1 Samuel 27
The full text of 1 Samuel 27 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 David said in his heart, "Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me throughout all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand."
2 David arose and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath.
3 David stayed with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each with his household, and David with his two wives—Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal's widow.
4 When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
5 David said to Achish, "If I have found favor in your eyes, let me be given a place in one of the country towns so that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?"
6 So Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.
7 The number of days that David lived in the territory of the Philistines was a year and four months.
8 David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, even to the land of Egypt.
9 David would strike the land and leave neither man nor woman alive. He would take the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing, then return and come to Achish.
10 When Achish asked, "Where did you raid today?" David would say, "Against the Negev of Judah," or "Against the Negev of the Jerahmeelites," or "Against the Negev of the Kenites."
11 David would leave neither man nor woman alive to be brought to Gath, thinking, "Lest they tell on us, saying, 'This is what David did.'" Such was his practice all the time he lived in the territory of the Philistines.
12 Achish trusted David, thinking, "He has made himself utterly odious to his people Israel; he will be my servant forever."
Translation notes (8)
- 1 Samuel 27:1a The Hebrew phrase 'ein-li tov means 'there is nothing good for me'; this reflects David's pragmatic calculation of his situation.
- 1 Samuel 27:5a David seeks distance from Achish's oversight in order to operate independently.
- 1 Samuel 27:6a This is an etiological note, meaning it explains the origin of Ziklag's later status as property belonging to the crown of Judah.
- 1 Samuel 27:7a The Hebrew phrase yamim ve-'arba'ah chodashim means 'days and four months'; in this context, 'days' likely refers to one year.
- 1 Samuel 27:8a The Hebrew name Girzi refers to an otherwise unknown people; some manuscripts read 'Gezerites'.
- 1 Samuel 27:9a David eliminates all witnesses in order to conceal his actual targets from Achish.
- 1 Samuel 27:10a David claims to raid Judahite territory, deceiving Achish into thinking that he has become Israel's enemy.
- 1 Samuel 27:12a The Hebrew phrase hav'esh hiv'ish literally means 'he has surely made himself stink,' which is an idiom for becoming detested.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own translation of Scripture, made directly from the original Hebrew rather than revised from an older English Bible. Completed in 2026, it is the most modern English Bible translation available, and it is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Reading the TBV here on the web is free — the full study edition, with original-language tools and notes on every verse, lives in the Trinity Bible app.
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