1 Samuel 21
21
David Flees to Nob
1David went to Ahimelech # 1Sm 14:3; Mk 2:26 the priest at Nob. # 1Sm 22:19 Ahimelech was afraid to meet David, so he said to him, “Why are you alone and no one is with you? ”
2David answered Ahimelech the priest, “The king gave me a mission, but he told me, ‘Don’t let anyone know anything about the mission I’m sending you on or what I have ordered you to do.’ I have stationed my young men at a certain place. 3Now what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever can be found.”
4The priest told him, “There is no ordinary bread on hand. However, there is consecrated bread, # Ex 25:30; Lv 24:5-9; Mt 12:3-4 but the young men may eat it # DSS; MT omits may eat it only if they have kept themselves from women.” # Ex 19:15
5David answered him, “I swear that women are being kept from us, as always when I go out to battle. # 2Sm 11:11 The young men’s bodies # Lit vessels are consecrated # 1Th 4:4 even on an ordinary mission, so of course their bodies are consecrated today.” 6So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, # Mt 12:3-4; Mk 2:25 for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence # Lv 24:5-9 that had been removed from the presence of the Lord. When the bread was removed, it had been replaced with warm bread.
7One of Saul’s servants, detained before the Lord, was there that day. His name was Doeg the Edomite, # 1Sm 22:9; Ps 52 title chief of Saul’s shepherds.
8David said to Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword on hand? I didn’t even bring my sword or my weapons since the king’s mission was urgent.”
9The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, # 1Sm 17:51 whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want to take it for yourself, then take it, for there isn’t another one here.”
“There’s none like it! ” David said. “Give it to me.”
David Flees to Gath
10David fled that day from Saul’s presence and went to King Achish of Gath. # Ps 56 title 11But Achish’s servants said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Don’t they sing about him during their dances:
Saul has killed his thousands,
but David his tens of thousands? ” # 1Sm 18:7; 29:5
12David took this to heart # Lit David placed these words in his heart and became very afraid of King Achish of Gath, 13so he pretended to be insane in their presence. # Ps 34 title He acted like a madman around them, # Lit madman in their hand scribbling # LXX reads drumming on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.
14“Look! You can see the man is crazy,” Achish said to his servants. “Why did you bring him to me? 15Do I have such a shortage of crazy people that you brought this one to act crazy around me? Is this one going to come into my house? ” # Ps 34 title
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1 Samuel 21: HCSB
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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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