27But David kept thinking to himself, "Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe."H1732H559H3820H5595H259H3117H3027H7586H2896H3588H4422H4422H776H6430H7586H2976H1245H1366H3478H4422H30272So David took his 600 men and went over and joined Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.H1732H6965H5674H8337H3967H376H397H1121H4582H4428H16613David and his men and their families settled there with Achish at Gath. David brought his two wives along with him—Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, Nabal's widow from Carmel.H1732H3427H397H1661H582H376H1004H1732H8147H802H293H3159H26H3762H5037H8024Word soon reached Saul that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped hunting for him.H5046H7586H1732H1272H1661H1245H3254H32545One day David said to Achish, "If it is all right with you, we would rather live in one of the country towns instead of here in the royal city."H1732H559H397H4672H2580H5869H5414H4725H259H5892H7704H3427H5650H3427H4467H58926So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag (which still belongs to the kings of Judah to this day),H397H5414H6860H3117H6860H4428H3063H31177and they lived there among the Philistines for a year and four months.H4557H3117H1732H3427H7704H6430H3117H702H23208David and his men spent their time raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites—people who had lived near Shur, toward the land of Egypt, since ancient times.H1732H582H5927H6584H1651H1511H6003H2007H5769H3427H776H935H7793H776H47149David did not leave one person alive in the villages he attacked. He took the sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing before returning home to see King Achish.H1732H5221H776H376H802H2421H3947H6629H1241H2543H1581H899H7725H935H39710"Where did you make your raid today?" Achish would ask. And David would reply, "Against the south of Judah, the Jerahmeelites, and the Kenites."H397H559H408H6584H3117H1732H559H5045H3063H5045H3397H5045H701711No one was left alive to come to Gath and tell where he had really been. This happened again and again while he was living among the Philistines.H1732H2421H376H802H2421H935H1661H559H5046H559H6213H1732H4941H3117H3427H7704H643012Achish believed David and thought to himself, "By now the people of Israel must hate him bitterly. Now he will have to stay here and serve me forever!"H397H539H1732H559H5971H3478H887H887H5650H5769
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