1 Samuel 27: 1 - 29: 11
| 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: and he sought no more again 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.” |
| 1In those days, the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. Achish said to David, “Know assuredly that you will go out with me in the army, you and your men.” |
| 2David said to Achish, “Therefore you will know what your servant can do.” |
| Achish said to David, “Therefore I will make you my bodyguard forever.” |
| 3Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. Saul had sent away those who had familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land. 4The Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and encamped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped in Gilboa. 5When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6When Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD didn’t answer him by dreams, by Urim, or by prophets. 7Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman who has a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her.” |
| His servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who has a familiar spirit at Endor.” |
| 8Saul disguised himself and put on other clothing, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night. Then he said, “Please consult for me by the familiar spirit, and bring me up whomever I shall name to you.” |
| 9The woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who have familiar spirits and the wizards out of the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?” |
| 10Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no punishment will happen to you for this thing.” |
| 11Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up to you?” |
| He said, “Bring Samuel up for me.” |
| 12When the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!” |
| 13The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid! What do you see?” |
| The woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” |
| 14He said to her, “What does he look like?” |
| She said, “An old man comes up. He is covered with a robe.” Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and showed respect. |
| 15Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me, to bring me up?” |
| Saul answered, “I am very distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me, and answers me no more, by prophets, or by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I shall do.” |
| 16Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has departed from you and has become your adversary? 17The LORD has done to you as he spoke by me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your neighbour, even to David. 18Because you didn’t obey the LORD’s voice, and didn’t execute his fierce wrath on Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you today. 19Moreover the LORD will deliver Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines; and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will deliver the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.” |
| 20Then Saul fell immediately his full length on the earth, and was terrified, because of Samuel’s words. There was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all day long or all night long. |
| 21The woman came to Saul, and saw that he was very troubled, and said to him, “Behold, your servant has listened to your voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have listened to your words which you spoke to me. 22Now therefore, please listen also to the voice of your servant, and let me set a morsel of bread before you. Eat, that you may have strength, when you go on your way.” |
| 23But he refused, and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, constrained him; and he listened to their voice. So he arose from the earth and sat on the bed. 24The woman had a fattened calf in the house. She hurried and killed it; and she took flour, and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread of it. 25She brought it before Saul, and before his servants; and they ate. Then they rose up, and went away that night. |
| 1Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek; and the Israelites encamped by the spring which is in Jezreel. 2The lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rear with Achish. |
| 3Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What about these Hebrews?” |
| Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Isn’t this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or rather these years? I have found no fault in him since he fell away until today.” |
| 4But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; and the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where you have appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For with what should this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Should it not be with the heads of these men? 5Isn’t this David, of whom people sang to one another in dances, saying, |
| ‘Saul has slain his thousands, |
| and David his ten thousands?’” |
| 6Then Achish called David, and said to him, “As the LORD lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight; for I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords don’t favour you. 7Therefore now return, and go in peace, that you not displease the lords of the Philistines.” |
| 8David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant so long as I have been before you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” |
| 9Achish answered David, “I know that you are good in my sight, as an angel of God. Notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ 10Therefore now rise up early in the morning with the servants of your lord who have come with you; and as soon as you are up early in the morning, and have light, depart.” |
| 11So David rose up early, he and his men, to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel. |
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