1. The Philistines assembled all their forces at Aphek, and the Israelites camped by the spring in Jezreel.
2. As the Philistine rulers went out marching in units of hundreds and thousands, David and his soldiers were in the rear with Achish.
3. "Who are these Hebrews?" the Philistine commanders asked."That’s David," Achish told them, "the servant of Israel’s King Saul. He’s been with me a year or so now. I haven’t found anything wrong with him from the day he defected until now."
4. But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish. "Send the man home!" they told Achish. "He can go back to the place you gave him, but he won’t go with us into battle. Couldn’t he turn against us in the middle of the fight? How better to please his former master than by taking the heads of our soldiers?
5. After all, this is the same David people sing about in their dances,‘Saul has killed his thousands,but David has killed his tens of thousands!’"
6. So Achish summoned David and told him, "As surely as the Lord lives, you are an upstanding individual. I would very much like you to serve with me in the army because I haven’t found anything wrong with you from the day you came to me until now. But the rulers don’t approve of you.
7. So go back home now, and go in peace. Don’t do anything to upset the Philistine rulers."