¹David said in his heart , “I will now perish one day by the hand of Saul . There is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines ; and Saul will despair of me , to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel . So I will escape out of his hand .”

²David arose and passed over , he and the six hundred men who were with him , to Achish the son of Maoch , king of Gath .

³David lived with Achish at Gath , he and his men , every man with his household , even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the Carmelitess , Nabal ’s wife.

⁴Saul was told that David had fled to Gath , so he stopped looking for him .

⁵David said to Achish, “If now I have found favour in your eyes , let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country , that I may dwell there . For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you ?”

⁶Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day : therefore Ziklag belongs to the kings of Judah to this day .

⁷The number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months .

⁸David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites , the Girzites, and the Amalekites ; for those were the inhabitants of the land who were of old , on the way to Shur , even to the land of Egypt .

⁹David struck the land, and saved no man or woman alive , and took away the sheep , the cattle , the donkeys , the camels , and the clothing. Then he returned , and came to Achish.

¹⁰Achish said, “Against whom have you made a raid today ?”

David said, “Against the South of Judah , against the South of the Jerahmeelites , and against the South of the Kenites .”

¹¹David saved neither man nor woman alive to bring them to Gath , saying, “Lest they should tell about us , saying, ‘David did this , and this has been his way all the time he has lived in the country of the Philistines .’”

¹²Achish believed David , saying, “He has made his people Israel utterly to abhor him . Therefore he will be my servant forever .”