| New Living Translation | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1But 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.” | 1Then David said to himself, "Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand." |
| 2So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath. | 2So David arose and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. |
| 3David 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. | 3And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's widow. |
| 4Word soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped hunting for him. | 4Now it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he no longer searched for him. |
| 5One 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.” | 5Then David said to Achish, "If now I have found favor in your sight, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?" |
| 6So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day), | 6So Achish gave him Ziklag that day; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. |
| 7and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months. | 7The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months. |
| 8David 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. | 8Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites and the Girzites and the Amalekites; for they were the inhabitants of the land from ancient times, as you come to Shur even as far as the land of Egypt. |
| 9David 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. | 9David attacked the land and did not leave a man or a woman alive, and he took away the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned and came to 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.” | 10Now Achish said, "Where have you made a raid today?" And David said, "Against the Negev of Judah and against the Negev of the Jerahmeelites and against the Negev of the Kenites." |
| 11No 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. | 11David did not leave a man or a woman alive to bring to Gath, saying, "Otherwise they will tell about us, saying, 'So has David done and so has been his practice all the time he has lived in the country of the Philistines.'" |
| 12Achish 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!” | 12So Achish believed David, saying, "He has surely made himself odious among his people Israel; therefore he will become my servant forever." |
| 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. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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