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1 Samuel 27
New Living Translation
1 Samuel 27
New Living Translation
David among the Philistines
27 But David kept thinking to himself, “Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe.”
2 So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath. 3 David and his men and their families settled there with Achish at Gath. David brought his two wives along with him—Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’s widow from Carmel. 4 Word soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped hunting for him.
5 One day David said to Achish, “If it is all right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns instead of here in the royal city.”
6 So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day), 7 and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months.
8 David and his men spent their time raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites—people who had lived near Shur, toward the land of Egypt, since ancient times. 9 David did not leave one person alive in the villages he attacked. He took the sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing before returning home to see King Achish.
10 “Where did you make your raid today?” Achish would ask.
And David would reply, “Against the south of Judah, the Jerahmeelites, and the Kenites.”
11 No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been. This happened again and again while he was living among the Philistines. 12 Achish believed David and thought to himself, “By now the people of Israel must hate him bitterly. Now he will have to stay here and serve me forever!”
1 Samuel 27
1599 Geneva Bible
1 Samuel 27
1599 Geneva Bible
27 2 David fleeth to Achish King of Gath, who giveth him Ziklag. 8 David destroyeth certain of the Philistines. 10 Achish is deceived by David.
1 And David said in his heart, I shall now [a]perish one day by the hand of Saul: is it not better for me that I save myself in the land of the Philistines, and that Saul may have no hope of me to seek me anymore in all the coasts of Israel, and so escape out of his hand?
2 David therefore arose, and he, and the six hundred men that were with him, went unto Achish the son of Maoch king of Gath.
3 And David [b]dwelt with Achish at Gath, he, and his men, every man with his household, David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite, and Abigail Nabal’s wife the Carmelite.
4 And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: so he sought no more for him.
5 And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, [c]let them give me a place in some other city of the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the head city of the kingdom with thee?
6 Then Achish gave him Ziklag that same day: therefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.
7 ¶ And [d]the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines, was four months and certain days.
8 Then David and his men went up, and invaded the [e]Geshurites, and the Girzites, and the Amalekites: for they inhabited the land from the beginning, from the way, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.
9 And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took sheep, and oxen, and asses, and camels, and apparel, and returned and came to Achish.
10 And Achish said, [f]Where have ye been a roving this day? And David answered, Against the South of Judah, and against the South of the [g]Jerahmeelites, and against the South of the Kenites.
11 And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, and say, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while that he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines.
12 And Achish believed David, saying, [h]He hath made his people of Israel utterly to abhor him: therefore he shall be my servant forever.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 27:1 David distrusteth God’s protection, and therefore fleeth unto the idolaters, who were enemies to God’s people.
- 1 Samuel 27:3 Thus God by his providence changeth the enemy’s hearts, and maketh them to favor his in their necessity.
- 1 Samuel 27:5 Let thine officers appoint me a place.
- 1 Samuel 27:7 Hebrew, the number of the days.
- 1 Samuel 27:8 These were the wicked Canaanites, whom God had appointed to be destroyed.
- 1 Samuel 27:10 Or, against whom.
- 1 Samuel 27:10 Which were a family of the tribe of Judah, 1 Chron. 2:9.
- 1 Samuel 27:12 Or, he doth surely abhor his people.
1 Samuel 27
Tree of Life Version
1 Samuel 27
Tree of Life Version
David Settles in Ziklag
27 Then David said in his heart, “One day I’ll be swept away by the hand of Saul. There’s nothing better for me than to escape immediately to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me in all the territories of Israel, so I’ll escape from his hand.” 2 So David rose and crossed over, he and the 600 men that were with him, to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3 David stayed with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives—Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow. 4 So when Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
5 Then David said to Achish, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, let me be given a place in one of the country towns, so I may live there. Why should your servant stay in the royal city with you?” 6 So Achish granted him Ziklag that day. Thus Ziklag came to belong to the kings of Judah to this day. 7 The number of days that David stayed in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.
8 Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Gizrites and the Amalekites, for those were inhabitants of the region from ancient times, as you go all the way from Shur and as far as the land of Egypt. 9 David attacked the region and was leaving not a man or woman alive, and took away sheep, oxen, donkeys, camels and clothing. When he returned and came to Achish, 10 Achish would ask, “Where have you raided today?”
So David would reply, “Against the Negev of Judah, against the Negev of the Jerahmeelite and against the Negev of the Kenites.” 11 David left no man or woman alive to bring to Gath, thinking, “Unless they should tell about us, saying: ‘So did David.’” So was his practice all the time he stayed in the country of the Philistines. 12 Then Achish trusted David, saying, “He has certainly made himself abhorrent to his people Israel; therefore, he will be my vassal forever.”
1 Samuel 27
New International Version
1 Samuel 27
New International Version
David Among the Philistines
27 But David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”
2 So David and the six hundred men(A) with him left and went(B) over to Achish(C) son of Maok king of Gath. 3 David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives:(D) Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. 4 When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”
6 So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag,(E) and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. 7 David lived(F) in Philistine territory a year and four months.
8 Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites,(G) the Girzites and the Amalekites.(H) (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur(I) and Egypt.) 9 Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive,(J) but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.
10 When Achish asked, “Where did you go raiding today?” David would say, “Against the Negev of Judah” or “Against the Negev of Jerahmeel(K)” or “Against the Negev of the Kenites.(L)” 11 He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, “They might inform on us and say, ‘This is what David did.’” And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory. 12 Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He has become so obnoxious(M) to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life.(N)”
1 Samuel 27
King James Version
1 Samuel 27
King James Version
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.
2 And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
3 And 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.
4 And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.
5 And 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?
6 Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.
7 And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.
8 And 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.
9 And 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.
10 And 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.
11 And 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.
12 And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.
New Living Translation (NLT)
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
Tree of Life Version (TLV)
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.