. He thought, “They might tell on us. They might tell Achish who we really attacked.” That’s what David did as long as he lived in Philistine territory. 12Achish trusted David. He thought, “David’s own people, the Israelites, can’t stand him anymore. So he’ll be my servant for life.”
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1 Samuel 27: NIrV
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1 Samuel 27
27
David Flees to Ziklag
1David said to himself, “One of these days I’ll be swept away by Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape immediately to the land of the Philistines.#1Sm 26:19 Then Saul will give up searching for me everywhere in Israel, and I’ll escape from him.” 2So David set out with his six hundred men#1Sm 25:13 and went over to Achish son of Maoch,#1Sm 2:10; 1Kg 2:39 the king of Gath. 3David and his men stayed with Achish in Gath. Each man had his family with him,#1Sm 30:3; 2Sm 2:3 and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel,#1Sm 25:42–44 Nabal’s widow. 4When it was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
5Now David said to Achish, “If I have found favor with you, let me be given a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” 6That day Achish gave Ziklag#Jos 15:31; 19:5; Neh 11:28 to him, and it still belongs to the kings of Judah today. 7The length of time that David stayed in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.#1Sm 29:1–11
8David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites,#Jos 13:2,13 the Girzites,#27:8 Alt Hb tradition reads Gezerites and the Amalekites.#Ex 17:8; 1Sm 15:7–8 From ancient times they had been the inhabitants of the region through Shur#Ex 15:22 as far as the land of Egypt. 9Whenever David attacked the land, he did not leave a single person alive, either man or woman, but he took flocks, herds, donkeys, camels, and clothing.#1Sm 15:3; Jb 1:3 Then he came back to Achish, 10who inquired, “Where did you raid today?” #27:10 Some Hb mss, Syr, Tg; LXX, Vg, DSS read “Against whom did you raid today?”#1Sm 23:27
David replied, “The south country of Judah,” “The south country of the Jerahmeelites,”#1Sm 30:29; 1Ch 2:9,25 or “The south country of the Kenites.”#Jdg 1:16; 4:11
11David did not let a man or woman live to be brought to Gath, for he said, “Or they will inform on us and say, ‘This is what David did.’” This was David’s custom during the whole time he stayed in the Philistine territory. 12So Achish trusted David, thinking, “Since he has made himself repulsive to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever.”
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