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 stop searching for me everywhere in Israel, and I’ll escape from him.” 2So David set out with his 600 men # 1Sm 25:13 and went 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 time that David stayed in the 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, # 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? ” # 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 “Against 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 detestable to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever.”
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1 Samuel 27: HCSB
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© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
1 Kings 27
27
1And David said in his heart: I shall one day or other fall into the hands of Saul. Is it not better for me to flee, and to be saved in the land of the Philistines, that Saul may despair of me, and cease to seek me in all the coasts of Israel? I will flee then out of his hands.
2And David arose and went away, both he and the six hundred men that were with him, to Achis the son of Maoch, king of Geth.
3And David dwelt with Achis at Geth, he and his men: every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Achinoam the Jezrahelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal of Carmel.
4And it was told Saul that David was fled to Geth: and he sought no more after him.
5And David said to Achis: If I have found favour in thy sight, let a place be given me in one of the cities of this country, that I may dwell there. For why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?
6Then Achis gave him Siceleg that day: for which reason Siceleg belongeth to the kings of Juda unto this day.
7And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was four months.
8And David and his men went up, and pillaged Gessuri, and Gerzi, and the Amalecites: for these were of old the inhabitants of the countries, as men go to Sur, even to the land of Egypt.
9And David wasted all 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 Achis.
10And Achis said to him: Whom hast thou gone against to day? David answered: Against the south of Juda, and against the south of Jerameel, and against the south of Ceni.
11And David saved neither man nor woman, neither brought he any of them to Geth, saying: Lest they should speak against us. So did David, and such was his proceeding all the days that he dwelt in the country of the Philistines.
12And Achis believed David, saying: He hath done much harm to his people Israel; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.