1 Samuel 27

David Flees to the Philistines

1 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 u the six hundred men who were with him, v 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 w 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 x 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 y Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. 7 z And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

8 Now David a and his men went up and made raids against b the Geshurites, c the Girzites, and d the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, e 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 f made a raid today?" David would say, "Against the Negeb of Judah," or, "Against the Negeb of g the Jerahmeelites," or, "Against the Negeb of h 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. Cross References
    1 Samuel 23:13
    Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition.
    2 Samuel 15:18
    And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.
  2. Cross References
    1 Samuel 21:10
    And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath.
    1 Kings 2:39
    But it happened at the end of three years that two of Shimei's servants ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And when it was told Shimei, "Behold, your servants are in Gath.
  3. Cross References
    1 Samuel 25:43
    David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives.
  4. Cross References
    Genesis 33:15
    So Esau said, "Let me leave with you some of the people who are with me." But he said, "What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.
  5. Cross References
    Joshua 15:31
    Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah.
  6. Cross References
    1 Samuel 29:3
    The commanders of the Philistines said, "What are these Hebrews doing here?" And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, "Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day.
  7. Cross References
    1 Chronicles 12:1
    Now these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he could not move about freely because of Saul the son of Kish. And they were among the mighty men who helped him in war.
  8. Cross References
    Joshua 13:2
    This is the land that yet remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites
  9. Cross References
    Joshua 16:10
    However, they did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites have lived in the midst of Ephraim to this day but have been made to do forced labor.
    Judges 1:29
    And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.
  10. Cross References
    1 Samuel 15:7 - 8
    And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.
  11. Cross References
    1 Samuel 15:7
    And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.
  12. Cross References
    1 Samuel 23:27
    A messenger came to Saul, saying, "Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.
  13. Cross References
    1 Samuel 30:29
    In Racal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites.
  14. Cross References
    Judges 1:16
    And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad, and they went and settled with the people.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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