1No entanto, David pensava consigo mesmo: “Pode ainda acontecer que Saul me apanhe. O melhor é tentar a minha sorte entre os filisteus, até que Saul realmente desista e deixe de perseguir-me. Só então estarei novamente seguro.”2Por isso, ele e os seus 600 homens e as suas famílias foram viver para Gate, sob a proteção do rei Aquis, filho de Maoque.3Tinha consigo as suas duas mulheres, Ainoã de Jezreel e Abigail do Carmelo, a viúva de Nabal.4Saul veio a saber, em breve, que David tinha fugido para Gate e que tinha parado de o perseguir.5Um dia, David disse a Aquis: “Meu senhor, se não te parecesse mal, gostaríamos de viver antes numa das cidades da província e não aqui na capital.”6Então Aquis deu-lhe Ziclague, cidade que ainda hoje pertence aos reis de Judá.7E ali viveram entre os filisteus durante um ano e quatro meses.8David e os seus homens passavam o tempo a fazer incursões sobre os gesuritas, os girzitas e os amalequitas, povos filisteus que viviam perto de Sur, ao longo do caminho do Egito, desde tempos remotos.9Não deixavam alma viva nas localidades sobre as quais caíam e traziam como despojo carneiros, bois, jumentos e camelos, além de vestuário, quando regressavam a casa.10“Então onde foi a vossa incursão hoje?”, perguntava-lhes Aquis, quando voltavam. E David respondia: “Caímos sobre o sul de Judá, sobre o povo jerameelita e sobre os queneus.”11Porque não ficava ninguém vivo para dizer onde tinham realmente estado. Fizeram isto muitas vezes, enquanto viveram no meio dos filisteus.12Aquis acreditava no que David dizia e pensava que o povo de Israel devia aborrecê-lo profundamente. “Ele agora vê-se obrigado a ficar aqui e a servir-me até ao fim da vida!”, pensava o rei.
1Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”2So David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. (1 Sm 21:10; 1 Sm 23:13; 2 Sm 15:18; 1 Rs 2:39)3And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow. (1 Sm 25:43)4And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him.5Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” (Gn 33:15)6So that day Achish gave him Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. (Js 15:31)7And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months. (1 Sm 29:3)8Now David and his men went up and made raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt. (Js 13:2; Js 16:10; Jz 1:29; 1 Sm 15:7)9And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish.10When Achish asked, “Where have you made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.” (Jz 1:16; 1 Sm 23:27; 1 Sm 30:29)11And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines.12And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”