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 [are] you alone, and nobody with you?

Then came David to Nob, unto Ahimelech, the priest, —and Ahimelech trembled when he met David, 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 today, and said to me, Let no one know the matter on which I send you, an concerning which I have charged you: 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 charged me with a matter, and hath said unto me—Let, no man, know aught of the business on which I am sending thee, and with which I have charged thee, —But, unto the young men, have I appointed, such and such a place.

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

Now, therefore, what is there under thy hand? Five loaves, give thou into my hand, —or, whatever can be found.

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 my hand, —but, hallowed bread, there is, if the young men have kept themselves, at least from women.

5 And David answered the priest, and said to him, Yes, 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, therefore it shall be sanctified this day because of my weapons.

And David answered the priest and said to him—Of a truth, women, have been withheld from us, of late, through my coming out, and the wallets of the young men have become hallowed, —while [the bread], itself, is in a manner common, and the more so since, to-day, [there are other loaves] to be hallowed, in the vessel.

6 So Abimelech the priest gave him the show bread; 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 hallowed [bread], —because there was there no bread, save the Presence-Bread, which had to be removed from before Yahweh, to put hot bread, on the day when it should be 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, in that very place, was a man of the servants of Saul, on that day, detained before Yahweh, whose name, was Doeg the Edomite, —chief of the shepherds that belonged unto Saul.

8 And David said to Abimelech, See if there is here under your 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.

Then said David to Ahimelech, See whether there is here, under thy hand, a spear or a sword? for, neither my sword, nor my other weapons, did I take in my hand, for, the king’s business, was, urgent.

9 And the priest said, Behold the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck in the valley of Ela; and it is wrapt in a cloth: if you will take it, take it for yourself, 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 didst smite in the vale of Elah, lo! that, is wrapped up in a cloth, behind the ephod, if, that, thou wilt take to thee, take it, for there is no other, save that, here. And David said—There is none, like it, 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.

Then arose David, and fled, that day, from the face of Saul, —and came in unto Achish, 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 struck his thousand, and David his ten thousands?

And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not, this, David, king of the land? Was it not, of this man, that they kept responding in the dances, saying, Saul, hath smitten his, thousands, but, David, his, tens of 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 feared greatly, because of Achish 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.

So he feigned himself mad, in their sight, and raged in their hand, —and struck against the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down upon his beard.

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

Then said Achish unto his servants, —Lo! ye can see, a madman playing his pranks, wherefore should ye bring him in, unto me?

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

Lacking of madmen, am I that ye should bring in this one to play his mad pranks, unto me? Shall, this, one enter my household?