1 Samuel 22

1 David [and his men] left Gath and went [east] to hide in a cave on a hill at Adullam [city]. Soon his [older] brothers and all his other relatives came and stayed with him there.

And David goes from there, and escapes to the cave of Adullam, and his brothers hear, and all the house of his father, and they go down to him there;

2 Then other men came there. Some were men who had caused trouble, some were men who owed money, and some were men who were not content [IDM] [with the government]. They continued to come until there were 400 men there, and David was their leader.

and every man in distress gathers themselves to him, and every man who has an exactor, and every man bitter in soul, and he is for head over them, and there are about four hundred men with him.

3 Later they left there and went [east] to Mizpah [city] in the Moab region. There David requested the king of Moab, “Please allow my father and mother to live here with you until I know what God is going to do for me.”

And David goes from there to Mizpeh of Moab and says to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother come out with you, until I know what God does for me”;

4 [The king gave him permission, ] so David’s parents stayed with the king of Moab all the time that David and the men who were with him were hiding [in that area].

and he leads them before the king of Moab, and they dwell with him all the days of David’s being in the fortress.

5 One day the prophet Gad told David, “Leave (your fortress/this area) and return to Judah.” So David and his men went to Hereth forest [in Judah].

And the prophet Gad says to David, “You do not abide in a fortress, go, and you have entered the land of Judah for yourself”; and David goes and enters the forest of Hareth.

6 One day, someone told Saul that David and his men had arrived in Judah. On that day, Saul was sitting underneath the tamarisk tree on a hill at Gibeah [town]. He was holding his spear, and was surrounded by his army officers.

And Saul hears that David has become known, and the men who [are] with him, and Saul is abiding in Gibeah, under the grove in Ramah, and his spear [is] in his hand, and all his servants [are] standing by him.

7 He shouted to them, “You men of the tribe of Benjamin, listen to me! Do you think that the son of Jesse will give all of you fields and vineyards [if he becomes your king]? Will he appoint all of you to become generals and captains [in his army] [RHQ]?

And Saul says to his servants who are standing by him, “Now hear, sons of Benjamin; does the son of Jesse also give fields and vineyards to all of you? Does he appoint all of you [to be] heads of thousands and heads of hundreds?

8 Is that why you have all conspired against me [RHQ]? None of you told me when my son [Jonathan] made a solemn agreement with that son of Jesse. None of you feels sorry for me. That son of Jesse was my servant, but now my son is encouraging him to hide in order to (ambush me/attack me suddenly), as he is doing today!”

For all of you have conspired against me, and there is none uncovering my ear about my son’s cutting [a covenant] with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you grieving for me, and uncovering my ear, that my son has raised up my servant against me, to lie in wait as [at] this day.”

9 Doeg, a man from the Edom people-group, was standing there with Saul’s officers. He said to Saul, “When I was at Nob, I saw that son of Jesse talking to Ahimelech, the priest.

And Doeg the Edomite answers, who is set over the servants of Saul, and says, “I have seen the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech son of Ahitub,

10 Ahimelech asked Yahweh what David should do. Then Ahimelech gave to David some food and the sword of Goliath, [the giant] from the Philistia people-group.”

and he inquires of YHWH for him, and has given provision to him, and has given the sword of Goliath the Philistine to him.”

11 Then Saul summoned Ahimelech and all Ahimelech’s relatives who were priests at Nob. So they all came to the king.

And the king sends to call Ahimelech son of Ahitub, the priest, and all the house of his father, the priests, who [are] in Nob, and all of them come to the king;

12 Saul said to Ahimelech, “You son of Ahitub, listen to me!” Ahimelech answered, “Yes, sir!”

and Saul says, “Now hear, son of Ahitub”; and he says, “Here I [am], my lord.”

13 Saul said, “Why are you and Jesse’s son conspiring to get rid of me? You gave him some bread and a sword. You requested God to tell David what he should do. David has rebelled against me, and right now he is [hiding somewhere], waiting [to attack me].”

And Saul says to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, by your giving bread and a sword to him, and to inquire of God for him, to rise against me, to lie in wait, as [at] this day?”

14 Ahimelech replied, “[I do not understand why you are saying that, because] David, your son-in-law, the captain of your bodyguards, is very loyal to you. No one is more loyal to you than David! Everyone in your household respects him very much.

And Ahimelech answers the king and says, “And who among all your servants [is] as David—faithful, and son-in-law of the king, and has turned aside to your council, and is honored in your house?

15 Furthermore, this was certainly not [RHQ] the first time that I requested God to say what he wanted David to do. And it is not right for you to accuse me or any of my relatives [of trying to get rid of you], because I do not know anything about [anyone wanting to do that].”

Today have I begun to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Do not let the king lay anything against his servant, against any of the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, little or much.”

16 The king then shouted, “Ahimelech, you and your all your relatives are going to be executed right now!”

And the king says, “You surely die, Ahimelech, you and all the house of your father.”

17 Then he commanded his bodyguards, “Kill these priests of Yahweh, because they are allies of David, and they are conspiring with David against me! They knew that David was trying to run away from me, but they did not tell me!” But Saul’s bodyguards refused to kill Yahweh’s priests.

And the king says to the runners, those standing by him, “Turn around, and put the priests of YHWH to death, because their hand [is] also with David, and because they have known that he is fleeing, and have not uncovered my ear”; and the servants of the king have not been willing to put forth their hand to come against the priests of YHWH.

18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You kill them!” So Doeg, the man from the Edom people-group, went out and struck them with his sword. On that day he killed eighty-five men who were wearing the sacred vests [because they were God’s priests].

And the king says to Doeg, “Turn around, and come against the priests”; and Doeg the Edomite turns around, and comes against the priests himself, and in that day puts to death eighty-five men bearing a linen ephod,

19 He also went and killed many people in Nob, the city where the priests lived. He killed men, women, children, babies, cattle, donkeys, and sheep there.

and Nob, the city of the priests, he has struck by the mouth of the sword, from man and to woman, from infant and to suckling, and ox, and donkey, and sheep, by the mouth of the sword.

20 But Abiathar, Ahimelech’s son, escaped. He ran away and joined David [and the men who were with him].

And one son of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, escapes, and his name [is] Abiathar, and he flees after David,

21 He told David that Saul had commanded [Doeg] to kill Yahweh’s priests.

and Abiathar declares to David that Saul has slain the priests of YHWH.

22 Then David said to him, “That man from the Edom people-group, Doeg, was there at Nob on the day [that I was there]. I knew that he would surely tell Saul [what happened]. So it is my fault that your father and all of his family have been killed.

And David says to Abiathar, “I have known on that day when Doeg the Edomite [is] there, that he certainly declares [it] to Saul; I have brought [it] around to every person of the house of your father;

23 You stay with me, and do not be afraid. The man who wants to kill you wants to kill me also, but you will be safe if you stay with me.”

dwell with me; do not fear; for he who seeks my life seeks your life; for you [are my] charge with me.”