And the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek; and Israel encamped by the spring that is in Jizreel.
And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rearward with Achish.
And the princes of the Philistines said, What are these Hebrews? And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years, and I have found nothing in him since the day of his falling away to me to this day?
But the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said to him, Make the man return, that he may go again to his place where thou hast appointed him, that he go not down with us to the battle, that in the battle he be not an adversary to us; for wherewith should this fellow reconcile himself to his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?
Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul smote his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
And Achish called David, and said to him, As Jehovah liveth, thou art upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the camp is acceptable to me; for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming to me to this day; but thou art not acceptable to the lords.
And now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.
And David said to Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee to this day, that I should not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?
And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art acceptable to me, as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.
And now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are come with thee; and rise ye early in the morning, and when ye have daylight, depart.
And David rose up early, he and his men, to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jizreel.
Canonical academic citations for 1 Samuel 29 (DBT) — copy in your preferred format.
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Philistine lords distrust David; Achish sends him back to Ziklag.
Transition from the era of judges to the monarchy.
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