1 Samuel 21

1 And David comes to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest, and Ahimelech trembles at meeting David and says to him, “Why [are] you alone, and no man [is] 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 says to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commanded me [on] a matter, and he says to me, Let no man know anything of the matter about which I send you, and which I have commanded you; and [my] young men know [to go] to such and such a place.

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, what is there under your hand? Give five loaves into my hand, or that which is found.”

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

4 And the priest answers David and says, “There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the youths have been kept from women.”

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 answers the priest and says to him, “Surely, if women have been restrained from us as before in my going out, then the vessels of the young men are holy, and it [is] a common way; and also, surely it is sanctified today in the vessel.”

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 And the priest gives the holy thing to him, for there was no bread there except the Bread of the Presentation, which is turned aside from the presence of YHWH to put hot bread [there] in the day of its being taken away.

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 [is] a man of the servants of Saul detained before YHWH on that day, and his name [is] Doeg the Edomite, chief of the shepherds whom Saul has.

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 says to Ahimelech, “And is there not spear or sword here under your hand? For I have taken neither my sword nor my vessels in my hand, for the matter 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 says, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a garment behind the ephod, if you take it to yourself, take; for there is none other except it in this [place].” And David says, “There is none like it—give it to 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 David rises and flees on that day from the face of Saul, and comes to Achish king of Gath;

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 Achish say to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Is it not of this one [that] they sing in dances, saying, Saul struck among his thousands, and David among his myriads?”

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 lays these words in his heart, and is exceedingly afraid of the face of Achish king of Gath,

And David laid up these words in his heart, —and feared greatly, because of Achish king of Gath.

13 and changes his behavior before their eyes, and feigns himself mad in their hand, and scribbles on the doors of the gate, and lets down his spittle to 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 Achish says to his servants, “Behold, you see a man acting as a madman; why do you bring him 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 lacking madmen, that you have brought in this one to act as a madman before me? Does this one come into my 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?