1 Samuel 27
English Standard Version
David Flees to the Philistines
27 Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.” 2 So David arose and went over, he and (A)the six hundred men who were with him, (B)to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3 And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with (C)his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow. 4 And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him.
5 Then David said to Achish, “If (D)I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” 6 So that day Achish gave him (E)Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. 7 (F)And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.
8 Now David (G)and his men went up and made raids against (H)the Geshurites, (I)the Girzites, and (J)the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, (K)as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt. 9 And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish. 10 When Achish asked, “Where have you (L)made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or, “Against the Negeb of (M)the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of (N)the Kenites.” 11 And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines. 12 And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”
1 Samuel 27
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 27
David’s Flight to the Philistines.[a] 1 David thought to himself, “One of these days I will perish at Saul’s hands. I might as well escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul will give up hope of catching me anywhere in the territory of Israel, and I will escape out of his hand.”
2 David and his six hundred followers went over to Achish, the son of Maoch, the king of Gath. 3 David stayed with Achish at Gath. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam, the Jezreelite, and Abigail, Nabal’s wife, of Carmel. 4 When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he did not go out after him anymore.
5 David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your sight, then let me be given a place in one of your country towns to live. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” 6 That day Achish gave him Ziklag. Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah up to the present. 7 David lived in the territory of the Philistines for one year and four months.
David’s Raids. 8 David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Gezrites, and the Amalekites. (From the days of old these were the people who lived in the land running from Shur down to the land of Egypt.) 9 When David attacked a place, he did not leave a man or a woman alive. He took the sheep, oxen, donkeys, camels, and clothes, and he would then return to Achish.
10 [b]When Achish would ask, “Where have you gone raiding today,” David would say to him, “To the south of Judah, or to the south of the Jerahmeelites, or to the south of the Kenites.”
11 David did not leave a man or a woman alive to bring them to Gath, for he thought they might say, “This is what David did.” He did this the whole time that he was living among the Philistines. 12 Achish trusted David saying, “He has become so utterly hateful to his people, Israel, that he will be my servant forever.”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 27:1 The text from here to the end of the Book is clearly divided into two sections. The first relates David’s difficult situation that forces him into exile among the Philistines. The second contrasts Saul’s situation: he is mastered by fear; God abandons him.
- 1 Samuel 27:10 David’s deception seems warranted considering Achish is not a friend to Israel, and David needs someplace to hide from Saul.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
