1 Samuel 27:1-12
David Lives with the Philistines
1 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 with him left and went over to Achish 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: 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, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. 7 David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.
8 Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) 9 Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, 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” or “Against the Negev of the Kenites.” 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 to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life.”
David thought to himself, “Saul will catch me some day...The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines...Then Saul will give up looking for me in Israel...That way I will escape from Saul.”...So David and his 600 men left Israel and went to Achish son of Maok...Achish was king of Gath...David, his men, and their families lived in Gath with Achish...David had his two wives with him—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel...Abigail was the widow of Nabal...People told Saul that David had run away to Gath, so Saul stopped looking for him...David said to Achish, “If you are pleased with me, give me a place in one of the country towns...I am only your servant...I should live there, not here with you in this royal city.”...That day Achish gave David the town of Ziklag...And Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since...David lived with the Philistines one year and four months...
David and his men went to fight the Amalekites and Geshurites who lived in the area from Telem near Shur all the way to Egypt...David’s men defeated them and took their wealth...David defeated the people in that area...He took all their sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothes and brought them back to Achish...But David didn’t let any of those people live...David did this many times...Each time Achish asked David where he fought and took those things...David said, “I fought against the southern part of Judah,” or “I fought against the southern part of Jerahmeel,” or “I fought against the southern part of the Kenizzites.”...David never brought a man or woman alive to Gath...He thought, “If we let anyone live, they might tell Achish what I really did.”...David did this all the time he lived in the Philistine land...Achish began to trust David and said to himself, “Now David’s own people hate him...The Israelites hate him very much...Now he will serve me forever.”...