1The Philistines gathered all their camps at Aphek, while Israel was camped by the spring that is in Jezreel.
2And the lords of the Philistines were passing along by hundreds and by thousands, while David and his men were passing along at the rear with Achish.
3The commanders of the Philistines said, "What are these Hebrews?" And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, "Is this not David, the slave of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no speck in him from the day of his falling away until this day?"
4The commanders of the Philistines were angry with him, and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, "Send back the man, so that he may return to his place where you appointed him, and let him not go down with us into the war, so that he will not become an adversary to us in the war. For with what would he make himself acceptable this one to his lord? Is it not with the heads of those men?"
5"Is not this David, of whom they sang in answer in the dances, saying, 'Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'?"
6Achish summoned David and said to him, "As Yahweh lives, you are upright, and good in my eyes is your going out and your coming in with me in the camp, for I have found no evil in you from the day of your coming to me until this day; but in the eyes of the lords you are not good.
7And now turn back and go in wholeness, and do not do evil in the eyes of the lords of the Philistines."
8David said to Achish, "What have I done, and what have you found in your slave from the day when I was before you until this day, that I may not come and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?"
9Achish answered and said to David, "I know that you are good in my eyes, like a messenger of God; only the commanders of the Philistines have said, 'He will not go up with us in the war.'
10And now, rise early in the morning, you and the slaves of your lord who have come with you; and when you have risen early in the morning and it grows light for you, go."
11So David rose early, he and his men, to go in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines; and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.