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[351]
Now when the Philistines, as I said before, had pitched their camp,
and had taken an account of their forces, according to their nations, and
kingdoms, and governments, king Achish came last of all with his own army;
after whom came David with his six hundred armed men. And when the commanders
of the Philistines saw him, they asked the king whence these Hebrews came,
and at whose invitation. He answered that it was David, who was fled away
from his master Saul, and that he had entertained him when he came to him,
and that now he was willing to make him this requital for his favors, and
to avenge himself upon Saul, and so was become his confederate. The commanders
complained of this, that he had taken him for a confederate who was an
enemy; and gave him counsel to send him away, lest he should unawares do
his friends a great deal of mischief by entertaining him, for that he afforded
him an opportunity of being reconciled to his master by doing a mischief
to our army. They thereupon desired him, out of a prudent foresight of
this, to send him away, with his six hundred armed men, to the place he
had given him for his habitation; for that this was that David whom the
virgins celebrated in their hymns, as having destroyed many ten thousands
of the Philistines. When the king of Gath heard this, he thought they spake
well; so he called David, and said to him, "As for myself,
I can bear witness that thou hast shown great diligence and kindness about
me, and on that account it was that I took thee for my confederate; however,
what I have done does not please the commanders of the Philistines; go
therefore within a day's time to the place I have given thee, without suspecting
any harm, and there keep my country, lest any of our enemies should make
an incursion upon it, which will be one part of that assistance which I
expect from thee." So David came to Ziklag, as the king of Gath bade
him; but it happened, that while he was gone to the assistance of the Philistines,
the Amalekites had made an incursion, and taken Ziklag before, and had
burnt it; and when they had taken a great deal of other prey out of that
place, and out of the other parts of the Philistines' country, they departed.
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