And Dawiḏ said in his heart, “Now I shall perish by the hand of Sha’ul, some day. There is naught better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Sha’ul shall give up searching for me any longer in any part of Yisra’ĕl, and I shall escape out of his hand.”
So Dawiḏ rose up and passed over with the six hundred men who were with him to Aḵish son of Ma‛oḵ, sovereign of Gath.
And Dawiḏ dwelt with Aḵish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his household – Dawiḏ with his two wives, Aḥino‛am the Yizre‛ĕlitess, and Aḇiḡayil the Karmelitess, Naḇal’s widow.
And it was reported to Sha’ul that Dawiḏ had fled to Gath, so he sought him no more.
And Dawiḏ said to Aḵish, “If I have now found favour in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, to dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”
And Aḵish gave him Tsiqlaḡ that day. That is why Tsiqlaḡ has belonged to the sovereigns of Yehuḏah to this day.
And the time that Dawiḏ dwelt in the country of the Philistines came to be a year and four new moons.
And Dawiḏ and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, and the Girzites, and the Amalĕqites. For those nations were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as you go to Shur, even as far as the land of Mitsrayim.
And when Dawiḏ had stricken the land, he left neither man nor woman alive, but took away sheep, and cattle, and donkeys, and camels, and garments, and returned and came to Aḵish.
And Aḵish would say, “Where have you made a raid today?” And Dawiḏ would say, “Against the South of Yehuḏah, or against the South of the Yeraḥme’ĕlites, or against the South of the Qĕynites.”
Dawiḏ did not keep alive man nor woman, to bring news to Gath, saying, “Lest they inform against us, saying, ‘Thus Dawiḏ did.’ ” And this was his practice all the days that he dwelt in the country of the Philistines.
And Aḵish trusted Dawiḏ, saying to himself, “He has indeed made himself a stench to his people in Yisra’ĕl, and has become my servant forever.”
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