1 Samuel 27:1

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.

Additional Resources

Other Translations

  • 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."

  • 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.

  • 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 Is not this the word that we told you in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than to die in the wilderness.
  • Num 14:3 : 3 Why has the LORD brought us to this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be prey? Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?
  • 1 Sam 16:1 : 1 And the LORD said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.
  • 1 Sam 16:13 : 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
  • 1 Sam 21:10-15 : 10 And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? 12 And David took these words to heart and was very afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 And he changed his behavior before them, and pretended to be mad in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, Look, you see the man is mad: why have you brought him to me? 15 Do I need mad men, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?
  • 1 Sam 22:5 : 5 And the prophet Gad said to David, Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.
  • 1 Sam 23:17 : 17 And he said to him, Fear not; for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you; and you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you; and that also Saul my father knows.
  • 1 Sam 25:30 : 30 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD has done for my lord according to all the good He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel,
  • 1 Sam 27:10-11 : 10 And Achish said, Where have you made a raid today? And David said, Against the south of Judah, against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites. 11 And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, Thus did David, and so will be his way all the time he dwells in the country of the Philistines.
  • 1 Sam 28:1-2 : 1 In those days, the Philistines gathered their armies for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, Be assured, you shall go out with me to battle, you and your men. 2 And David said to Achish, Surely, you shall see what your servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore, I will make you keeper of my head forever.
  • 1 Sam 29:2-30:3 : 2 And the lords of the Philistines passed by hundreds and thousands, but David and his men passed in the rear with Achish. 3 Then the princes of the Philistines said, What are these Hebrews doing here? And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, Is this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he defected to me until this day? 4 But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him, and the princes of the Philistines said to him, Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place you have appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? 5 Is this not David, of whom they sang to each other in dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? 6 Then Achish called David and said to him, Surely, as the LORD lives, you have been upright, and your going out and coming in with me in the army is good in my sight, for I have found no evil in you since the day of your coming to me until this day; nevertheless the lords do not favor you. 7 Therefore now return, and go in peace, that you do not displease the lords of the Philistines. 8 And David said to Achish, But what have I done? and what have you found in your servant since I have been with you until this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king? 9 And Achish answered and said to David, I know that you are good in my sight, like an angel of God; notwithstanding, the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle. 10 Therefore now rise up early in the morning with your master's servants who have come with you, and as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart. 11 So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel. 1 And it came to pass, when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 2 And had taken the women captives that were there: they killed none, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. 3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
  • Ps 116:11 : 11 I said in my haste, All men are liars.
  • Prov 3:5-6 : 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
  • Prov 13:12 : 12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
  • Isa 30:15-16 : 15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength: but you would not. 16 But you said, No; for we will flee on horses; therefore you shall flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
  • Isa 40:27-31 : 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, My way is hidden from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint nor is weary? His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to those who have no might he increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
  • Isa 51:12 : 12 I, even I, am he who comforts you: who are you, that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of man who will be made like grass;
  • Lam 3:26-27 : 26 It is good that one should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. 27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth.
  • Matt 14:31 : 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, and caught him, and said to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?
  • Mark 4:40 : 40 And he said to them, Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?
  • 2 Cor 7:5 : 5 For, when we came into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; outside were conflicts, inside were fears.

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%

    10And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

  • 1 Sam 27:2
    79%

    2And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

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

    9And David said to Saul, Why do you listen to men's words, saying, Behold, David seeks your harm?

    10Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the LORD delivered you today into my hand in the cave: and some urged me to kill you: but my eye spared you; and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord; for he is the LORD'S anointed.

  • 1 Sam 27:4-5
    2 verses
    78%

    4And it was told to Saul that David had fled to Gath, and he sought no more for him.

    5And David said to Achish, If I have now found favor 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?

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

    26And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain; and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men surrounded David and his men, intending to capture them.

    27But a messenger came to Saul, saying, Hurry, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.

  • 1 Sam 19:10
    78%

    10And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the javelin, but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he drove the javelin into the wall; and David fled and escaped that night.

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

    31When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him.

    32David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

  • 1 Sam 28:1
    77%

    1In those days, the Philistines gathered their armies for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, Be assured, you shall go out with me to battle, you and your men.

  • 1 Sam 17:37
    77%

    37David said moreover, The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. Saul said to David, Go, and the LORD be with you.

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

    12Then David said, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver you up.

    13Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went wherever they could go. And it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; and he refrained from going forth.

    14And David abode in the wilderness in strongholds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.

    15And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life; and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a forest.

  • 1 Sam 23:10
    76%

    10Then David said, O LORD God of Israel, your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.

  • 1 Sam 19:1-2
    2 verses
    76%

    1And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.

    2But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted greatly in David; and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeks to kill you; now therefore, I pray you, be on guard until the morning, and stay in a secret place, and hide yourself:

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

    11And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will strike David even to the wall with it. And David avoided his presence twice.

    12And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and had departed from Saul.

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

    17And Saul said to Michal, Why have you deceived me so, and sent away my enemy, so that he has escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said to me, Let me go; why should I kill you?

    18So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived in Naioth.

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

    11And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, Thus did David, and so will be his way all the time he dwells in the country of the Philistines.

    12And Achish believed David, saying, He has made his people Israel utterly detest him; therefore he will be my servant forever.

  • 1 Sam 26:3
    76%

    3And Saul camped on the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the road. But David remained in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul had come after him into the wilderness.

  • 1 Sam 24:22
    76%

    22And David swore to Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

  • 2 Sam 1:3
    76%

    3And David said to him, Where do you come from? And he said to him, I have escaped from the camp of Israel.

  • 1 Sam 23:2-3
    2 verses
    76%

    2Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and strike these Philistines? And the LORD said to David, Go and strike the Philistines, and save Keilah.

    3And David's men said to him, Behold, we are afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?

  • 2 Sam 15:14
    75%

    14And David said to all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.

  • 1 Sam 21:12
    75%

    12And David took these words to heart and was very afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

  • 1 Sam 20:1
    75%

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

  • 1 Sam 29:7-8
    2 verses
    75%

    7Therefore now return, and go in peace, that you do not displease the lords of the Philistines.

    8And David said to Achish, But what have I done? and what have you found in your servant since I have been with you until this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?

  • 1 Sam 18:25
    75%

    25And Saul said, Thus shall you say to David, The king desires no dowry, but a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.

  • 1 Sam 26:18
    75%

    18And he said, "Why does my lord pursue after his servant? What have I done? Or what evil is in my hand?

  • 1 Sam 29:3
    75%

    3Then the princes of the Philistines said, What are these Hebrews doing here? And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, Is this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he defected to me until this day?

  • 1 Sam 18:30
    75%

    30Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, when they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was highly esteemed.

  • 1 Sam 22:1
    75%

    1David therefore departed from there, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him.

  • 2 Sam 22:1
    75%

    1And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day that the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul:

  • 1 Sam 24:3-4
    2 verses
    74%

    3And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. And David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.

    4And the men of David said to him, Behold, the day of which the LORD said to you, Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you. Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul's robe secretly.

  • 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%

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

  • 1 Sam 22:23
    74%

    23Stay with me, fear not: for he that seeks my life seeks your life: but with me you shall be safe.

  • 1 Sam 24:1
    74%

    1And it came to pass, when Saul returned from following the Philistines, that it was told to him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.

  • 1 Sam 30:15
    74%

    15And David said to him, Can you bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear to me by God, that you will neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this company.

  • 2 Sam 3:18
    74%

    18Now then do it, for the LORD has spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.