But David thought to himself, “One of
these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is
to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for
me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”
2 So
David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maok
king of Gath. 3 David and his men settled in Gath with Achish.
Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of
Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. 4 When Saul
was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
5 Then
David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be
assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should
your servant live in the royal city with you?”
6 So
on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah
ever since. 7 David lived in Philistine territory a year and
four months.
8 Now
David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the
Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending
to Shur and Egypt.) 9 Whenever David attacked an area, he did
not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels,
and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.
10 When
Achish asked, “Where did you go raiding today?” David would say, “Against the
Negev of Judah” or “Against the Negev of Jerahmeel” or “Against the Negev of
the Kenites.” 11 He did not leave a man or woman alive to be
brought to Gath, for he thought, “They might inform on us and say, ‘This is what
David did.’” And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine
territory. 12 Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He has
become so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant
for life.”
“I
loathe my very life;
therefore I will give free rein to my complaint
and speak out in the bitterness of my soul. 2 I say to God: Do not declare me guilty,
but tell me what charges you have against me. 3 Does it please you to oppress me,
to spurn the work of your hands,
while you smile on the plans of the wicked? 4 Do you have eyes of flesh?
Do you see as a mortal sees? 5 Are your days like those of a mortal
or your years like those of a strong man, 6 that you must search out my faults
and probe after my sin— 7 though you know that I am not guilty
and that no one can rescue me from your hand?
8 “Your
hands shaped me and made me.
Will you now turn and destroy me? 9 Remember that you molded me like clay.
Will you now turn me to dust again? 10 Did you not pour me out like milk
and curdle me like cheese, 11 clothe me with skin and flesh
and knit me together with bones and sinews? 12 You gave me life and showed me kindness,
and in your providence watched over my spirit.
13 “But
this is what you concealed in your heart,
and I know that this was in your mind: 14 If I sinned, you would be watching me
and would not let my offense go unpunished. 15 If I am guilty—woe to me!
Even if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head,
for I am full of shame
and drowned in[a] my
affliction. 16 If I hold my head high, you stalk me like a lion
and again display your awesome power against me. 17 You bring new witnesses against me
and increase your anger toward me;
your forces come against me wave upon wave.
18 “Why
then did you bring me out of the womb?
I wish I had died before any eye saw me. 19 If only I had never come into being,
or had been carried straight from the womb to the
grave! 20 Are not my few days almost over?
Turn away from me so I can have a moment’s joy 21 before I go to the place of no return,
to the land of gloom and utter darkness, 22 to the land of deepest night,
of utter darkness and disorder,
where even the light is like darkness.”
