1 Samuel 21
21
David Goes to Nob
(21:1)#sn Beginning with 20:42b, the verse numbers through 21:15 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 20:42b ET = 21:1 HT, 21:1 ET = 21:2 HT, 21:2 ET = 21:3 HT, etc., through 21:15 ET = 21:16 HT. With 22:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same. Then David#tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity. got up and left, while Jonathan went back to the city. 1 (21:2) David went to Ahimelech the priest in Nob. Ahimelech was shaking with fear when he met#tn Heb “trembled to meet.” David, and said to him, “Why are you by yourself with no one accompanying you?” 2 David replied to Ahimelech the priest, “The king instructed me to do something, but he said to me, ‘Don’t let anyone know the reason I am sending you or the instructions I have given you.’#tn Heb “let not a man know anything about the matter [for] which I am sending you and [about] which I commanded you.” I have told my soldiers#tn Heb “servants.” to wait at a certain place.#tn The Hebrew expression here refers to a particular, but unnamed, place. It occurs in the OT only here, in 2 Kgs 6:8, and in Ruth 4:1, where Boaz uses it to refer to Naomi’s unnamed kinsman-redeemer. A contracted form of the expression appears in Dan 8:13. 3 Now what do you have at your disposal?#tn Heb “under your hand.” Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
4 The priest replied to David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread at my disposal. Only holy bread is available, and then only if your soldiers#tn Heb “servants.” have abstained from sexual relations with women.”#tn Heb “have kept themselves from women” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); TEV “haven’t had sexual relations recently”; NLT “have not slept with any women recently.” 5 David said to the priest, “Certainly women have been kept away from us, just as on previous occasions when I have set out. The soldiers’#tn Heb “servants’.” equipment is holy, even on an ordinary journey. How much more so will they be holy today, along with their equipment!”
6 So the priest gave him holy bread, for there was no bread there other than the bread of the Presence. It had been removed from before the Lord in order to replace it with hot bread on the day it had been taken away. 7 (One of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul’s shepherds.) 8 David said to Ahimelech, “Is there no sword or spear here at your disposal? I don’t have my own sword or equipment in hand due to the urgency of the king’s instructions.”
David Goes to Gath
9 The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the valley of Elah, is wrapped in a garment behind the ephod. If you wish, take it for yourself. Other than that, there’s nothing here.” David said, “There’s nothing like it! Give it to me!” 10 So on that day David arose and fled from Saul. He went to King Achish of Gath. 11 The servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one that they sing about when they dance, saying,
‘Saul struck down his thousands,
But David his tens of thousands’?”
12 David thought about what they said#tn Heb “placed these matters in his heart.” and was very afraid of King Achish of Gath. 13 He altered his behavior in their presence.#tn Heb “in their eyes.” Since he was in their power,#tn Heb “in their hand.” he pretended to be insane, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting his saliva run down his beard.
14 Achish said to his servants, “Look at this madman! Why did you bring him to me? 15 Do I have a shortage of fools, that you have brought me this man to display his insanity in front of me? Should this man enter my house?”
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1 Samuel 21: NET
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Shmuel Alef 21
21
1Then came Dovid to Nov to Achimelech HaKohen; and Achimelech was afraid at the meeting of Dovid, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no ish with thee?
2 And Dovid said unto Achimelech HaKohen, HaMelech hath commanded me a matter, and hath said unto me, Let no ish know anything of the davar whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee; and I have directed ne'arim to such and such a makom (place).
3 Now therefore what is under thine yad? Give me five lechem in mine yad, or whatever there is found.
4 And the Kohen answered Dovid, and said, There is no lechem chol (ordinary bread) under mine yad, but there is lechem kodesh; if the ne'arim have kept themselves at least from isha.
5 And Dovid answered the Kohen, and said unto him, Indeed isha have been kept from us yesterday and the day before, since I set out, and the vessels of the ne'arim (young men) are kodesh, and if this is a derech chol (ordinary mission) indeed it will remain kodesh today in their vessels.
6 So the Kohen gave him kodesh; for there was no lechem there but the Lechem HaPanim, that was taken from before Hashem, to be replaced with lechem cham on the day when it was taken away.
7 Now a certain ish of the avadim of Sha'ul was there that day, detained before Hashem; shmo Do'eg, the Edomi, the chief of the ro'im that belonged to Sha'ul.
8 And Dovid said unto Achimelech, And is there not here under thine yad khanit or cherev? For I have neither brought my cherev nor my weapons with me, because the devar HaMelech (matter of the King) required haste.
9 And the Kohen said, The cherev of Golyat (Goliath) the Pelishti, whom thou slewest in the Emek Elah, hinei, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if thou wilt take that, take it; for there is no other except that here. And Dovid said, There is none like that; give it me.
10 And Dovid arose and fled that day from before Sha'ul, and went to Akhish Melech Gat.
11 And the avadim of Akhish said unto him, Is not this Dovid Melech HaAretz? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Sha'ul hath slain his thousands, and Dovid his myriads?
12 And Dovid laid up these devarim in his levav, and was very much afraid of Akhish Melech Gat.
13 And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself a madman in their hands, and scratched on the daletot hasha'ar, and let his spittle fall down upon his zakan (beard).
14 Then said Akhish unto his avadim, Hinei, ye see the man is meshuga; wherefore then have ye brought him to me?
15 Have I need of meshuga'im, that ye have brought this one to play the meshuga in my presence? Shall this one come into my bais?
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