1 Samuel 21
21
David Encounters the Priests of Nob
1Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came trembling to meet David, and he said to him, “Why are you alone and there are no men with you?” 2So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘No one must know anything about this matter on which I am sending you, with which I have charged you and the servants.’ ” So I have arranged to meet with my servants at a certain place.#Literally “I have made an appointment with my servants/young men to a place, a certain one” 3Now then, what do you have at hand?#Literally “what is there under your hand” Give me five loaves of bread or whatever is here.”#Literally “that which is found” 4The priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread here at hand;#Literally “under my hand” there is only holy bread, but only if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5David answered the priest and said to him, “Indeed, women were held back from us as it has been when I’ve gone out before.#Literally “as yesterday three days ago my going out” And the things#Or possibly “equipment” or “weapons” of the young men are holy when#Or “and” it is an ordinary journey. How much more#Literally “And even that” today#Literally “the day” will the things#Or possibly “equipment” or “weapons” be holy?” 6So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which was removed from before Yahweh, in order to set hot bread there on the day when it was taken away.
7Now there was a man from the servants of Saul on that day, detained before Yahweh, whose name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s shepherds. 8David asked Ahimelech, “Is there not at your disposal#Literally “under your hand” a spear or a sword? For I took neither my sword nor my weapons with me because the king’s matter was urgent.” 9So the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine 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 is no other except it here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
David Flees to Achish in Gath
10So David got up and fled on that day from the presence of Saul, and he came to Achish the king of Gath. 11The servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Is it not for this one that they sang in the dances, saying, ‘Saul killed his thousands, but David his ten thousands?’ ” 12David took these words seriously#Literally “David put these words in his heart” and felt severely threatened by#Literally “he was very afraid from the face of” Achish the king of Gath. 13So he changed his behavior before them#Literally “in their eyes” and pretended to be mad in their presence.#Literally “in their hands” He made scratches on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down into his beard. 14Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see a madman! Why did you bring him to me? 15Do I lack madmen that you have brought this one to act like a madman before me? Should this one enter my household?”
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1 Samuel 21: LEB
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1 Samuel 21
21
1And David cometh in to Nob, unto Ahimelech the priest, and Ahimelech trembleth at meeting David, and saith to him, ‘Wherefore [art] thou thyself alone, and no man with thee?’
2And David saith to Ahimelech the priest, ‘The king hath commanded me a matter, and he saith unto me, Let no man know anything of the matter about which I am sending thee, and which I have commanded thee; and the young men I have caused to know at such and such a place;
3and now, what is there under thy hand? five loaves give into my hand, or that which is found.’
4And the priest answereth David, and saith, ‘There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if the youths have been kept only from women.’
5And David answereth the priest, and saith to him, ‘Surely, if women have been restrained from us as heretofore in my going out, then the vessels of the young men are holy, and it [is] a common way: and also, surely to-day it is sanctified in the vessel.’
6And the priest giveth to him the holy thing, for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence which is turned aside from the presence of Jehovah to put hot bread in the day of its being taken away.
7And there [is] a man of the servants of Saul on that day detained before Jehovah, and his name [is] Doeg the Edomite, chief of the shepherds whom Saul hath.
8And David saith to Ahimelech, ‘And is there not here under thy hand spear or sword? for neither my sword nor my vessels have I taken in my hand, for the matter of the king was urgent.’
9And the priest saith, ‘The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou didst smite in the valley of Elah, lo, it is wrapped in a garment behind the ephod, if it thou dost take to thyself, take; for there is none other save it in this [place].’ And David saith, ‘There is none like it — give it to me.’
10And David riseth and fleeth on that day from the face of Saul, and cometh in unto Achish king of Gath;
11and the servants of Achish say unto him, ‘Is not this David king of the land? is it not of this one they sing in dances, saying, ‘Saul smote among his thousands, and David among his myriads?’
12And David layeth these words in his heart, and is exceedingly afraid of the face of Achish king of Gath,
13and changeth his behaviour before their eyes, and feigneth himself mad in their hand, and scribbleth on the doors of the gate, and letteth down his spittle unto his beard.
14And Achish saith unto his servants, ‘Lo, ye see a man acting as a madman; why do ye bring him in unto me?
15A lack of madmen [have] I, that ye have brought in this one to act as a madman by me! doth this one come in unto my house?’
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