Dāvids Gatas ķēniņa dienestā
1 Dāvids pie sevis domāja: “Kādu dienu Sauls mani iznīdēs! Vai nebūtu labāk, ja es bēgtu projām uz filistiešu zemi? Tad Saulam zudīs cerība mani atrast Israēla robežās un es būšu izsprucis no viņa rokām.” 2 Dāvids cēlās un kopā ar sešiem simtiem vīru, kas bija pie viņa, devās pāri pie Gatas ķēniņa Ahīša, Māoha dēla. 3 Dāvids un viņa vīri ar ģimenēm apmetās pie Ahīša Gatā – Dāvids ar abām sievām, jizreēlieti Ahīnoamu un karmelieti Abīgailu, Nābāla atraitni. 4 Kad Saulam pastāstīja, ka Dāvids aizbēdzis uz Gatu, viņš to vairs nemeklēja.
5 Dāvids teica Ahīšam: “Ja esmu guvis tavu vēlību, tad lai man ierāda vietu kādā lauku miestā, kur apmesties. Kāpēc lai tavs kalps dzīvotu kopā ar tevi ķēniņu pilsētā?” 6 Tajā pašā dienā Ahīšs atdeva viņam Ciklagu, tāpēc līdz šai dienai Ciklaga pieder Jūdas ķēniņiem.
7 Dāvids nodzīvoja filistiešu zemēs gadu un četrus mēnešus. 8 Un Dāvids ar saviem vīriem devās sirojumos pret gešūriešiem, geraziešiem un amālēkiešiem, kuri izsenis apdzīvoja šo zemi līdz Šūrai – līdz pat Ēģiptes zemei. 9 Kad Dāvids iebruka viņu zemē, viņš neatstāja dzīvu nevienu – ne vīrus, ne sievas. Viņš ņēma avis, vēršus, ēzeļus un kamieļus, kā arī drānas un atgriezās pie Ahīša. 10 Kad Ahīšs vaicāja: “Kur šoreiz sirojāt?” – Dāvids atbildēja: “Jūdas dienvidzemē,” vai: “Jerahmeēliešu dienvidzemē,” vai: “Kēniešu dienvidzemē.” 11 Viņš neatstāja dzīvus ne vīrus, ne sievas – nevienu neveda uz Gatu, domādams: “Ka tie neizstāsta par mums, sacīdami: tā Dāvids ir darījis!” Tā viņš rīkojās visu laiku, kamēr dzīvoja filistiešu zemēs. 12 Ahīšs uzticējās Dāvidam un domāja: “Viņš smirdēt sasmirdis savai tautai Israēlam! Nu viņš būs mans kalps uz mūžu.”
David among the Philistines
1 David said to himself, “One of these days Saul will kill me. The best thing for me to do is to escape to Philistia. Then Saul will give up looking for me in Israel, and I will be safe.” 2 So David and his six hundred men went over at once to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3 David and his men settled there in Gath with their families. David had his two wives with him, Ahinoam from Jezreel, and Abigail, Nabal's widow, from Carmel. 4 When Saul heard that David had fled to Gath, he gave up trying to find him.
5 David said to Achish, “If you are my friend, let me have a small town to live in. There is no need, sir, for me to live with you in the capital city.” 6 So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag, and for this reason Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. 7 David lived in Philistia for sixteen months.
8 During that time David and his men would attack the people of Geshur, Girzi, and Amalek, who had been living in the region a very long time. He would raid their land as far as Shur, all the way down to Egypt, 9 killing all the men and women and taking the sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and even the clothes. Then he would come back to Achish, 10 who would ask him, “Where did you go on a raid this time?” and David would tell him that he had gone to the southern part of Judah or to the territory of the clan of Jerahmeel or to the territory where the Kenites lived. 11 David would kill everyone, men and women, so that no one could go back to Gath and report what he and his men had really done. This is what David did the whole time he lived in Philistia. 12 But Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He is hated so much by his own people the Israelites that he will have to serve me all his life.”
