Bible for Soul
Book 9 of 66 · History

1 SamuelChapter 27 · David and Achish

12 verses1 sections3 min readJourneyComplete KJV text

1 Samuel 27 contains 12 verses in the King James Version. This page presents the complete chapter, a section-by-section outline, and direct links to every verse. Its recurring subjects include David, Achish, and Gath.

Chapter at a glance

What is in 1 Samuel 27?

The chapter opens, “And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the…” It closes in verse 12, “And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.” The outline below follows the text in order.

Primary themes
DavidAchishGath
Passage
1 Samuel 27:1–12
Reading time
About 3 minutes · 386 words
Section-by-section outline

1 Samuel 27 outline

Read the full chapter
  1. Verses 1–12

    David · Achish

    And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul…

King James Version · complete chapter

1 Samuel 27 KJV

1And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand. 2And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife. 4And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him. 5And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee? 6Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day. 7And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months. 8And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt. 9And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish. 10And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites. 11And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines. 12And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.