David thought to himself, "One of these days, Saul will destroy me. The best thing I can do is escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me in Israel, and I can slip from his hand."
So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish, son of Maoch, king of Gath.
David and his men settled in Gath under Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David brought his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.
When Saul heard that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
Then David said to Achish, "If I have found favor in your eyes, assign me a place in one of the country towns, so that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?"
On that day, Achish gave him Ziklag, which has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since.
David lived in Philistine territory for a year and four months.
During that time, David and his men raided the Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites—peoples who had lived in the land from ancient times, stretching to Shur and Egypt.
Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive. He took sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing and then returned to Achish.
When Achish asked, "Where did you go raiding today?" David would answer, "Against the Negev of Judah" or "Against the Negev of Jerahmeel" or "Against the Negev of the Kenites."
He never brought any captives to Gath, thinking, "They might inform on us and say, 'This is what David did.'" This was his practice throughout his stay in Philistine territory.
Achish trusted David completely and thought, "He has become so hated by his people, the Israelites, that he will serve me forever."