27David said to himself, "One of these days I'll be swept away by Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape immediately to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me everywhere in Israel, and I'll escape from him."H1732H559H3820H5595H259H3117H3027H7586H2896H3588H4422H4422H776H6430H7586H2976H1245H1366H3478H4422H30272So David set out with his 600 men and went to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.H1732H6965H5674H8337H3967H376H397H1121H4582H4428H16613David and his men stayed with Achish in Gath. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow.H1732H3427H397H1661H582H376H1004H1732H8147H802H293H3159H26H3762H5037H8024When it was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.H5046H7586H1732H1272H1661H1245H3254H32545Now David said to Achish, "If I have found favor with you, let me be given a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?"H1732H559H397H4672H2580H5869H5414H4725H259H5892H7704H3427H5650H3427H4467H58926That day Achish gave Ziklag to him, and it still belongs to the kings of Judah today.H397H5414H6860H3117H6860H4428H3063H31177The time that David stayed in the Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.H4557H3117H1732H3427H7704H6430H3117H702H23208David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. From ancient times they had been the inhabitants of the region through Shur as far as the land of Egypt.H1732H582H5927H6584H1651H1511H6003H2007H5769H3427H776H935H7793H776H47149Whenever David attacked the land, he did not leave a single person alive, either man or woman, but he took flocks, herds, donkeys, camels, and clothing. Then he came back to Achish,H1732H5221H776H376H802H2421H3947H6629H1241H2543H1581H899H7725H935H39710who inquired, "Where did you raid today?" David replied, "The south country of Judah," "The south country of the Jerahmeelites," or "Against the south country of the Kenites."H397H559H408H6584H3117H1732H559H5045H3063H5045H3397H5045H701711David did not let a man or woman live to be brought to Gath, for he said, "Or they will inform on us and say, 'This is what David did.' " This was David's custom during the whole time he stayed in the Philistine territory.H1732H2421H376H802H2421H935H1661H559H5046H559H6213H1732H4941H3117H3427H7704H643012So Achish trusted David, thinking, "Since he has made himself detestable to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever."H397H539H1732H559H5971H3478H887H887H5650H5769