Kings I 21

1 And David comes to Nomba to Abimelech the priest: and Abimelech was amazed at meeting him, and said to him, Why [art] thou alone, and nobody with thee?

Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

2 And David said to the priest, The king gave me a command to-day, and said to me, Let no one know the matter on which I send thee, an concerning which I have charged thee: and I have charged my servants [to be] in the place that is called, The faithfulness of God, phellani maemoni.

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 the young men to such and such a place.

3 And now if there are under thy hand five loaves, give into my hand what is ready.

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

4 And the priest answered David, and said, There are no common loaves under my hand, for I have none but holy loaves: if the young men have been kept at least from women, then they shall eat [them].

And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.

5 And David answered the priest, and said to him, Yea, we have been kept from women for three days: when I came forth for the journey all the young men were purified; but this expedition is unclean, wherefore it shall be sanctified this day because of my weapons.

And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days; When I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was but a common journey; how much more then today shall their vessels be holy?

6 So Abimelech the priest gave him the shewbread; for there were no loaves there, but only the presence loaves which had been removed from the presence of the Lord, in order that hot bread should be set on, on the day on which he took them.

So the priest gave him holy [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.

7 And there was there on that day one of Saul's servants detained before the Lord, and his name [was] Doec the Syrian, tending the mules of Saul.

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

8 And David said to Abimelech, See if there is here under thy hand spear or sword, for I have not brought in my hand my sword or my weapons, for the word of the king was urgent.

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.

9 And the priest said, Behold the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou smotest in the valley of Ela; and it is wrapt in a cloth: if thou wilt take it, take it for thyself, for there is no other except it here. And David said, Behold, there is none like it; give it me.

And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slowest in the vale 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.

10 And he gave it him; and David arose, and fled in that day from he presence of Saul: and David came to Anchus king of Geth.

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

11 And the servants of Anchus said to him, [Is] not this David the king of the land? Did not the dancing women begin the son to him, saying, Saul has smitten his thousand, and David his ten thousands?

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?

12 And David laid up the words in his heart, and was greatly afraid of Anchus king of Geth.

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

13 And he changed his appearance before him, and feigned himself a false character in that day; and drummed upon the doors of the city, and used extravagant gestures with his hands, and fell against the doors of the gate, and his spittle ran down upon his beard.

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.

14 And Anchus said to his servants, Lo! ye see the man [is] mad: why have ye brought him in to me?

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

15 [Am] I in want of madmen, that ye have brought him in to me to play the madman? He shall not come into the house.

Do I lack mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?