וַיִּקְבְּצוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים אֶת־כָּל־מַחֲנֵיהֶם אֲפֵקָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל חֹנִים בַּעַיִן אֲשֶׁר בְּיִזְרְעֶאל׃ 29:1
1Sam. 29:1 Now the Philistines had assembled all their hosts at Aphek, with Israel camping at the fountain that was in Jezreel.
וְסַרְנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים עֹבְרִים לְמֵאוֹת וְלַאֲלָפִים וְדָוִד וַאֲנָשָׁיו עֹבְרִים בָּאַחֲרֹנָה עִם־אָכִישׁ׃ 29:2
1Sam. 29:2 And the lords of the Philistines were passing for hundreds and for thousands, and David and his men were passing in the rear with Achish,
וַיֹּאמְרוּ שָׂרֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים מָה הָעִבְרִים הָאֵלֶּה וַיֹּאמֶר אָכִישׁ אֶל־שָׂרֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים הֲלוֹא־זֶה דָוִד עֶבֶד 29:3 שָׁאוּל מֶלֶךְ־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר הָיָה אִתִּי זֶה יָמִים אוֹ־זֶה שָׁנִים וְלֹא־מָצָאתִי בוֹ מְאוּמָה מִיּוֹם נָפְלוֹ עַד־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃
1Sam. 29:3 when the princes of the Philistines said, “What of these Hebrews? And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is not this David, servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me these days, also these years? And I have not found a fault in him from the day of his falling away until this day.”
וַיִּקְצְפוּ עָלָיו שָׂרֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ שָׂרֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים הָשֵׁב אֶת־הָאִישׁ וְיָשֹׁב אֶל־מְקוֹמוֹ אֲשֶׁר 29:4 הִפְקַדְתּוֹ שָׁם וְלֹא־יֵרֵד עִמָּנוּ בַּמִּלְחָמָה וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה־לָּנוּ לְשָׂטָן בַּמִּלְחָמָה וּבַמֶּה יִתְרַצֶּה זֶה אֶל־אֲדֹנָיו הֲלוֹא בְּרָאשֵׁי הָאֲנָשִׁים הָהֵם׃
1Sam. 29:4 But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him, and the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Have the man return that he should go back to his place where you have appointed him there, that he not come down with us into battle so he should not be for an adversary to us in the battle, for how could he reconcile this with his lord except with the heads of the men of these?”
הֲלוֹא־זֶה דָוִד אֲשֶׁר יַעֲנוּ־לוֹ בַּמְּחֹלוֹת לֵאמֹר הִכָּה שָׁאוּל בַּאֲלָפָיו וְדָוִד (בְּרִבְבֹתוֹ) [בְּרִבְבֹתָיו]׃ 29:5
1Sam. 29:5 “Is not this the David of whom they sing with dancing saying,
“Saul has slain by his thousands,
And David by his ten thousands?”
The error in this verse, shown in parentheses, is missing a yad, which would make the word plural, as it should be. The word has appeared twice so far, in 1Sam. 18:7 and 1Sam. 21:12, with the same error occurring in the latter verse. The correction appears in the brackets.
וַיִּקְרָא אָכִישׁ אֶל־דָּוִד וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו חַי־יְהוָה כִּי־יָשָׁר אַתָּה וְטוֹב בְּעֵינַי צֵאתְךָ וּבֹאֲךָ אִתִּי בַּמַּחֲנֶה כִּי 29:6 לֹא־מָצָאתִי בְךָ רָעָה מִיּוֹם בֹּאֲךָ אֵלַי עַד־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה וּבְעֵינֵי הַסְּרָנִים לֹא־טוֹב אָתָּה׃
1Sam. 29:6 So Achish called to David and said to him, “By the Lord, but you are upright! And your going and your coming with me in the host has been good in my eyes, for I have not found evil in you from the day of your coming to me until this day, but you are not as good in the eyes of the lords.”
Surprise, surprise! Achish, the Philistine king, swears by the Lord. I am fairly certain this was an unconscious oversight on the part of the scribe.
וְעַתָּה שׁוּב וְלֵךְ בְּשָׁלוֹם וְלֹא־תַעֲשֶׂה רָע בְּעֵינֵי סַרְנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים׃ 29:7
1Sam. 29:7 “So now return, and go in peace that you should not show any evil in the eyes of the lords of the Philistines.”
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל־אָכִישׁ כִּי מֶה עָשִׂיתִי וּמַה־מָּצָאתָ בְעַבְדְּךָ מִיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר הָיִיתִי לְפָנֶיךָ עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה כִּי 29:8 לֹא אָבוֹא וְנִלְחַמְתִּי בְּאֹיְבֵי אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ׃
1Sam. 29:8 Then David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant from the day that I happened before you until this day that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord, the king?”
וַיַּעַן אָכִישׁ וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־דָּוִד יָדַעְתִּי כִּי טוֹב אַתָּה בְּעֵינַי כְּמַלְאַךְ אֱלֹהִים אַךְ שָׂרֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים אָמְרוּ לֹא־ 29:9 יַעֲלֶה עִמָּנוּ בַּמִּלְחָמָה׃
1Sam. 29:9 And Achish answered and said to David, “I know how good you are in my eyes, like an angel of God. Yet the princes of the Philistines said, ‘He shall not go up with us in battle.’”
Achish makes another reference to God. Wow! The scribe’s mistake again? Who knows!
וְעַתָּה הַשְׁכֵּם בַּבֹּקֶר וְעַבְדֵי אֲדֹנֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר־בָּאוּ אִתָּךְ וְהִשְׁכַּמְתֶּם בַּבֹּקֶר וְאוֹר לָכֶם וָלֵכוּ׃ 29:10
1Sam. 29:10 “Now then rise up early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you. When you have risen up early in the morning and there is light for you, then you should go.”
וַיַּשְׁכֵּם דָּוִד הוּא וַאֲנָשָׁיו לָלֶכֶת בַּבֹּקֶר לָשׁוּב אֶל־אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים וּפְלִשְׁתִּים עָלוּ יִזְרְעֶאל׃ 29:11
1Sam. 29:11 And David arose early, he and his men, to depart in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines, while the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
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