1 And Dawiḏ said in his heart, “Now I shall perish by the hand of Sha’ul, some day. There is naught better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Sha’ul shall give up searching for me any longer in any part of Yisra’ĕl, and I shall escape out of his hand.”
2 So Dawiḏ rose up and passed over with the six hundred men who were with him to Aḵish son of Ma‛oḵ, sovereign of Gath.
3 And Dawiḏ dwelt with Aḵish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his household – Dawiḏ with his two wives, Aḥino‛am the Yizre‛ĕlitess, and Aḇig̅ayil the Karmelitess, Naḇal’s widow.
4 And it was reported to Sha’ul that Dawiḏ had fled to Gath, so he sought him no more.
5 And Dawiḏ said to Aḵish, “If I have now found favour in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, to dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”
6 And Aḵish gave him Tsiqlag̅ that day. That is why Tsiqlag̅ has belonged to the sovereigns of Yehuḏah to this day.
7 And the time that Dawiḏ dwelt in the country of the Philistines came to be a year and four months.