1 ل َكِنَّ داوُدَ قالَ فِي نَفسِهِ: «لا بُدَّ أنْ أقَعَ فِي يَدِ شاوُلَ يَوماً ما فَيَقتُلَنِي. وَإنَّ أفضَلَ حَلٍّ لِي هُوَ أنْ أهرُبَ إلَى أرْضِ الفِلِسْطِيِّينَ. فَحِينَئِذٍ، سَيَكُفُّ شاوُلُ عَنِ البَحْثِ عَنِّي فِي إسْرائِيلَ. وَبِهَذا أنجُو مِنهُ.»

¶ And David said in his heart, In the end I shall be killed some day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than that I should escape once and for all into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more within the borders of Israel; so shall I escape out of his hand.

2 ف َتَرَكَ داوُدُ وَرِجالُهُ السِّتُّ مِئَةِ إسْرائِيلَ، وَلَجَأُوا إلَى أخِيشَ بْنِ مَعُوكَ مَلِكِ جِتَّ.

And David arose, and he went over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

3 ف َسَكَنَ داوُدُ وَرِجالُهُ وَعائِلاتُهُمْ فِي جَتَّ مَعَ أخِيشَ. وَكانَتْ مَعَ داوُدَ زَوجَتاهُ أخِينُوعَمَ الَّتِي مِنْ يَزرَعيلَ، وَأبِيجايِلُ، أرمَلَةُ نابالَ، الَّتِي مِنَ الكَرمِلِ.

And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each one with his household, David with his two wives, Ahinoam, the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, who had been the wife of Nabal of Carmel.

4 و َوَصَلَ شاوُلَ خَبَرُ هَرَبِ داوُدَ إلَى جَتَّ، فَتَوَقَّفَ عَنِ البَحثِ عَنهُ.

And it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, and he sought him no more.

5 و َقالَ داوُدُ لأخِيشَ: «إنْ كُنتَ راضِياً عَنِّي، فَأعطِنِي مَكاناً فِي أحَدِ الأماكِنِ الرِّيفِيَّةِ لِأسكُنَ فِيهِ. فَما أنا إلّا خادِمُكَ. وَلا يَجُوزُ لِي أنْ أسكُنَ مَعَكَ فِي عاصِمَتِكَ هَذِهِ.»

And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let me be given a place in one of the cities of the land that I may dwell there, for why should thy slave dwell in the royal city with thee?

6 ف َأعطاهُ أخِيشُ فِي ذَلِكَ اليَومِ مَدِينَةَ صِقلَغَ. فَصارَتْ صِقلِغُ مُنذُ ذَلِكَ الوَقتِ لِمُلُوكِ يَهُوذا.

Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore, Ziklag pertains to the kings of Judah unto this day.

7 ف َسَكَنَ داوُدُ مَعَ الفِلِسْطِيِّينَ سَنَةً وَأربَعَةَ أشهُرٍ. داوُدُ يَخدَعُ المَلِكَ أخِيش

And the number of days that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was four months and some days.

8 و َذَهَبَ داوُدُ وَرِجالُهُ لِكَي يُحارِبُوا عَمالِيقَ وَالجَشُورِيِّينَ وَالْجَرْزِّيِّينَ السّاكِنِينَ فِي المِنطَقَةِ المُمتَدَّةِ مِنْ شُورٍ حَتَّى مِصْرَ. فَتَغَلَّبَ داوُدُ وَرِجالُهُ عَلَيهِمْ وَأخَذُوا ثَرَواتِهِمْ.

¶ And David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites and the Gezrites and the Amalekites, for these had inhabited the land for a long time, from as thou goest unto Shur even unto the land of Egypt.

9 ه َزَمَ داوُدُ سُكّانَ تِلكَ المِنطَقَةِ وَقَتَلَهُمْ جَمِيعاً، وَأخَذَ خِرافَهُمْ وَبَقَرَهُمْ وَحَمِيرَهُمْ وَجِمالَهُمْ وَمَلابِسَهُمْ وَعادَ بِها إلَى أخِيشَ.

And David smote the land and left neither man nor woman alive and took away the sheep and the oxen and the asses and the camels and the apparel and returned and came to Achish.

10 و َفِي كُلِّ مَرَّةٍ، كانَ أخِيشُ يَسألُ داوُدَ: «مَنْ غَزَوْتَ اليَومَ؟» فَيُجِيبُ داوُدُ: «غَزَوْتُ الجُزءَ الجَنُوبِيَّ مِنْ يَهُوذا،» أوْ: «غَزَوْتُ الجُزءَ الجَنُوبِيَّ مِنْ يَرْحَمئِيلَ،» أوْ «غَزَوْتُ الجُزءَ الجَنُوبِيَّ مِنْ أرْضِ القِينِيِّينَ.»

And Achish would say, Where have ye raided today? And David would say, Against the south of Judah and towards the Negev of the Jerahmeelites or towards the Negev of the Kenites.

11 و َلَمْ يُحضِرْ داوُدُ أسِيراً أوْ أسِيرَةً مَعَهُ إلَى جَتَّ. فَقَدْ قالَ فِي نَفسِهِ: «إنْ أبقَيتُ عَلَى أحَدٍ مِنهُمْ حَيّاً، فَرُبَّما يُخبِرُ أخِيشَ بِحَقِيقَةِ ما فَعَلتُهُ.» هَكَذا كانَ يَفعَلُ داوُدُ طَوالَ مُدَّةِ إقامَتِهِ فِي أرْضِ الفِلِسْطِيِّينَ.

And David left neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David. And this was his manner all the time he dwelt in the land of the Philistines.

12 ف َبَدَأ أخِيْشُ يَثِقُ بِداوُدَ، وَقالَ فِي نَفسِهِ: «صارَ الآنَ داوُدَ مَكرُوهاً جِدّاً عَندَ شَعبِهِ بَنِي إسْرائِيلَ، فَالآنَ سَيَخدِمُنِي إلَى الأبَدِ.»

And Achish believed David, saying, He is making himself abominable unto his people of Israel; therefore, he shall be my slave for ever.