1 Samuel, 21

1. Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why [art] thou alone, and no man with thee?

1. David went on his way while Jonathan returned home.

2. And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed [my] servants to such and such a place.

2. David came to Nob to the priest Ahimelech. Ahimelech came to meet him and asked trembling, "Why are you alone?"

3. Now therefore what is under thine hand? give [me] five [loaves of] bread in mine hand, or what there is present.

3. David replied, "The king sent me on a mission and strictly ordered me not to tell anyone about it. Because of this I have decided on a place where I shall meet my men.

4. And the priest answered David, and said, [There is] no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

4. What do you have here? Can you give me five loaves of bread or whatever you have?"

5. And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women [have been] kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and [the bread is] in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.

5. The priest answered David, "I do not have ordinary bread at hand; there is only holy bread. If your men have had no relations with women they may eat it."

6. So the priest gave him hallowed [bread]: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

6. David answered, "Indeed we have abstained from women these days since I set out. The young men remained sexually clean though it was an ordinary expedition and today they are clean."

7. Now a certain man of the servants of Saul [was] there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name [was] Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that [belonged] to Saul.

7. So the priest gave him holy bread for there was no other bread. This was the bread of Presence which had been replaced by fresh bread on the day it was removed.

8. And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.

8. Yet one of Saul's men was there on that day. He was Doeg, the Edomite, and Saul's chief shepherd.

9. And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it [is here] wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take [it]: for [there is] no other save that here. And David said, [There is] none like that; give it me.

9. David asked Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or a sword with you? I did not take my arms with me because the king's order was urgent."

10. And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

10. The priest replied, "I have here, wrapped in a piece of cloth behind the ephod, the sword of Goliath the Philistine whom you killed in the valley of Elah. You can take this if you wish, for I have nothing else here." David said, "There is none like it. Give it to me."

11. And the servants of Achish said unto him, [Is] not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

11. That same day, David fled far from Saul. He went to Achish, king of Gath.

12. And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

12. Achish's servants remarked, "O king, is this not David? Did the people not dance on his account and sing: 'Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands?'"

13. And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

13. David understood these words and began to fear Achish, king of Gath.

14. Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore [then] have ye brought him to me?

14. So he pretended to be mad, making marks on the doors of the gate as he let his spittle run down his beard.

15. Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this [fellow] to play the mad man in my presence? shall this [fellow] come into my house?

15. At this Achish told his servants, "Look, it is a madman. Why did you bring him to me?

16.

16. Am I short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow to act foolishly in my presence? Will this fellow come into my house?"