1 And the Pelishtites gathered all their armies at Aphĕq, while Yisra’ĕl encamped by a fountain which is in Yizre’ĕl.
2 And the princes of the Pelishtites were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and Dawiḏ and his men were passing on in the rear with Aḵish.
3 And the princes of the Pelishtites said, “Who are these Iḇrim?” And Aḵish said to the princes of the Pelishtites, “Is this not Dawiḏ, the servant of Sha’ul sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found naught in him since he came over.”
4 But the princes of the Pelishtites were wroth with him, and the princes of the Pelishtites said to him, “Send the man back, let him return to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he appease his master, if not with the heads of these men?
5 “Is this not Dawiḏ, of whom they sang to each other in dances, saying, ‘Sha’ul smote his thousands, and Dawiḏ his ten thousands’?”
6 And Aḵish called Dawiḏ and said to him, “As 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 lives, you have been straight, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my eyes. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. But in the eyes of the princes you are not good.
7 “And now, return, and go in peace, and do no evil in the eyes of the princes of the Pelishtites.”
8 And Dawiḏ said to Aḵish, “But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I should not go and fight against the enemies of my master the sovereign?”
9 But Aḵish answered and said to Dawiḏ, “I know that you are as good in my eyes as a messenger of Elohim, but the princes of the Pelishtites have said, ‘Let him not go up with us to the battle.’
10 “And now, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, then go.”
11 And Dawiḏ and his men rose up early to go in the morning, to return to the land of the Pelishtites, and the Pelishtites went up to Yizre’ĕl.