1 So the Philistims were gathered together with all their armies in Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by the fountaine, which is in Izreel. 2 And the princes of the Philistims went foorth by hundreths and thousandes, but Dauid and his men came behinde with Achish. 3 Then saide the princes of the Philistims, What doe these Ebrewes here? And Achish said vnto the princes of the Philistims, Is not this Dauid the seruant of Saul the King of Israel, who hath bene with me these dayes, or these yeeres, and I haue found nothing in him, since he dwelt with me vnto this day? 4 But the princes of the Philistims were wroth with him, and the princes of the Philistims said vnto him, Sende this fellow backe, that he may goe againe to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not goe downe with vs to battell, least that in the battell he be an aduersarie to vs: for wherewith should he obteine the fauour of his master? shoulde it not be with the heades of these men? 5 Is not this Dauid, of whome they sang in daunces, saying, Saul slewe his thousande, and Dauid his ten thousande? 6 Then Achish called Dauid, and said vnto him, As the Lord liueth, thou hast bene vpright and good in my sight, when thou wentest out and in with mee in the hoste, neither haue I founde euill with thee, since thou camest to me vnto this day, but the princes doe not fauour thee. 7 Wherefore nowe returne, and go in peace, that thou displease not the princes of the Philistims. 8 And Dauid said vnto Achish, But what haue I done? and what hast thou founde in thy seruant as long as I haue bene with thee vnto this day, that I may not goe and fight against the enemies of my lorde the King? 9 Achish then answered, and said to Dauid, I knowe thou pleasest mee, as an Angell of God: but the princes of the Philistims haue saide, Let him not goe vp with vs to battell. 10 Wherefore now rise vp earely in the morning with thy masters seruants that are come with thee: and when ye be vp earely, assoone as ye haue light, depart. 11 So Dauid and his men rose vp earely to depart in the morning, and to returne into the lande of the Philistims: and the Philistims went vp to Izreel.
David Is Rejected by the Philistines
1 The Philistines brought all their troops together at Aphek, while the Israelites camped at the spring in Jezreel Valley. 2 The five Philistine kings marched out with their units of a hundred and of a thousand men; David and his men marched in the rear with King Achish. 3 The Philistine commanders saw them and asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”
Achish answered, “This is David, an official of King Saul of Israel. He has been with me for quite some time now. He has done nothing I can find fault with since the day he came over to me.”
4 But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said to him, “Send that fellow back to the town you gave him. Don't let him go into battle with us; he might turn against us during the fighting. What better way is there for him to win back his master's favor than by the death of our men? 5 After all, this is David, the one about whom the women sang, as they danced, ‘Saul has killed thousands, but David has killed tens of thousands.’”
6 Achish called David and said to him, “I swear by the living God of Israel that you have been loyal to me; and I would be pleased to have you go with me and fight in this battle. I have not found any fault in you from the day you came over to me. But the other kings don't approve of you. 7 So go back home in peace, and don't do anything that would displease them.”
8 David answered, “What have I done wrong, sir? If, as you say, you haven't found any fault in me since the day I started serving you, why shouldn't I go with you, my master and king, and fight your enemies?”
9 “I agree,” Achish replied. “I consider you as loyal as an angel of God. But the other kings have said that you can't go with us into battle. 10 So then, David, tomorrow morning all of you who left Saul and came over to me will have to get up early and leave as soon as it's light.”
11 So David and his men started out early the following morning to go back to Philistia, and the Philistines went on to Jezreel.