1 Samuel 27 (Shmuel Alef) in Hebrew and English
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Text (469) 608-99441 Samuel, Chapter 27
Fearing that he will perish by the hand of Shaul, David goes over with his six hundred men to Achish king of Gat, who gives him Tziklag; there he dwells a year and four months, raiding the Geshuri, the Gizri and the Amaleki while telling Achish he has raided the south of Yehudah.
27:1And David said in his heart, “I shall now perish one day by the hand of Shaul (Saul): there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Pelishtim (Philistines); and Shaul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.”
אוַיֹּ֤אמֶר דָּוִד֙ אֶל־לִבּ֔וֹ עַתָּ֛ה אֶסָּפֶ֥ה יוֹם־אֶחָ֖ד בְּיַד־שָׁא֑וּל אֵֽין־לִ֨י ט֜וֹב כִּ֣י הִמָּלֵ֥ט אִמָּלֵ֣ט ׀ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֗ים וְנוֹאַ֨שׁ מִמֶּ֤נִּי שָׁאוּל֙ לְבַקְשֵׁ֤נִי עוֹד֙ בְּכָל־גְּב֣וּל יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְנִמְלַטְתִּ֖י מִיָּדֽוֹ׃
27:2And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Ma’och (Maoch), king of Gat (Gath).
בוַיָּ֣קָם דָּוִ֔ד וַיַּעֲבֹ֣ר ה֔וּא וְשֵׁשׁ־מֵא֥וֹת אִ֖ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עִמּ֑וֹ אֶל־אָכִ֥ישׁ בֶּן־מָע֖וֹךְ מֶ֥לֶךְ גַּֽת׃
27:3And David dwelt with Achish at Gat, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Achinoam (Ahinoam) the Yizre’elit (Jezreelitess), and Avigayil (Abigail) the Karmelit (Carmelitess), Naval’s (Nabal’s) wife.
גוַיֵּשֶׁב֩ דָּוִ֨ד עִם־אָכִ֥ישׁ בְּגַ֛ת ה֥וּא וַאֲנָשָׁ֖יו אִ֣ישׁ וּבֵית֑וֹ דָּוִד֙ וּשְׁתֵּ֣י נָשָׁ֔יו אֲחִינֹ֨עַם֙ הַיִּזְרְעֵאלִ֔ית וַאֲבִיגַ֥יִל אֵֽשֶׁת־נָבָ֖ל הַֽכַּרְמְלִֽית׃
27:4And it was told Shaul that David was fled to Gat: and he sought no more again for him.
דוַיֻּגַּ֣ד לְשָׁא֔וּל כִּֽי־בָרַ֥ח דָּוִ֖ד גַּ֑ת וְלֹֽא־יָסַ֥ף (כתיב יוסף) ע֖וֹד לְבַקְשֽׁוֹ׃
27:5And David said unto Achish, “If I have now found grace in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”
הוַיֹּ֨אמֶר דָּוִ֜ד אֶל־אָכִ֗ישׁ אִם־נָא֩ מָצָ֨אתִי חֵ֤ן בְּעֵינֶ֨יךָ֙ יִתְּנוּ־לִ֣י מָק֗וֹם בְּאַחַ֛ת עָרֵ֥י הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה וְאֵ֣שְׁבָה שָּׁ֑ם וְלָ֨מָּה יֵשֵׁ֧ב עַבְדְּךָ֛ בְּעִ֥יר הַמַּמְלָכָ֖ה עִמָּֽךְ׃
27:6Then Achish gave him Tziklag (Ziklag) that day: wherefore Tziklag pertains unto the kings of Yehudah (Judah) unto this day.
ווַיִּתֶּן־ל֥וֹ אָכִ֛ישׁ בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא אֶת־צִֽקְלָ֑ג לָכֵ֞ן הָיְתָ֤ה צִֽקְלַג֙ לְמַלְכֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃
27:7And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Pelishtim was a full year and four months.
זוַֽיְהִי֙ מִסְפַּ֣ר הַיָּמִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־יָשַׁ֥ב דָּוִ֖ד בִּשְׂדֵ֣ה פְלִשְׁתִּ֑ים יָמִ֖ים וְאַרְבָּעָ֥ה חֳדָשִֽׁים׃
27:8And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshuri (Geshurites), and the Gizri (Gezrites), and the Amaleki (Amalekites): for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as you go to Shur, even unto the land of Mitzrayim (Egypt).
חוַיַּ֤עַל דָּוִד֙ וַֽאֲנָשָׁ֔יו וַֽיִּפְשְׁט֛וּ אֶל־הַגְּשׁוּרִ֥י וְהַגִּזְרִ֖י (כתיב והגרזי) וְהָעֲמָלֵקִ֑י כִּ֣י הֵ֜נָּה יֹשְׁב֤וֹת הָאָ֨רֶץ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר מֵֽעוֹלָ֔ם בּוֹאֲךָ֥ שׁ֖וּרָה וְעַד־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
27:9And David struck the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the donkeys, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.
טוְהִכָּ֤ה דָוִד֙ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ וְלֹ֥א יְחַיֶּ֖ה אִ֣ישׁ וְאִשָּׁ֑ה וְלָקַח֩ צֹ֨אן וּבָקָ֜ר וַחֲמֹרִ֤ים וּגְמַלִּים֙ וּבְגָדִ֔ים וַיָּ֖שָׁב וַיָּבֹ֥א אֶל־אָכִֽישׁ׃
27:10And Achish said, “Whither have you made a road today?” And David said, “Against the south of Yehudah, and against the south of the Yerachme’eli (Jerahmeelites), and against the south of the Keini (Kenites).”
יוַיֹּ֣אמֶר אָכִ֔ישׁ אַל־פְּשַׁטְתֶּ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר דָּוִ֗ד עַל־נֶ֤גֶב יְהוּדָה֙ וְעַל־נֶ֣גֶב הַיַּרְחְמְאֵלִ֔י וְאֶל־נֶ֖גֶב הַקֵּינִֽי׃
27:11And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gat, saying, “Lest they should tell on us, saying, ‘So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwells in the country of the Pelishtim.’”
יאוְאִ֨ישׁ וְאִשָּׁ֜ה לֹֽא־יְחַיֶּ֣ה דָוִ֗ד לְהָבִ֥יא גַת֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר פֶּן־יַגִּ֥דוּ עָלֵ֖ינוּ לֵאמֹ֑ר כֹּֽה־עָשָׂ֤ה דָוִד֙ וְכֹ֣ה מִשְׁפָּט֔וֹ כָּל־הַ֨יָּמִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָשַׁ֖ב בִּשְׂדֵ֥ה פְלִשְׁתִּֽים׃
27:12And Achish believed David, saying, “He has made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.”
יבוַיַּאֲמֵ֥ן אָכִ֖ישׁ בְּדָוִ֣ד לֵאמֹ֑ר הַבְאֵ֤שׁ הִבְאִישׁ֙ בְּעַמּ֣וֹ בְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְהָ֥יָה לִ֖י לְעֶ֥בֶד עוֹלָֽם׃
Sources & method
- Hebrew text
- The Masoretic text with vowels (nikkud) and cantillation marks (ta’amim), from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (public domain) as published by the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (CC BY 4.0). Where the written text (ketiv) differs from the reading (qere), the reading is shown and the written form follows in small type. A paragraph mark (ס or פ) inside a verse is shown in small type.
- English translation
- The King James Version (public domain), lightly modernized by Benei Avraham: “thee/thou/ye” become “you,” older verb forms are updated (“hath” to “has”), and archaic words are replaced only where the meaning would otherwise be unclear. People and places carry their Hebrew names, with the King James spelling in parentheses the first time on each page (e.g., Yehudah (Judah)). The Divine Name (יהוה, “the LORD” in the KJV) is written “Hashem”; “God” (Elohim) is unchanged, and “law” is “Torah” where the Hebrew is תּוֹרָה.
- Verse numbers
- Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible. In 1 Samuel they differ from most English Bibles, or a verse is divided differently, in chapters 19, 20, 21, 23 and 24; a note under the summary on those pages explains how.
- Hebrew font
- SBL Hebrew, by the Society of Biblical Literature.