| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1And David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.” | 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. Then Saul will stop searching for me everywhere in Israel, and I'll escape from him." |
| 2Then David arose and went over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. | 2So David set out with his 600 men and went to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath. |
| 3So David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s widow. | 3David and his men stayed with Achish in Gath. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow. |
| 4And it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath; so he sought him no more. | 4When it was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him. |
| 5Then David said to Achish, “If I have now found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” | 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?" |
| 6So Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. | 6That day Achish gave Ziklag to him, and it still belongs to the kings of Judah today. |
| 7Now the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was one full year and four months. | 7The time that David stayed in the Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months. |
| 8And David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. For those nations were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as you go to Shur, even as far as the land of Egypt. | 8David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. From ancient times they had been the inhabitants of the region through Shur as far as the land of Egypt. |
| 9Whenever David attacked the land, he left neither man nor woman alive, but took away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the apparel, and returned and came to Achish. | 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. Then he came back to Achish, |
| 10Then Achish would say, “Where have you made a raid today?” And David would say, “Against the southern area of Judah, or against the southern area of the Jerahmeelites, or against the southern area of the Kenites.” | 10who inquired, "Where did you raid today?" David replied, "The south country of Judah," "The south country of the Jerahmeelites," or "Against the south country of the Kenites." |
| 11David would save neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gath, saying, “Lest they should inform on us, saying, ‘Thus David did.’ ” And thus was his behavior all the time he dwelt in the country of the Philistines. | 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 believed David, saying, “He has made his people Israel utterly abhor him; therefore he will be my servant forever.” | 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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