David and the Philistines 1 UST But David thought,“Some day Saul will capture me and kill me{ if I stay here in Israel}. So the best thing that I can do is certainly to flee to the region of Philistia. If I do that, Saul will stop searching for me here in Israel, and I will be safe from him.” BSB BSB: David, 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.”
2 UST So David and his 600 men left Israel and went to the city of Gath{ in the region of Philistia}. Achish son of Maoch was the king of that city. BSB BSB: So David set out with his six hundred men and went to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
3 UST Achish agreed that David and his men could live in Gath. So all of the men brought their families there. David brought his two wives with him, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal’ s widow, from Carmel. BSB BSB: 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 UST When Saul learned that David had gone to live in Gath, he stopped pursuing him. BSB BSB: And when Saul learned that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
5 UST One day David said to Achish,“If you are pleased with us, give us a place to live in one of the small villages in the countryside. We do not have to live here in the royal city with you.” BSB BSB: Then 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?”
6 UST Achish{ agreed and} gave David the town of Ziklag at that time.(As a result, Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since.) BSB BSB: That day Achish gave him Ziklag, and to this day it still belongs to the kings of Judah.
7 UST David and his men lived in the region of Philistia for a total of 16 months. BSB BSB: And the time that David lived in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.
8 UST While they were living there, David and his men attacked communities of the Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites. To do that, they went as far south as the region of Shur near the border of Egypt. The people in those communities had lived in that area for a very long time. BSB BSB: Now 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.)
9 UST Whenever David’ s men attacked these communities, they killed all of the people who lived in them. Then they took their sheep and cattle and donkeys and camels and clothes. They brought those things back home with them, and David would go to talk with Achish. BSB BSB: Whenever 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,
10 UST Each time Achish would ask David,“Where did you go raiding today?” David would{ lie to him and} sometimes say that he and his men had attacked the people who lived in the Negeb within the territory of Judah. Other times, he would say that they had attacked the Jerahmeelites who lived in the Negeb. And at other times, he would say that they had attacked the Kenites who lived in the Negeb. BSB BSB: who 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.”
11 UST David’ s men never brought anyone alive back to Gath. David thought,“If we do not kill everyone, some of them will tell Achish the truth about what we really did.” David did that the whole time that he and his men lived in the region of Philistia. BSB BSB: David 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.
12 UST Achish believed what David told him, and he thought,“Because of what David has done, his own people, the Israelites, must now hate him very much. So he will always have to stay here and serve me.” BSB BSB: So Achish trusted David, thinking, “Since he has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever.”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.