1 Samuel 21

1 Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And when Ahimelech met David, he trembled and asked him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”

2 “The king has given me a mission,” David replied. “He told me no one is to know about the mission on which I am sending you. And I have directed my young men to meet me at a certain place.

3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”

4 “There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.”

5 David answered, “Women have indeed been kept from us, as is usual when I set out. And the bodies of the young men are holy even on common missions. How much more so today!”

6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.

7 Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD. And his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief shepherd for Saul.

8 Then David asked Ahimelech, “Is there not a spear or sword on hand here? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s mission was urgent.”

9 The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want, you may take it. For there is no other but this one here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

10 That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.

11 But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing about him in their dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”

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

13 So he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard.

14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you can see that the man is insane! Why have you brought him to me?

15 Am I in need of madmen, that you have brought this man to rave in my presence? Must this man come into my house?”

1 ¶ Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why [art] thou alone, and no man with thee?

2 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed [my] servants to such and such a place.

3 Now therefore what is under thine hand? give [me] five [loaves of] bread in mine hand, or what there is present.

4 And the priest answered David, and said, [There is] no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

5 And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women [have been] kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and [the bread is] in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.

6 So the priest gave him hallowed [bread]: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul [was] there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name [was] Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that [belonged] to Saul.

8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.

9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it [is here] wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take [it]: for [there is] no other save that here. And David said, [There is] none like that; give it me.

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 unto him, [Is] not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore [then] have ye brought him to me?

15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this [fellow] to play the mad man in my presence? shall this [fellow] come into my house?

1 And David came to Nobe unto Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was amazed, when he met David, and said unto him, Why comest thou alone, and is there no man with thee?

2 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king commanded me a thing, and said unto me, Let no man know why I have sent thee, or what I have commanded thee. For I have also sent my sons hither or thither.

3 Now if thou hast any under thine hand, one loaf, or five, deliver them into my hand, or whatsoever thou findest.

4 And the priest answered David, and said: I have no common bread under my hand, but holy bread; if only the boys had abstained from women!

5 And David answered the priest, and said unto him, The women were barred unto us three days, when I went forth; and the lad's seed was holy: but if this way be unholy, it shall be sanctified this day in the witness.

6 Then the priest of the holy place gave him, because there was no other bread than the shewbread that was laid up before the LORD, to lay up other fresh bread that day, when he had taken it away.

7 And there was that day a man shut up before the LORD of the servants of Saul, whose name was Doeg, an Edomite, the mightiest of the shepherds of Saul.

8 And David said unto Ahimelech, Is there not here under thine hand a spear or a sword? I have not taken my sword and weapons with me; for the king's cause was urgent.

9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou smote in the valley of the oak, is here, wrapped in a cloak behind the ephod. If thou wilt have the same, take it: for there is none else here but this. And David said, There is none like it: give it me.

10 And David arose and fled from before Saul, and came to Achish king of Gath.

11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, This is David king of the land, of whom they sang in the round dance, saying, Saul slew a thousand, and David ten thousand.

12 And David took the speech to heart, and was sore afraid of Achish king of Gath.

13 And he disguised his gesture before them, and rolled under their hands, and thrust himself at the door of the gate, and his jealousy flowed into his beard.

14 Then said Achish unto his servants: Behold, ye see that the man is foolish: wherefore have ye brought him unto me?

15 Have I not enough of the foolish, that ye have brought this one to run beside me? Shall he come into my house?