New Century Version NCV
The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 But David thought to himself, "Saul will catch me someday. The best thing I can do is escape to the land of the Philistines. Then he will give up looking for me in Israel, and I can get away from him."
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But David said to himself, "One day Sha'ul will sweep me away. The best thing for me to do is to escape into the territory of the P'lishtim. Then Sha'ul will give up trying to find me here or there in Isra'el's territory, and at last I'll be free of him."
2 So David and his six hundred men left Israel and went to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath.
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So David set out with his six hundred men and passed on to Akhish the son of Ma'okh, king of Gat.
3 David, his men, and their families made their home in Gath with Achish. David had his two wives with him -- Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.
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David lived with Akhish, he and his men, each man with his household - including David with his two wives Achino'am from Yizre'el and Avigayil from Karmel, Naval's widow.
4 When Saul heard that David had run away to Gath, he stopped looking for him.
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Sha'ul was told that David had escaped to Gat, whereupon he stopped searching for him.
5 Then David said to Achish, "If you are pleased with me, give me a place in one of the country towns where I can live. I don't need to live in the royal city with you."
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David said to Akhish, "If you are now favorably disposed toward me, let me have a place to live in one of the cities in the countryside. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?"
6 That day Achish gave David the town of Ziklag, and Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since.
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That very day Akhish gave him Ziklag, and that's why to this day Ziklag belongs to the kings of Y'hudah.
7 David lived in the Philistine land a year and four months.
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After David had been living in the country of the P'lishtim for a year and four months,
8 David and his men raided the people of Geshur, Girzi, and Amalek. (These people had lived for a long time in the land that reached to Shur and Egypt.)
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he and his men began going up and raiding the G'shuri, the Gizri and the 'Amaleki (from ancient times these people had lived in the land in the direction of Shur, all the way to Egypt).
9 When David fought them, he killed all the men and women and took their sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.
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David would attack the land, leaving alive neither men nor women, but taking the sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels and clothing. Then he would return and go to Akhish.
10 Achish would ask David, "Where did you go raiding today?" And David would tell him that he had gone to the southern part of Judah, or Jerahmeel, or to the land of the Kenites.
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Akhish would ask, "Where were you raiding today?" and David would answer, "Against the Negev of Y'hudah," or "Against the Negev of the Yerachme'eli," or "Against the Negev of the Keni."
11 David never brought a man or woman alive to Gath. He thought, "If we bring people alive, they may tell Achish, 'This is what David really did.'" David did this all the time he lived in the Philistine land.
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The reason David spared neither men nor women to be brought to Gat is that he thought, "We don't want them telling on us, saying, 'David did so-and-so.'" That's how he conducted his raids for as long as he lived in the country of the P'lishtim.
12 So Achish trusted David and said to himself, "David's own people, the Israelites, now hate him very much. He will serve me forever."
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And Akhish believed him; he said, "David has caused his own people Isra'el to despise him utterly; he will be my servant forever."
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.