1 Samuel 27:1

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

David said to himself, "One day I will perish at the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up looking for me throughout the territory of Israel, and I will be safe from him."

Additional Resources

Other Translations

  • King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

    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 shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

  • KJV1611 – Modern English

    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 quickly escape into the land of the Philistines; then Saul will despair of me, to seek me any longer in any territory of Israel. Thus I will escape out of his hand.

  • King James Version 1611 (Original)

    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 shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

  • American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

    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 escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

  • King James Version with Strong's Numbers

    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 shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

  • Coverdale Bible (1535)

    Dauid thoughte in his hert: One of these dayes shal I fall in to the handes of Saul: It is better that I get me my waye in to ye londe of ye Philistynes, that Saul maye leaue of from sekynge me in all the coastes of Israel, so shall I escape his handes.

  • Geneva Bible (1560)

    And Dauid said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: is it not better for me that I saue my selfe in the lande of the Philistims, and that Saul may haue no hope of me to seeke me any more in all the coastes of Israel, and so escape out of his hand?

  • Bishops' Bible (1568)

    And Dauid sayd in his heart, I shall perishe one day by the hand of Saul: therefore is there nothing better for me, then to flee and saue my self in the land of the Philistines, and Saul shall ceasse and seeke me no more in all the coastes of Israel, and so shall I escape out of his hand.

  • Authorized King James Version (1611)

    ¶ 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 shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

  • Webster's Bible (1833)

    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 escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

  • Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

    And David saith unto his heart, `Now am I consumed one day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing for me better than that I diligently escape unto the land of the Philistines, and Saul hath been despairing of me -- of seeking me any more in all the border of Israel, and I have escaped out of his hand.'

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    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 escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    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 escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

  • Bible in Basic English (1941)

    And David said to himself, Some day death will come to me by the hand of Saul: the only thing for me to do is to get away into the land of the Philistines; then Saul will give up hope of taking me in any part of the land of Israel: and so I may be able to get away from him.

  • World English Bible (2000)

    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 escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel. So shall I escape out of his hand."

  • NET Bible® (New English Translation)

    David Aligns Himself with the Philistines David thought to himself,“One of these days I’m going to be swept away by the hand of Saul! There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of searching for me through all the territory of Israel and I will escape from his hand.”

Referenced Verses

  • Exod 14:12 : 12 Isn't this what we told you in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone so we can serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.
  • Num 14:3 : 3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to return to Egypt?
  • 1 Sam 16:1 : 1 The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen a king for myself among his sons."
  • 1 Sam 16:13 : 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel left and went to Ramah.
  • 1 Sam 21:10-15 : 10 The priest replied, 'The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it. There is no other here.' David said, 'There is none like it; give it to me.' 11 David got up and fled that day from Saul’s presence and went to Achish the king of Gath. 12 The servants of Achish said to him, 'Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances, saying, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands"?' 13 David took these words to heart and was very afraid of Achish king of Gath. 14 So he changed his behavior before them and acted like a madman in their presence. He made marks on the doors of the gate and let saliva run down his beard. 15 Achish said to his servants, 'Look at this man! He’s insane! Why bring him to me?
  • 1 Sam 22:5 : 5 The prophet Gad said to David, 'Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah.' So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
  • 1 Sam 23:17 : 17 He said to him, 'Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you; you will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even Saul my father knows this.'
  • 1 Sam 25:30 : 30 When the Lord has fulfilled for my lord all the good things he promised and has appointed you ruler over Israel,
  • 1 Sam 27:10-11 : 10 When Achish asked, "Where did you raid today?" David replied, "Against the Negev of Judah, against the Negev of the Jerahmeelites, and against the Negev of the Kenites." 11 David did not leave alive a man or woman to bring to Gath, for he thought, "They might inform against us, saying, 'This is what David did.'" This was his practice the whole time he lived in Philistine territory.
  • 1 Sam 28:1-2 : 1 In those days, the Philistines gathered their armies to wage war against Israel, and Achish said to David, "You surely know that you and your men will go out with me in the army." 2 David replied to Achish, "Then you will know what your servant can accomplish." Achish said to David, "Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life."
  • 1 Sam 29:2-30:3 : 2 The Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, and David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. 3 The Philistine commanders asked, "What are these Hebrews doing here?" Achish replied to the Philistine commanders, "Isn't this David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me for days or years? I have found no fault in him from the day he defected to me until now." 4 But the Philistine commanders were angry with him and said to him, "Send the man back! Let him return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he might become our adversary during the fighting. How better to regain his master's favor than with the heads of our men? 5 Isn't this the David they sang about in their dances, saying, 'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'? 6 So Achish called David and said to him, "As surely as the LORD lives, you have been upright, and your conduct with me in the camp has been good in my eyes. I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until today. But the rulers don’t approve of you. 7 Now turn back and go in peace, so you don’t displease the Philistine rulers. 8 David said to Achish, "But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I first came to you until now, that I may not go and fight the enemies of my lord the king?" 9 Achish answered David, "I know that you are as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, 'He must not go up with us into battle.' 10 Now get up early in the morning, along with your master's servants who have come with you, and leave as soon as it is light. 11 So David and his men rose early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines, but the Philistines went up to Jezreel. 1 On the third day, when David and his men arrived at Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had invaded the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it to the ground. 2 The Amalekites had taken the women and everyone in the city captive, from the youngest to the oldest. They had not killed anyone but had taken them away as prisoners and gone on their way. 3 When David and his men came to the city, they saw that it had been burned, and their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive.
  • Ps 116:11 : 11 I said in my alarm, 'All mankind are liars.'
  • Prov 3:5-6 : 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
  • Prov 13:12 : 12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
  • Isa 30:15-16 : 15 For the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said: 'In repentance and rest you will be saved; in quietness and trust is your strength. But you were not willing.' 16 You said, 'No, we will flee on horses'—therefore you will flee! And, 'We will ride on swift horses'—therefore your pursuers will be swift!
  • Isa 40:27-31 : 27 Why do you say, Jacob, and complain, Israel, 'My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God'? 28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. 29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
  • Isa 51:12 : 12 I, I am the One who comforts you. Who are you that you should fear mortals who die, or humans who are like grass?
  • Lam 3:26-27 : 26 It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. 27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth.
  • Matt 14:31 : 31 Immediately, Jesus reached out His hand, caught him, and said, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?'
  • Mark 4:40 : 40 He said to them, 'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?'
  • 2 Cor 7:5 : 5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted in every way—conflicts on the outside, fears within.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • 1 Sam 21:10
    82%

    10The priest replied, 'The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it. There is no other here.' David said, 'There is none like it; give it to me.'

  • 1 Sam 27:2
    79%

    2So David arose and went over with his six hundred men to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath.

  • 1 Sam 24:9-10
    2 verses
    79%

    9David got up afterward, went out of the cave, and called after Saul, 'My lord the king!' When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down with his face to the ground and paid homage.

    10David said to Saul, 'Why do you listen to the words of men who say, "David seeks your harm"?'

  • 1 Sam 27:4-5
    2 verses
    78%

    4When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer pursued him.

    5Then David said to Achish, "If I have found favor in your eyes, let me have a place in one of the country towns, so that I may live there. Why should your servant remain living in the royal city with you?"

  • 1 Sam 23:26-27
    2 verses
    78%

    26Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. But as Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them,

    27a messenger came to Saul, saying, 'Hurry and come, because the Philistines have raided the land.'

  • 1 Sam 19:10
    78%

    10Saul attempted to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David dodged, and the spear struck the wall. David fled and escaped that night.

  • 1 Sam 17:31-32
    2 verses
    78%

    31When David's words were heard, they were reported to Saul, and he sent for him.

    32David said to Saul, 'Let no one lose heart because of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him.'

  • 1 Sam 28:1
    77%

    1In those days, the Philistines gathered their armies to wage war against Israel, and Achish said to David, "You surely know that you and your men will go out with me in the army."

  • 1 Sam 17:37
    77%

    37David added, 'The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.' Saul said to David, 'Go, and may the LORD be with you.'

  • 1 Sam 23:12-15
    4 verses
    77%

    12Then David said, 'Will the leaders of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?' The LORD replied, 'They will hand you over.'

    13So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and moved wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he stopped his pursuit.

    14David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hill country of the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul searched for him every day, but God did not hand David over to him.

    15When David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life, he stayed in the Wilderness of Ziph, in the woods.

  • 1 Sam 23:10
    76%

    10David said, "LORD, God of Israel, your servant has certainly heard that Saul intends to come to Keilah and destroy the city because of me.

  • 1 Sam 19:1-2
    2 verses
    76%

    1Saul spoke to his son Jonathan and to all his servants, commanding them to kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, held a deep affection for David.

    2Jonathan warned David, saying, "My father Saul is seeking to kill you. So please be on guard in the morning; find a safe hiding place and stay there.

  • 1 Sam 18:11-12
    2 verses
    76%

    11Saul hurled the spear, saying, "I’ll pin David to the wall." But David evaded him twice.

    12Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul.

  • 1 Sam 19:17-18
    2 verses
    76%

    17Saul said to Michal, 'Why have you deceived me like this? You let my enemy go, and he has escaped.' Michal answered Saul, 'He said to me,

    18David fled and escaped. He went to Samuel at Ramah and told him everything that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth.

  • 1 Sam 27:11-12
    2 verses
    76%

    11David did not leave alive a man or woman to bring to Gath, for he thought, "They might inform against us, saying, 'This is what David did.'" This was his practice the whole time he lived in Philistine territory.

    12Achish trusted David and thought, "He has made himself utterly detestable to his own people Israel, and he will be my servant forever."

  • 1 Sam 26:3
    76%

    3Saul camped on the hill of Hachilah, which faces the wilderness along the road, while David stayed in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul had come into the wilderness after him,

  • 1 Sam 24:22
    76%

    22Now swear to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants or destroy my name from my father's family.

  • 2 Sam 1:3
    76%

    3David asked him, 'Where have you come from?' He replied, 'I escaped from the camp of Israel.'

  • 1 Sam 23:2-3
    2 verses
    76%

    2So David asked the LORD, saying, "Should I go and attack these Philistines?" The LORD answered David, "Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah."

    3But David's men said to him, "We are afraid here in Judah. How much more if we go to Keilah to face the battle lines of the Philistines!"

  • 2 Sam 15:14
    75%

    14David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, 'Arise, let us flee, or there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Hurry and leave, or he will quickly overtake us, bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.'

  • 1 Sam 21:12
    75%

    12The servants of Achish said to him, 'Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances, saying, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands"?'

  • 1 Sam 20:1
    75%

    1David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came and said to Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my guilt, and what is my sin before your father that he seeks my life?"

  • 1 Sam 29:7-8
    2 verses
    75%

    7Now turn back and go in peace, so you don’t displease the Philistine rulers.

    8David said to Achish, "But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I first came to you until now, that I may not go and fight the enemies of my lord the king?"

  • 1 Sam 18:25
    75%

    25Saul replied, 'Say to David, "The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies."' Saul’s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.

  • 1 Sam 26:18
    75%

    18And he added, "Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong is in my hand?

  • 1 Sam 29:3
    75%

    3The Philistine commanders asked, "What are these Hebrews doing here?" Achish replied to the Philistine commanders, "Isn't this David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me for days or years? I have found no fault in him from the day he defected to me until now."

  • 1 Sam 18:30
    75%

    30The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, but every time they went out, David had more success than all of Saul’s servants, and he became highly esteemed.

  • 1 Sam 22:1
    75%

    1David left from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father's household heard about it, they went down to him there.

  • 2 Sam 22:1
    75%

    1David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

  • 1 Sam 24:3-4
    2 verses
    74%

    3So Saul chose three thousand elite men from all Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats.

    4He came to the sheepfolds along the way, and there was a cave. Saul went in to relieve himself, while David and his men were sitting in the innermost part of the cave.

  • 1 Sam 17:11
    74%

    11When Saul and all Israel heard the words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

  • 2 Sam 5:19
    74%

    19David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Should I go up against the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hand?" The LORD said to David, "Go up, for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into your hand."

  • 1 Sam 22:23
    74%

    23Stay with me; don’t be afraid. The one who seeks my life is seeking yours as well. You will be safe with me.

  • 1 Sam 24:1
    74%

    1David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of En-gedi.

  • 1 Sam 30:15
    74%

    15David asked him, "Can you lead me to this raiding party?" He answered, "Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor hand me over to my master, and I will lead you to them."

  • 2 Sam 3:18
    74%

    18Now do it! For the Lord has promised David, 'By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the Philistines and from all their enemies.’'