1 Samuel 21
21
1 Then David went into Nob, to the priest Ahimelech. And Ahimelech was astonished that David had arrived. And he said to him, "Why are you alone, and no one is with you?"
2 And David said to the priest Ahimelech: "The king has instructed to me a word, and he said: 'Let no one know the matter about which you have been sent by me, and what type of instructions I have given to you. For I have also summoned servants to one and another place.'
3 Now therefore, if you have anything at hand, even five loaves of bread, or whatever you may find, give it to me."
4 And the priest, responding to David, said to him: "I have no common bread at hand, but only holy bread. Are the young men clean, especially from women?"
5 And David responded to the priest, and said to him: "Indeed, as concerns being with women, we have abstained since yesterday and the day before, when we departed, and so the vessels of the young men have been holy. And although, this journey has been defiled, it will also be sanctified today as concerns the vessels."
6 Therefore, the priest gave to him sanctified bread. For there was no bread there, but only the bread of the Presence, which had been taken away from before the face of the Lord, so that fresh loaves might be set up.
7 Now a certain man among the servants of Saul was there on that day, inside the tabernacle of the Lord. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the most powerful among the shepherds of Saul.
8 Then David said to Ahimelech: "Do you have, here at hand, a spear or a sword? For I did not take my own sword, or my own weapons with me. For the word of the king was urgent."
9 And the priest said: "Behold, here is the sword of Goliath, the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Terebinth. It is wrapped up in a cloak behind the ephod. If you wish to take this, take it. For there is nothing else here except this." And David said, "There is nothing else like this, so give it to me."
10 And so, David rose up, and he fled on that day from the face of Saul. And he went to Achish, the king of Gath.
11 And the servants of Achish, when they had seen David, said to him: "Is this not David, the king of the land? Were they not singing about him, while dancing, saying, 'Saul has struck down a thousand, and David ten thousand?' "
12 Then David took these words to his heart, and he became exceedingly afraid before the face of Achish, the king of Gath.
13 And he altered his mouth before them, and he slipped down between their hands. And he stumbled against the doors of the gate. And his spit flowed down his beard.
14 And Achish said to his servants: "You saw that the man is insane. Why did you bring him to me?
15 Or do we have need of those who are mad, so that you would bring in this one, to behave madly in my presence? How did this man get into my house?"
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1 Samuel 21: CPDV
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1 Samuel 21
21
David Flees from Saul
1 #
Mt 12.3–4; Mk 2.25–26; Lk 6.3 David went to the priest Ahimelech in Nob. Ahimelech came out trembling to meet him and asked, “Why did you come here all by yourself?”
2“I am here on the king's business,” David answered. “He told me not to let anyone know what he sent me to do. As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. 3Now, then, what supplies have you got? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have.”
4The priest said, “I haven't any ordinary bread, only sacred bread; you can have it if your men haven't had sexual relations recently.”
5“Of course they haven't,” answered David. “My men always keep themselves ritually pure even when we go out on an ordinary mission; how much more this time when we are on a special mission!”
6 #
Lev 24.5–9
So the priest gave David the sacred bread, because the only bread he had was the loaves offered to God, which had been removed from the sacred table and replaced by fresh bread.
7(Saul's chief herdsman, Doeg, who was from Edom, happened to be there that day, because he had to fulfil a religious obligation.)
8David said to Ahimelech, “Have you got a spear or a sword you can give me? The king's orders made me leave in such a hurry that I didn't have time to get my sword or any other weapon.”
9 #
1 Sam 17.51
Ahimelech answered, “I have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah; it is behind the ephod, wrapped in a cloth. If you want it, take it — it's the only weapon here.”
“Give it to me,” David said. “There is not a better sword anywhere!”
10So David left, fleeing from Saul, and went to King Achish of Gath. 11#1 Sam 18.7; 29.5The king's officials said to Achish, “Isn't this David, the king of his country? This is the man about whom the women sang, as they danced, ‘Saul has killed thousands, but David has killed tens of thousands.’ ”
12 #
Ps 56 (Title) Their words made a deep impression on David, and he became very much afraid of King Achish. 13#Ps 34 (Title)So whenever they were around, David pretended to be insane and acted like a madman when they tried to restrain him; he would scribble on the city#21.13 city; or palace. gates and dribble down his beard. 14So Achish said to his officials, “Look! The man is mad! Why did you bring him to me? 15Haven't I got enough madmen already? Why bring another one to annoy me with his daft actions right here in my own house?”
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Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.