1 Samuel 21
21
David Goes to See Ahimelech
1David went to Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech shook with fear when he saw David, and he asked, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”
2David answered him, “The king gave me a special order. He told me, ‘No one must know what I am sending you to do or what I told you to do.’ I told my men where to meet me. 3Now, what food do you have with you? Give me five loaves of bread or anything you find.”
4The priest said to David, “I don’t have any plain bread here, but I do have some holy bread. You may eat it if your men have kept themselves from women.”
5David answered, “No women have been near us for days. My men always keep themselves holy, even when we do ordinary work. And this is especially true when the work is holy.”
6So the priest gave David the holy bread from the presence of God because there was no other. Each day the holy bread was replaced with hot bread.
7One of Saul’s servants happened to be there that day. He had been held there before the Lord. He was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s shepherds.
8David asked Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword here? The king’s business was very important, so I left without my sword or any other weapon.”
9The priest answered, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, the one you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here. It is wrapped in a cloth behind the holy vest. If you want it, you may take it. There’s no other sword here but that one.”
David said, “There is no other sword like it. Give it to me.”
David Goes to Gath
10That day David ran away from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. 11But the servants of Achish said to him, “This is David, the king of the Israelites. He’s the man they dance and sing about, saying:
‘Saul has killed thousands of his enemies,
but David has killed tens of thousands.’ ”
12David paid attention to these words and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. 13So he pretended to be crazy in front of Achish and his servants. While he was with them, he acted like a madman and clawed on the doors of the gate and let spit run down his beard.
14Achish said to his servants, “Look at the man! He’s crazy! Why do you bring him to me? 15I have enough madmen. I don’t need you to bring him here to act like this in front of me! Don’t let him in my house!”
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1 Samuel 21: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
1 Samuel 21
21
David Flees to Nob
1David went to the priest Ahimelech#1Sm 14:3; Mk 2:26 at Nob.#1Sm 22:19 Ahimelech was afraid to meet David, so he said to him, “Why are you alone and no one is with you?”
2David answered the priest Ahimelech, “The king gave me a mission, but he told me, ‘Don’t let anyone know anything about the mission I’m sending you on or what I have ordered you to do.’ I have stationed my young men at a certain place. 3Now what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever can be found.”
4The priest told him, “There is no ordinary bread on hand. However, there is consecrated bread,#Ex 25:30; Lv 24:5–9; Mt 12:3–4 but the young men may eat it#21:4 DSS; MT omits may eat it only if they have kept themselves from women.”#Ex 19:15
5David answered him, “I swear that women are being kept from us, as always when I go out to battle.#2Sm 11:11 The young men’s bodies#21:5 Lit vessels are consecrated#1Th 4:4 even on an ordinary mission, so of course their bodies are consecrated today.” 6So the priest gave him the consecrated bread,#Mt 12:3–4; Mk 2:25 for there was no bread there except the Bread of the Presence#Lv 24:5–9 that had been removed from the presence of the Lord. When the bread was removed, it had been replaced with warm bread.
7One of Saul’s servants, detained before the Lord, was there that day. His name was Doeg the Edomite,#1Sm 22:9; Ps 52 chief of Saul’s shepherds.
8David said to Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword on hand? I didn’t even bring my sword or my weapons since the king’s mission was urgent.”
9The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine,#1Sm 17:51 whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want to take it for yourself, then take it, for there isn’t another one here.”
“There’s none like it!” David said. “Give it to me.”
David Flees to Gath
10David fled that day from Saul’s presence and went to King Achish of Gath.#Ps 56 11But Achish’s servants said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Don’t they sing about him during their dances:
Saul has killed his thousands,
but David his tens of thousands?” #1Sm 18:7; 29:5
12David took this to heart and became very afraid of King Achish of Gath, 13so he pretended to be insane in their presence.#Ps 34 He acted like a madman around them,#21:13 Lit madman in their hand scribbling#21:13 LXX reads drumming on the doors of the city gate and letting saliva run down his beard.
14“Look! You can see the man is crazy,” Achish said to his servants. “Why did you bring him to me? 15Do I have such a shortage of crazy people that you brought this one to act crazy around me? Is this one going to come into my house?” #Ps 34
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