1 Samuel 27

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 'One of these days,' David thought, 'I shal perish at the hand of Saul. The best thing that I can do is toget away into the country of the Philistines; then Saul will give up tracking me through the length and breadth ofIsrael and I shal be safe from him.'	1 And David said in his heart: “At some time, I will one day fall into the hands of Saul. Is it not better if I flee, and be saved in the land of the Philistines, so that Saul may despair and cease to seek me in all the parts of Israel? Therefore, I will flee away from his hands.”
2 So David set off and went over, he and his six hundred men, to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath.	2 And David rose up and went away, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish, the son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
3 He settled at Gath with Achish, he and his men, each with his family and David with his two wives,Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail widow of Nabal of Carmel.	3 And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men: each man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam, the Jezreelite, and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel.
4 When news reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, he stopped searching for him.	4 And it was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath. And so, he did not continue to seek him.
5 David said to Achish, 'If I have won your favour, let me be given a place in one of the outlying towns,where I can live. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?'	5 And David said to Achish: “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given to me in one of the cities of this region, so that I may live there. For why should your servant stay in the city of the king with you?”
6 That very day Achish gave him Ziklag; and this is why Ziklag has been the property of the kings ofJudah to the present day.	6 And so, Achish gave Ziklag to him on that day. And for this reason, Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah, even to this day.
7 The time that David stayed in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.	7 Now the number of days that David lived in the region of the Philistines was four months.
8 David and his men went out on raids against the Geshurites, Girzites and Amalekites, for these arethe tribes inhabiting the region which, from Telam, goes in the direction of Shur, as far as Egypt.	8 And David and his men went up and took plunder from Geshuri, and from Girzi, and from the Amalekites. For in the land long ago, these were the inhabitants of the area, going from Shur as far as the land of Egypt.
9 David laid the countryside waste and left neither man nor woman alive; he carried off the sheep andcattle, the donkeys, camels and clothing, and then came back again to Achish.	9 And David struck the entire land. Neither did he leave alive man or woman. And he took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the donkeys, and the camels, and the garments. And he returned and went to Achish.
10 Achish would ask, 'Where did you go raiding today?' David would reply, 'Against the Negeb ofJudah,' or 'the Negeb of Jerahmeel,' or 'the Negeb of the Kenites.'	10 Then Achish said to him, “Whom did you go out against today?” And David responded, “Against the south of Judah, and against the south of Jerahmeel, and against the south of Keni.”
11 David spared neither man nor woman to bring back alive to Gath, 'in case', as he thought, 'theyinform on us and say, "David did such and such." ' This was the way David conducted his raids al the time hestayed in Philistine territory.	11 Neither man nor woman was left alive by David. Neither did he lead back any of them to Gath, saying, “Lest perhaps they may speak against us.” David did these things. And this was his decision during all the days that he lived in the region of the Philistines.
12 Achish trusted David. 'He has made himself detested by his own people Israel,' he thought, 'and sowil be my servant for ever.'	12 Therefore, Achish trusted David, saying: “He has worked much harm against his people Israel. And so, he will be a servant to me forever.”