| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1David, however, said to himself, “One of these days now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me all over Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.” | 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.” |
| 2So David set out with his six hundred men and went to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath. | 2So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath. |
| 3David 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. | 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. |
| 4And when Saul learned that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him. | 4Word soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped hunting for him. |
| 5Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let me be assigned a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. For why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” | 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.” |
| 6That day Achish gave him Ziklag, and to this day it still belongs to the kings of Judah. | 6So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day), |
| 7And the time that David lived in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months. | 7and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months. |
| 8Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these people had inhabited the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) | 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. |
| 9Whenever David attacked a territory, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but he took the flocks and herds, the donkeys, camels, and clothing. Then he would return to Achish, | 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. |
| 10who would ask him, “What have you raided today?” And David would reply, “The Negev of Judah,” or “The Negev of Jerahmeel,” or “The Negev of the Kenites.” | 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.” |
| 11David did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he said, “Otherwise they will report us, saying, ‘This is what David did.’ ” And this was David’s custom the whole time he lived in Philistine territory. | 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. |
| 12So Achish trusted David, thinking, “Since he has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever.” | 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!” |
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