1 Samuel 27–31

David Flees to the Philistines

27Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.” ²So David arose and went over, he and ^uthe six hundred men who were with him, ^vto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. ³And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with ^whis two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow. ⁴And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him.

⁵Then David said to Achish, “If ^xI have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” ⁶So that day Achish gave him ^yZiklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. ^7zAnd the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

⁸Now David ^aand his men went up and made raids against ^bthe Geshurites, ^cthe Girzites, and ^dthe Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, ^eas far as Shur, to the land of Egypt. ⁹And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish. ¹⁰When Achish asked, “Where have you ^fmade a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or, “Against the Negeb of ^gthe Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of ^hthe Kenites.” ¹¹And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’ ” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines. ¹²And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”

Saul and the Medium of En-dor

28In those days ⁱthe Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army.” ²David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”

³Now ^jSamuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him ^kin Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put ^lthe mediums and the necromancers out of the land. ⁴The Philistines assembled and came and encamped ^mat Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped ⁿat Gilboa. ⁵When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. ⁶And when Saul inquired of the Lord, ^othe Lord did not answer him, either ^pby dreams, or ^qby Urim, or by prophets. ⁷Then Saul said to his servants, ^r“Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at ^sEn-dor.”

⁸So Saul ^tdisguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, ^u“Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.” ⁹The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, ^lhow he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?” ¹⁰But Saul swore to her by the Lord, ^v“As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” ¹¹Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” ¹²When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.” ¹³The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” ¹⁴He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped ^win a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.

¹⁵Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and ^xGod has turned away from me and ^yanswers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.” ¹⁶And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy? ¹⁷The Lord has done to you as he spoke by me, for ^zthe Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. ^18aBecause you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. ¹⁹Moreover, the Lord will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you ^band your sons shall be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.”

²⁰Then Saul fell at once full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night. ²¹And the woman came to Saul, and when she saw that he was terrified, she said to him, “Behold, your servant has obeyed you. ^cI have taken my life in my hand and have listened to what you have said to me. ²²Now therefore, you also obey your servant. Let me set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.” ²³He refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, urged him, and he listened to their words. So he arose from the earth and sat on the bed. ²⁴Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly killed it, and she took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread of it, ²⁵and she put it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.

The Philistines Reject David

29^dNow the Philistines had gathered all their forces at ^eAphek. And the Israelites were encamped by ^fthe spring that is in ^gJezreel. ²As ^hthe lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear ⁱwith Achish, ³the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me ^jnow for days and years, and since he deserted to me ^kI have found no fault in him to this day.” ⁴But ^hthe commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return ^lto the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, ^mlest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? ⁵Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances,

ⁿ‘Saul has struck down his thousands,

and David his ten thousands’?”

⁶Then Achish called David and said to him, ^o“As the Lord lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that ^pyou should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. ⁷So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” ⁸And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” ⁹And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight ^qas an angel of God. Nevertheless, ^rthe commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ ¹⁰Now then rise early in the morning ^swith the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.” ¹¹So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to ^tJezreel.

David’s Wives Are Captured

30Now when David and his men came to ^uZiklag on the third day, ^vthe Amalekites had ^wmade a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire ²and taken captive the women and all¹ who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. ³And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. ⁴Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. ⁵David’s ^xtwo wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ⁶And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke ^yof stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul,² each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

^7zAnd David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. ^8aAnd David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this ^bband? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake ^cand shall surely rescue.” ⁹So David set out, and ^dthe six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. ¹⁰But David pursued, he and four hundred men. ^eTwo hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.

¹¹They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, ¹²and they gave him a piece…