David Allied with the Philistines

27 And David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will 1despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.” 2 Then David arose aand went over with the six hundred men who were with him bto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3 So David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his household, and David cwith his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s widow. 4 And it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath; so he sought him no more.

5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have now found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” 6 So Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore dZiklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. 7 Now 2the time that David edwelt in the country of the Philistines was one full year and four months.

8 And David and his men went up and raided fthe Geshurites, gthe 3Girzites, and the hAmalekites. For those nations were the inhabitants of the land from 4of old, ias you go to Shur, even as far as the land of Egypt. 9 Whenever David 5attacked the land, he left neither man nor woman alive, but took away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the apparel, and returned and came to Achish. 10 Then Achish would say, “Where have you made a raid today?” And David would say, “Against the southern area of Judah, or against the southern area of jthe Jerahmeelites, or against the southern area of kthe Kenites.” 11 David would save neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gath, saying, “Lest they should inform on us, saying, ‘Thus David did.’ ” And thus was his behavior all the time he dwelt in the country of the Philistines. 12 So Achish believed David, saying, “He has made his people Israel utterly abhor him; therefore he will be my servant forever.”

28 Now ait happened in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war, to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, “You assuredly know that you will go out with me to battle, you and your men.”

2 So David said to Achish, “Surely you know what your servant can do.”

And Achish said to David, “Therefore I will make you one of my chief guardians forever.”

Saul Consults a Medium

3 Now bSamuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in cRamah, in his own city. And Saul had put dthe mediums and the spiritists out of the land.

4 Then the Philistines gathered together, and came and encamped at eShunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at fGilboa. 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was gafraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the Lord, hthe Lord did not answer him, either by idreams or jby Urim or by the prophets.

7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, kthat I may go to her and inquire of her.”

And his servants said to him, “In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.”

8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And lhe said, “Please conduct a séance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you.”

9 Then the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has mcut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?”

10 And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”

11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”

And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”

12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!”

13 And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?”

And the woman said to Saul, “I saw na 1spirit ascending out of the earth.”

14 So he said to her, “What is his form?”

And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with oa mantle.” And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down.

15 Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you pdisturbed me by bringing me up?”

And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and qGod has departed from me and rdoes not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.”

16 Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? 17 And the Lord has done for 2Himself sas He spoke by me. For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 tBecause you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His fierce wrath upon uAmalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. 19 Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with vme. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night.

21 And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled, and said to him, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice, and I have wput my life in my hands and heeded the words which you spoke to me. 22 Now therefore, please, heed also the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.”

23 But he refused and said, “I will not eat.”

So his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he heeded their voice. Then he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. 24 Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she hastened to kill it. And she took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it. 25 So she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.

The Philistines Reject David

29 Then athe Philistines gathered together all their armies bat Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. 2 And the clords of the Philistines 1passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but dDavid and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish. 3 Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”

And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me ethese days, or these years? And to this day I have ffound no fault in him since he defected to me.”

4 But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, g“Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to hbattle, lest iin the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these jmen? 5 Is this not David, kof whom they sang to one another in dances, saying:

l‘Saul has slain his thousands,

And David his ten thousands’?”

6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “Surely, as the Lord lives, you have been upright, and myour going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For to this day nI have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you. 7 Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.”

8 So David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

9 Then Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as good in my sight oas an angel of God; nevertheless pthe princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ 10 Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants qwho have come with 2you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.”

11 So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. rAnd the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

David’s Conflict with the Amalekites

30 Now it happened, when David and his men came to aZiklag, on the third day, that the bAmalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, 2 and had taken captive the cwomen and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. 3 So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two dwives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. 6 Now David was greatly distressed, for ethe people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was 1grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. fBut David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

7 gThen David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And hAbiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 iSo David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”

And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”

9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. 10 But David pursued, he and four