1 Samuel 22
22
David at Adullam and Mizpah
1David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. His brothers and the other members of his family heard about it. So they went down to join him there. 2Everyone who was in trouble or owed money or was unhappy gathered around him. He became their commander. About 400 men were with him.
3From there David went to Mizpah in Moab. He spoke to the king of Moab. He said, “Please let my father and mother come and stay with you. Let them stay until I learn what God will do for me.” 4So David left his parents with the king of Moab. They stayed with him as long as David was in his usual place of safety.
5But the prophet Gad spoke to David. He said, “Don’t stay in your usual place of safety. Go into the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
Saul Kills the Priests at Nob
6Saul heard that the place where David and his men were hiding had been discovered. Saul was sitting under a tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah. He was holding his spear. All his officials were standing at his side. 7Saul said to them, “Men of Benjamin, listen to me! Do you think Jesse’s son will give all of you fields and vineyards? Do you think he’ll make some of you commanders of thousands of men? Do you think he’ll make the rest of you commanders of hundreds? 8Is that why all of you have joined together against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with Jesse’s son. None of you is concerned about me. No one tells me that my son has stirred up Jesse’s son to hide and wait to attack me. But that’s exactly what’s happening now.”
9Doeg was standing with Saul’s officials. He was from Edom. He said, “I saw Jesse’s son David come to Ahimelek at Nob. Ahimelek is the son of Ahitub. 10Ahimelek asked the Lord a question for David. He also gave him food and the sword of Goliath, the Philistine.”
11Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelek, the son of Ahitub. The king also sent for all the men in his family. They were the priests at Nob. All of them came to the king. 12Saul said, “Son of Ahitub, listen to me.”
“Yes, master,” he answered.
13Saul said to him, “Why have you and Jesse’s son joined together against me? Why did you give him bread and a sword? Why did you ask God a question for him? Now he has turned against me. He is hiding and waiting to attack me right now.”
14Ahimelek answered the king, “David is faithful to you. In fact, he’s more faithful to you than anyone else who serves you. He’s your own son-in-law. He’s the captain of your own personal guards. He’s highly respected by everyone in your palace. 15Was that day the first time I asked God a question for him? Of course not! Please don’t bring charges against me. Please don’t bring charges against anyone in my family. I don’t know anything at all about this whole matter.”
16But the king said, “Ahimelek, you will certainly be put to death. You and your whole family will be put to death.”
17Then the king gave an order to the guards at his side. He said, “Go and kill the priests of the Lord. They are on David’s side too. They knew he was running away from me. And they didn’t even tell me.”
But the king’s officials wouldn’t raise a hand to strike down the priests of the Lord.
18Then the king ordered Doeg, “You go and strike down the priests.” So Doeg, the Edomite, went and struck them down. That day he killed 85 priests who wore linen aprons. 19He also killed the people of Nob with his sword. Nob was a town where priests lived. Doeg killed its men and women. He killed its children and babies. He also destroyed its cattle, donkeys and sheep.
20But Abiathar, a son of Ahimelek, escaped. Ahimelek was the son of Ahitub. Abiathar ran away and joined David. 21He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22Then David said to Abiathar, “One day I was at Nob. I saw Doeg, the Edomite, there. I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. Your whole family has been killed. And I’m responsible for it. 23So stay with me. Don’t be afraid. The man who wants to kill you wants to kill me too. You will be safe with me.”
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1 Samuel 22: NIrV
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1 Samuel 22
22
Saul Takes Revenge on the Priests Who Helped David
1David went from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father’s household#Or “family” heard, they came down to him there. 2Every man in distress and every man who had a creditor and every embittered man gathered to him, and he became their commander.#Literally “over them as commander” Now there were about four hundred men with him. 3And David went up from there to Mizpah of Moab. He said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay#Literally “come/go out” with you until I know what God will do for me.” 4So he brought them before the king of Moab,#Literally “he led them into the presence of the king of Moab” and they stayed with him all the days David was in the stronghold.
5Then Gad the prophet said to David, “You should not stay in the stronghold; leave and go into the land of Judah.” So David left and came to the forest of Hereth. 6Now Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been located. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree at Ramah. Now his spear was in his hand and all his servants were stationed around him. 7Then Saul said to the servants who were standing around him, “Please listen, Benjaminites!#Literally “children of Benjamin” Will the son of Jesse give you all fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8For all of you have conspired against me, and no one discloses to me#Literally “there is no one revealing to my ear” the making#Literally “cutting” of an agreement between my son and the son of Jesse! None of you have had sympathy for me or disclosed to me#Literally “revealing to my ear” that my son commissioned my servant against me to ambush me#Literally “my son has raised my servant against me to an ambush” as has been done this day!”
9But Doeg the Edomite, who was stationed among the servants of Saul, answered and said, “I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10And he inquired of Yahweh for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” 11So the king sent to summon Ahimelech the son of Ahitub the priest, and all his father’s household, the priests who were at Nob. So all of them came to the king. 12Saul said, “Listen please, son of Ahitub.” He said, “Here I am, my lord.” 13Then Saul said to him, “Why did you conspire against me, you and the son of Jesse, when you gave to him bread and a sword, and by inquiring of God for him so that he might arise against me to ambush me as has been done this day?” 14But Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David? He is the son-in-law of the king who moves quickly to safeguard you and is honored in your house. 15Only today I began to inquire of God for him. Far be it from me that the king should impute anything against his servant#Literally “the king will not put against his servant a matter” or against my father’s household, for your servant has not known any of this matter, little or much.” 16Then the king said, “You must certainly die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s household!” 17So the king said to the runners who were stationed around him, “Turn and kill the priests of Yahweh, because they also support David#Literally “also their hand is with David” and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not disclose it to me.”#Literally “did not reveal it to his ear”; the Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads “his,” but the reading tradition (Qere) has “my” But the servants of the king were not willing to raise their hand to attack the priests of Yahweh. 18Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and attack the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests himself, and on that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. 19And he put to the sword#Literally “he killed with the mouth of the sword” Nob, the city of the priests, from man to woman, from child to infant, and ox and donkey and sheep;#Or “goats”; literally, “small livestock animals” all to the sword.#Literally “with the mouth of the sword”
20But, one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, whose name was Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of Yahweh. 22Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day that Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would certainly tell Saul. I am responsible for the deaths of all your father’s household!#Literally “I have turned against all the life of your father’s house” 23Stay with me! Do not fear, because he who seeks my life seeks your life. You are in good care with me.”
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