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
1David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his family heard about it, they came down to him there.#2 Sm 23:13; Ps 63; Mi 1:15. 2He was joined by all those in difficulties or in debt, or embittered,#Embittered: Hebrew mar-nephesh, “bitter of spirit,” used of Hannah, deprived of a child, in 1:10, and of David’s soldiers, whose women and children the Amalekites had seized (30:6). Cf. also 2 Sm 17:8. David becomes a hero for those who have endured loss or deprivation. and became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
3From there David went to Mizpeh of Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Let my father and mother stay with you, until I learn what God will do for me.” 4He left them with the king of Moab; they stayed with him as long as David remained in the stronghold.#Stronghold: seemingly connected with the cave complex in v. 1.
5But Gad the prophet said to David: “Do not remain in the stronghold! Leave! Go to the land of Judah.” And so David left and went to the forest of Hereth.#2 Sm 24:11–13.
Doeg Betrays Ahimelech. 6Now Saul heard that David and his men had been located. At the time he was sitting in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree on the high place, holding his spear, while all his servants stood by him.#1 Sm 14:2; Jgs 4:5. 7So he said to them: “Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he appoint any of you an officer over a thousand or a hundred men?#1 Sm 8:14. 8Is that why you have all conspired against me? Why no one told me that my son had made a pact with the son of Jesse? None of you has shown compassion for me by revealing to me that my son has incited my servant to ambush me, as is the case today.”#1 Sm 18:3; 20:8; 23:18. 9#1 Sm 21:2–10; Ps 52. Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officers, spoke up: “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, in Nob. 10He consulted the Lord for him, furnished him with provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
Slaughter of the Priests. 11So the king summoned Ahimelech the priest, son of Ahitub, and all his family, the priests in Nob. They all came to the king. 12“Listen, son of Ahitub!” Saul declared. “Yes, my lord,” he replied. 13Saul questioned him, “Why have you conspired against me with the son of Jesse by giving him food and a sword and by consulting God for him, that he might rise up against me in ambush, as is the case today?” 14Ahimelech answered the king: “Who among all your servants is as loyal as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and honored in your own house? 15Is this the first time I have consulted God for him? No indeed! Let not the king accuse his servant or anyone in my family of such a thing. Your servant knows nothing at all, great or small, about the whole matter.” 16But the king said, “You shall certainly die, Ahimelech, with all your family.” 17The king then commanded his guards standing by him: “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, for they gave David a hand. They knew he was a fugitive and yet failed to inform me.” But the king’s servants refused to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.#1 Sm 2:31, 33; 21:7.
18The king therefore commanded Doeg, “You, turn and kill the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite himself turned and killed the priests that day—eighty-five who wore the linen ephod. 19Saul also put the priestly city of Nob to the sword, including men and women, children and infants, and oxen, donkeys and sheep.
Abiathar Escapes. 20One son of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, named Abiathar,#Abiathar: the sole survivor of Eli’s household (2:27–36). David now has in his service the only priest of the Lord left in the land and exclusive access to the ephod for consulting the Lord (cf. 23:9–13). David later appoints Abiathar co-high priest with Zadok in Jerusalem (2 Sm 20:25), but Solomon exiles Abiathar to Anathoth when the priest does not support his bid for the throne. Cf. 1 Kgs 2:26–27. escaped and fled to David.#1 Sm 23:6; 30:7; 2 Sm 20:25; 1 Kgs 2:26–27. 21When Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the priests of the Lord, 22David said to him: “I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would certainly tell Saul. I am responsible for the slaughter of all your family. 23Stay with me. Do not be afraid; whoever seeks your life must seek my life also. You are under my protection.”#You are under my protection: once again a sharp contrast is drawn between Saul, who kills the Lord’s priests, and David, who protects the lone survivor.
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