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As the Philistine captains were leading out their troops by battalions and companies, David and his men marched at the rear with King Achish.

But the Philistine commanders demanded, “What are these Israelis doing here?”

And King Achish told them, “This is David, the runaway servant of King Saul of Israel. He’s been with me for years, and I’ve never found one fault in him since he arrived.”

But the Philistine leaders were angry. “Send them back!” they demanded. “They aren’t going into the battle with us—they’ll turn against us. Is there any better way for him to reconcile himself with his master than by turning against us in the battle?

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As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear(A) with Achish. The commanders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?”

Achish replied, “Is this not David,(B) who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year,(C) and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him.”

But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said, “Send(D) the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn(E) against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master’s favor than by taking the heads of our own men?

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