1 Samuel 27:1–7

David Escapes to the Philistines

¹Then David said in his heart, “Now I will be swept away one day by the hand of Saul. ^aThere is nothing better for me than that I should utterly escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”

²So David arose and crossed over, he and ^athe six hundred men who were with him, to ^bAchish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

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

⁴And it was told to Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he no longer searched for him.

⁵Then David said to Achish, “If now I have found favor in your sight, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”

⁶So Achish gave him Ziklag that day; therefore ^aZiklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.

⁷And the number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was ^aa year and four months.