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And the Philistines gather all their armies to Aphec, and Israel encamped in Aendor, which is in Jezrael. ²And the lords of the Philistines went on ¹ by hundreds and thousands, and David and his men went on in the rear with Anchus. ³And the lords of the Philistines said, Who are these ² that pass by? And Anchus said to the captains of the Philistines, Is not this David the

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servant of Saul king of Israel? he has been with us ³ sometime, even this second year and I have not found any fault in him from the day that he attached himself to me even until this day. ⁴And the captains of the Philistines were displeased at him, and they say. to him, Send the man away and let him return to his place, where thou didst set him; and let him not come with us to the war, and let him not be a ⁴ traitor in the camp: and wherewith will he be reconciled to his master? will it not, be with the heads of those men? ⁵Is not this David whom they ⁵ celebrated in dances, saying Saul has smitten his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

⁶And Anchus called David, and said to him, As the Lord lives, thou art right and approved in my eyes, and so is thy going out and thy coming in with me in the army, and I have not found any evil to charge against thee from the day that thou camest to me until this day: but thou art not approved in the eyes of the lords. ⁷Now then return and go in peace, thus thou shalt not do evil, in the sight of the lords of the Philistines.

⁸And David said to Anchus, What have I done to thee? and what hast thou found in thy servant from the first day that I was before thee even until this day that I should not come ⁶ and war against the enemies of the lord my king?

⁹And Anchus answered David, I know that thou art, good in my eyes, ⁷ but the lords of the Philistines say, He shall not come with us to the war. ¹⁰Now then rise up early in the morning, thou and the servants of thy lord that are come with thee and go to the place where I appointed you, and entertain no evil thought in thy heart, for thou art good in my sight: and rise early for your journey ⁸ when it is light, and depart.

¹¹So David arose early, he and his men, to depart and guard the land of the Philistines : and the Philistines went up to Jezrael to battle.