David Lives with the Philistines

27 But David ·thought to himself [^Lsaid in his heart], “·Saul will catch me someday [^LEventually I will die/perish at Saul’s hands]. The best thing I can do is escape to the land of the Philistines. Then he will give up looking for me in Israel, and I can ·get away from him [^Lescape from his hand].”

² So David and his six hundred men ·left Israel and went [^Lcrossed over] to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath. ³ David, his men, and their ·families [households] made their home in Gath with Achish. David had his two wives with him—Ahinoam of Jezreel [25:43] and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal [25:1–42]. ⁴ When Saul heard that David had run away to Gath, he stopped ·looking [searching; hunting] for him.

⁵ Then David said to Achish, “If ·you are pleased with me [^LI have found favor in your eyes/sight], give me a place in one of the country towns where I can live. ·I don’t need to [^LWhy should your servant…?] live in the royal city with you.”

⁶ That day Achish gave David the town of Ziklag, and Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ·ever since [to this day]. ⁷ David lived in the Philistine land a year and four months.

⁸ David and his men raided the people of Geshur, Girzi, and Amalek. (These people had lived ·for a long time [since ancient times] in the land ·that reached to [near] Shur ·in the direction of [or as far as] Egypt.) ⁹ When David ·fought [attacked; ^Lstruck] them, he ·killed [^Ldid not let live] all the men and women and took their sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.

¹⁰ Achish would ask David, “Where did you go raiding today?” And David would tell him ·that he had gone to the southern part [against the Negev] of Judah, or [against the Negev of] Jerahmeel, or ·to the land [against the Negev] of the Kenites. ¹¹ David never brought a man or woman alive to Gath. He thought, “If we bring people alive, they may tell Achish, ‘This is what David really did.’” David did this all the time he lived in the Philistine land. ¹² So Achish trusted David and said to himself, “·David’s own people, the Israelites, now hate him very much [^LHe has made himself detested/abhorrent/odious to his people Israel]. He will ·serve me [^Lbe my servant] forever.”