1 Samuel 22
22
David at the Cave of Adullam
1David departed from there and escaped to #See Ps. 57; 142 the cave of #2 Sam. 23:13; 1 Chr. 11:15Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2#[Judg. 9:4; 11:3] And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul,#22:2 Or discontented gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him #[ch. 23:13; 25:13]about four hundred men.
3And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay#22:3 Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew go out with you, till I know what God will do for me.” 4And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. 5Then the prophet #2 Sam. 24:11, 18, 19; 1 Chr. 21:9, 11, 13, 18, 19; 29:29; 2 Chr. 29:25Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.
Saul Kills the Priests at Nob
6Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under #[ch. 31:13; Gen. 21:33]the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. 7And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse #[ch. 8:14]give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, 8that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me #ch. 18:3 when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you #[ch. 23:21] is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, #ver. 13to lie in wait, as at this day.” 9Then answered #ch. 21:7; See Ps. 52 Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse #ch. 21:1 coming to Nob, to #[ch. 14:3]Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, 10#ch. 23:2, 4; 30:8; 2 Sam. 5:19, 23; [Num. 27:21] and he inquired of the Lord for him and #ch. 21:6, 9gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. 12And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and #[See ver. 10 above] have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, #ver. 8to lie in wait, as at this day?” 14Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over#22:14 Septuagint, Targum; Hebrew and has turned aside to your bodyguard, and honored in your house? 15Is today the first time #[See ver. 10 above] that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, #ch. 25:36much or little.” 16And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” 17And the king said to #[2 Kgs. 10:25; 11:4, 6; 2 Chr. 12:10]the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. 18Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, #[ch. 2:31]and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. 19And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; #[ch. 15:3]both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.
20But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named #ch. 23:6, 9Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, #ch. 21:7when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house. 23#[1 Kgs. 2:26]Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.”
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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1 Samuel 22
22
1 Samuel 22
1¶ And David departed from there and escaped to the cave Adullam; {Heb. righteousness or justice of the people} and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.
2And every one that was in distress and every one that was in debt and all whose souls were bitter gathered themselves unto him, and he became the captain over them, and there were about four hundred men with him.
3And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab, and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth and be with you until I know what God will make of me.
4And he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the fortress.
5And the prophet Gad said unto David, do not abide in this fortress; depart, and go into the land of Judah. Then David departed and came into the forest of Hareth.
6¶ When Saul heard how David had appeared and the men that were with him (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his slaves were standing about him),
7then Saul said unto his slaves that stood about him, Hear now, ye sons of Jemini, will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds
8that all of you have conspired against me, and there is no one that shows me that my son has made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me or shows unto me that my son has stirred up my slave against me, to lie in wait against me, as at this day?
9Then Doeg, the Edomite, who was set over the slaves of Saul, answered and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob to Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub.
10And he enquired of the Lord for him and gave him provision and gave him the sword of Goliath, the Philistine.
11Then the king sent to call Ahimelech, the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests that were in Nob; and they all came to the king.
12And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.
13And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread and a sword and hast enquired of God for him that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
14Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, And who is so faithful among all thy slaves as David, the king’s son-in-law, who goes at thy bidding and is honourable in thy house?
15Did I begin to enquire of God for him today? Be it far from me; let not the king impute any thing unto his slave nor to all the house of my father, for thy slave knew nothing of all this, less or more.
16And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou and all thy father’s house.
17Then the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn and slay the priests of the Lord because their hand also is with David and because they knew when he fled and did not show it to me. But the slaves of the king would not put forth their hands to fall upon the priests of the Lord.
18Then the king said to Doeg, Turn thou and fall upon the priests. And Doeg, the Edomite, turned and he fell upon the priests and slew on that day eighty-five men that wore a linen ephod.
19And Nob, the city of the priests, he smote with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings and oxen and asses and sheep with the edge of the sword.
20¶ And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.
21And Abiathar gave David the news that Saul had slain the Lord’s priests.
22And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day when Doeg, the Edomite, was there that he would surely tell Saul. I have given cause before Saul against all the persons of thy father’s house.
23Abide thou with me; do not fear, for he that seeks my life seeks thy life; it is good that thou shalt be kept with me.
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The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International