1 Samuel, 21

1. David then got up and left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

1. Then came David to Nob to Ahim'elech the priest; and Ahim'elech came to meet David trembling, and said to him, "Why are you alone, and no one with you?"

2. David then went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech came out trembling to meet David and said, 'Why are you alone? Why is nobody with you?'

2. And David said to Ahim'elech the priest, "The king has charged me with a matter, and said to me, `Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.' I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place.

3. David replied to Ahimelech the priest, 'The king has given me an order and said to me, "Do not let anyone know anything about the mission on which I am sending you, or about the order which I have given you." I have arranged to meet the guards at such and such a place.

3. Now then, what have you at hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here."

4. Meanwhile, if you have five loaves of bread to hand, give them to me, or whatever there is.'

4. And the priest answered David, "I have no common bread at hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women."

5. The priest replied to David, 'I have no ordinary bread to hand; there are only consecrated loaves of permanent offering -- provided that the men have kept themselves from women?'

5. And David answered the priest, "Of a truth women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition; the vessels of the young men are holy, even when it is a common journey; how much more today will their vessels be holy?"

6. David replied to the priest, 'Certainly, women have been forbidden to us, as always when I set off on a campaign. The men's things are clean. Though this is a profane journey, they are certainly clean today as far as their things are concerned.'

6. So the priest gave him the holy bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the LORD, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.

7. The priest then gave him what had been consecrated, for the only bread there was the loaves of permanent offering, which is taken out of Yahweh's presence, to be replaced by warm bread on the day when it is removed.

7. Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; his name was Do'eg the E'domite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.

8. Now one of Saul's servants happened to be there that day, detained in Yahweh's presence; his name was Doeg the Edomite and he was the strongest of Saul's shepherds.

8. And David said to Ahim'elech, "And have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste."

9. David then said to Ahimelech, 'Have you no spear or sword here to hand? I did not bring either my sword or my weapons with me, because the king's business was urgent.'

9. And the priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here." And David said, "There is none like that; give it to me."

10. The priest replied, 'The sword of Goliath the Philistine whom you killed in the Valley of the Terebinth is here, wrapped in a piece of clothing behind the ephod; if you care to take it, do so, for that is the only one here.' David said, 'There is nothing like that one; give it to me.'

10. And David rose and fled that day from Saul, and went to A'chish the king of Gath.

11. David journeyed on and that day fled out of Saul's reach, going to Achish king of Gath.

11. And the servants of A'chish said to him, "Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, `Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?"

12. Achish's servants said to him, 'Is not this David, the king of the country? Was it not of him that they sang as they danced: Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands?'

12. And David took these words to heart, and was much afraid of A'chish the king of Gath.

13. David pondered on these words and became very frightened of Achish king of Gath.

13. So he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and made marks on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down his beard.

14. When their eyes were on him, he played the madman and, when they held him, he feigned lunacy. He drummed his feet on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard.

14. Then said A'chish to his servants, "Lo, you see the man is mad; why then have you brought him to me?

15. Achish said to his servants, 'You can see that this man is mad. Why bring him to me?

15. Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?"

16. Have I not enough madmen, without your bringing me this one to weary me with his antics? Is he to join my household?'

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