¹ David said in his heart, "I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel. So shall I escape out of his hand."

² David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

³ David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife.

⁴ It was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.

⁵ David said to Achish, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?"

⁶ Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: why Ziklag pertains to the kings of Judah to this day.

⁷ The number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.

⁸ David and his men went up, and made a raid on the Geshurites, and the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those [nations] were the inhabitants of the land, who were of old, as you go to Shur, even to the land of Egypt.

⁹ David struck the land, and saved neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the cattle, and the donkeys, and the camels, and the clothing; and he returned, and came to Achish.

¹⁰ Achish said, "Against whom have you made a raid today?" David said, "Against the South of Judah, against the South of the Jerahmeelites, and against the South of the Kenites."

¹¹ David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, "Lest they should tell of us, saying, 'So did David, and so has been his way all the while he has lived in the country of the Philistines.'"

¹² Achish believed David, saying, "He has made his people Israel utterly to abhor him. Therefore he shall be my servant forever."

¹ In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah: "We have a strong city. God appoints salvation for walls and bulwarks.

² Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter: the one which keeps faith.

³ You will keep whoever's mind is steadfast in perfect peace, because he trusts in you.

⁴ Trust in Yahweh forever; for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock.

⁵ For he has brought down those who dwell on high, the lofty city. He lays it low. He lays it low even to the ground. He brings it even to the dust.

⁶ The foot shall tread it down; Even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy."

⁷ The way of the just is uprightness. You who are upright make the path of the righteous level.

⁸ Yes, in the way of your judgments, Yahweh, have we waited for you. Your name and your renown are the desire of our soul.

⁹ With my soul have I desired you in the night. Yes, with my spirit within me will I seek you earnestly; for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

¹⁰ Let favor be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness. In the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully, and will not see Yahweh's majesty.

¹¹ Yahweh, your hand is lifted up, yet they don't see; but they will see your zeal for the people, and be disappointed. Yes, fire will consume your adversaries.

¹² Yahweh, you will ordain peace for us, for you have also worked all our works for us.

¹³ Yahweh our God, other lords besides you have had dominion over us, but by you only will we make mention of your name.

¹⁴ The dead shall not live. The deceased shall not rise. Therefore have you visited and destroyed them, and caused all memory of them to perish.

¹⁵ You have increased the nation, O Yahweh. You have increased the nation! You are glorified! You have enlarged all the borders of the land.

¹⁶ Yahweh, in trouble they have visited you. They poured out a prayer when your chastening was on them.

¹⁷ Like as a woman with child, who draws near the time of her delivery, is in pain and cries out in her pangs; so we have been before you, Yahweh.

¹⁸ We have been with child. We have been in pain. We gave birth, it seems, only to wind. We have not worked any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.

¹⁹ Your dead shall live. My dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast forth the dead.

²⁰ Come, my people, enter into your rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation is past.

²¹ For, behold, Yahweh comes forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also will disclose her blood, and will no longer cover her slain.