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.

David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard [it], they went down thither to him.

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 one [that was] in distress, and every one that [was] in debt, and every one [that was] discontented, resorted to him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

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 went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said to the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, [and be] with you, till I know what God will do 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 brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold.

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 said to David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and come into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into 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.

When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that [were] with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants [were] standing about 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]?

Then Saul said to his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjaminites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, [and] make you all captains of thousands, and captains 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!”

That all of you have conspired against me, and [there is] none that showeth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and [there is] none of you that is sorry for me, or showeth to me that my son hath stirred 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.

Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the 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 inquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

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

Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that [were] in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.

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

And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, 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 said to him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should 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.

Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who [is so] faithful among all thy servants as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honorable in thy 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].”

Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? be it far from me. Let not the king impute [any] thing to his servant, [nor] to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.

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

And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.

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 said to the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD: because their hand also [is] with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not show it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.

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 said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day eighty and five persons that wore 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 smote with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge 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 of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

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

And Abiathar showed David that Saul had slain the LORD'S priests.

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 said to Abiathar, I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite [was] there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned [the death] of all the persons of thy father's house.

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.”

Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou [shalt be] in safeguard.