1 Samuel 27–31

DAVID FLEES TO ZIKLAG

27David said to himself, “One of these days I’ll be swept away by Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape immediately to the land of the Philistines.^t Then Saul will give up searching for me everywhere in Israel, and I’ll escape from him.” ²So David set out with his six hundred men^u and went over to Achish son of Maoch,^v the king of Gath. ³David and his men stayed with Achish in Gath. Each man had his family with him,^w and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel,^x Nabal’s widow. ⁴When it was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

⁵Now David said to Achish, “If I have found favor with you, let me be given a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” ⁶That day Achish gave Ziklag^y to him, and it still belongs to the kings of Judah today. ⁷The length of time that David stayed in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.^z

⁸David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites,^aa the Girzites,^A and the Amalekites.^ab From ancient times they had been the inhabitants of the region through Shur^ac as far as the land of Egypt. ⁹Whenever David attacked the land, he did not leave a single person alive, either man or woman, but he took flocks, herds, donkeys, camels, and clothing.^ad Then he came back to Achish, ¹⁰who inquired, “Where did you raid today?”^Bae

David replied, “The south country of Judah,” “The south country of the Jerahmeelites,”^a or “The south country of the Kenites.”^b

¹¹David did not let a man or woman live to be brought to Gath, for he said, “Or they will inform on us and say, ‘This is what David did.’ ” This was David’s custom during the whole time he stayed in the Philistine territory. ¹²So Achish trusted David, thinking, “Since he has made himself repulsive to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever.”

SAUL AND THE MEDIUM

28At that time, the Philistines^c gathered their military units into one army to fight against Israel. So Achish said to David, “You know, of course, that you and your men must march out in the army^C with me.”

²David replied to Achish, “Good, you will find out what your servant can do.”

So Achish said to David, “Very well, I will appoint you as my permanent bodyguard.”^d

³By this time Samuel had died,^e all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his city,^f and Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.^{g 4}The Philistines gathered and camped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel, and they camped at Gilboa. ⁵When Saul saw the Philistine camp, he was afraid and his heart pounded. ⁶He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him in dreams or by the Urim or by the prophets.^{h 7}Saul then said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her.”

His servants replied, “There is a woman at En-dorⁱ who is a medium.”^j

⁸Saul disguised himself^k by putting on different clothes and set out with two of his men. They came to the woman at night, and Saul said, “Consult a spirit for me.^l Bring up for me the one I tell you.”^m

⁹But the woman said to him, “You surely know what Saul has done,ⁿ how he has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you setting a trap for me to get me killed?”

¹⁰Then Saul swore to her by the Lord: “As surely as the Lord lives, no punishment will come to you^D from this.”

¹¹“Who is it that you want me to bring up for you?” the woman asked.

“Bring up Samuel for me,” he answered.

¹²When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, and then she asked Saul, “Why did you deceive me? You are Saul!”

¹³But the king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”

“I see a spirit form^A coming up out of the earth,” the woman answered.

¹⁴Then Saul asked her, “What does he look like?”

“An old man is coming up,” she replied. “He’s wearing a robe.”^o Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he knelt low with his face to the ground and paid homage.^p

¹⁵“Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Samuel asked Saul.

“I’m in serious trouble,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me and God has turned away from me.^q He doesn’t answer me anymore,^r either through the prophets or in dreams. So I’ve called on you to tell me what I should do.”

¹⁶Samuel answered, “Since the Lord has turned away from you and has become your enemy, why are you asking me? ¹⁷The Lord has done^B exactly what he said through me: The Lord has torn the kingship out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David.^{s 18}You did not obey the Lord and did not carry out his burning anger against Amalek;^t therefore the Lord has done this to you today. ¹⁹The Lord will also hand Israel over to the Philistines along with you. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me,^Cu and the Lord will hand Israel’s army over to the Philistines.”

²⁰Immediately, Saul fell flat on the ground. He was terrified by Samuel’s words and was also weak because he had not eaten anything all day and all night. ²¹The woman came over to Saul, and she saw that he was terrified and said to him, “Look, your servant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands^v and did what you told me to do. ²²Now please listen to your servant. Let me set some food in front of you. Eat and it will give you strength so you can go on your way.”

²³He refused, saying, “I won’t eat,” but when his servants and the woman urged him, he listened to them.^w He got up off the ground and sat on the bed.^x

²⁴The woman had a fattened calf at her house, and she quickly slaughtered it.^y She also took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread. ²⁵She served it to Saul and his servants, and they ate. Afterward, they got up and left that night.

PHILISTINES REJECT DAVID

29The Philistines^a brought all their military units together at Aphek^b while Israel was camped by the spring in Jezreel.^{c 2}As the Philistine leaders were passing in review with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men^d were passing in review behind them with Achish. ³Then the Philistine commanders asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”

Achish answered the Philistine commanders, “That is David, servant of King Saul of Israel. He has been with me a considerable period of time.^D From the day he defected until today, I’ve found no fault with him.”^e

⁴The Philistine commanders, however, were enraged with Achish and told him, “Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him.^f He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the battle.^g What better way could he ingratiate himself with his master than with the heads of our men? ⁵Isn’t this the David they sing about during their dances:

Saul has killed his thousands,

but David his tens of thousands?”^h

⁶So Achish summoned David and told him, “As the Lord lives, you are an honorable man. I think it is good^A to have you fighting^B in this unit with me, because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until today.ⁱ But the leaders don’t think you are reliable. ⁷Now go back quietly and you won’t be doing anything the Philistine leaders think is wrong.”

⁸“But what have I done?”^j David replied to Achish. “From the first day I entered your service until today, what have you found against your servant to keep me from going to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

⁹Achish answered David, “I’m convinced that you are as reliable as an angel of God.^k But the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He must not go into battle with us.’^{l 10}So get up early in the morning, you and your masters’ servants who came with you.^Cm When you’ve all gotten up early, go as soon as it’s light.” ¹¹So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

DAVID’S DEFEAT OF THE AMALEKITES

30David and his menⁿ arrived in Ziklag^o on the third day. The Amalekites^p had raided the Negev and attacked and burned Ziklag. ²They also had kidnapped the women and everyone^D in it from youngest to oldest. They had killed no one but had carried them off^q as they went on their way.

³When David and his men arrived at the town, they found it burned. Their wives, sons, and daughters had been kidnapped. ⁴David and the troops with him wept loudly until they had no strength left to weep. ⁵David’s two wives,^r Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had also been kidnapped. ⁶David was in an extremely difficult position because the troops talked about stoning him,^s for they were all very bitter over the loss of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.^t

⁷David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.”^u So Abiathar brought it to him, ⁸and David asked the Lord,^v “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?”^w

The Lord replied to him, “Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them and rescue the people.”^x

⁹So David and the six hundred men with him^y went. They came to the Wadi Besor, where some stayed behind.^{z 10}David and four hundred of the men continued the pursuit, while two hundred stopped because they were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor.

¹¹David’s men found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him some bread to eat and water to drink. ¹²Then they gave him some pressed figs and two clusters of raisins. After he ate he revived,^aa for he hadn’t eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights.

¹³Then David said to him, “Who do you belong to? Where are you from?”

“I’m an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite man,” he said. “My master abandoned me when I got sick three days ago. ¹⁴We raided the south country of the Cherethites,^a the territory of Judah, and the south country of Caleb,^b and we burned Ziklag.”^c

¹⁵David then asked him, “Will you lead me to these raiders?”

He said, “Swear to me by God that you won’t kill me or turn me over to…