1Then 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?2And 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.3Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.4And 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.5And 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.6So 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.7Now 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.8And 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' business required haste.9And 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.10And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.11And 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?12And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.13And 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.14Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?15Have 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 Samuel 21
English Standard Version
David and the Holy Bread
1[1] Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” (1Sa 14:3; 1Sa 16:4; 1Sa 22:9; 1Sa 22:11; 1Sa 22:19; Ne 11:32; Isa 10:32; Mr 2:26)2And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place.3Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.”4And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.” (Ex 19:15; Ex 25:30; Le 24:5; Mt 12:3; Mr 2:25; Lu 6:3)5And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?”6So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away. (Le 24:8; 1Sa 21:4)7Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen. (1Sa 22:9)8Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.”9And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.” (1Sa 17:2; 1Sa 17:51)
David Flees to Gath
10And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath.11And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” (1Sa 18:7; 1Sa 29:5)12And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. (Lu 2:19)13So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard.14Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me?15Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”