שמואל א 21

1 ויבא דוד נבה אל אחימלך הכהן ויחרד אחימלך לקראת דוד ויאמר לו מדוע אתה לבדך ואיש אין אתך

David fled from there and went to Nob [city to see] Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw David [because he was afraid that something bad had happened]. He said to David, “Why are you alone? Why have no men come with you?”

2 ויאמר דוד לאחימלך הכהן המלך צוני דבר ויאמר אלי איש אל ידע מאומה את הדבר אשר אנכי שלחך ואשר צויתך ואת הנערים יודעתי אל מקום פלני אלמוני

David [deceived Ahimelech] by replying, “The king sent me. But he does not want anyone to know anything about what he sent me to do. I have told my men where [they should meet me].

3 ועתה מה יש תחת ידך חמשה לחם--תנה בידי או הנמצא

Now [I want to know], do you have any [food here for me to eat] [IDM]? Could you give me five loaves of bread, or whatever [other food] that you can find?”

4 ויען הכהן את דוד ויאמר אין לחם חל אל תחת ידי כי אם לחם קדש יש אם נשמרו הנערים אך מאשה

The priest answered David, “There is no ordinary bread here, but I have some of the sacred bread [that was placed before Yahweh]. Your men may eat it if they have not slept with [EUP] women [recently].”

5 ויען דוד את הכהן ויאמר לו כי אם אשה עצרה לנו כתמול שלשם בצאתי ויהיו כלי הנערים קדש והוא דרך חל--ואף כי היום יקדש בכלי

David replied, “They have not been near women for many days. I do not allow my men to defile themselves by sleeping with women while they are preparing to fight in battles. They must continue to keep themselves acceptable to God when they are on ordinary trips, and [today they have kept themselves acceptable to God] because now we are doing something very special/important.”

6 ויתן לו הכהן קדש כי לא היה שם לחם כי אם לחם הפנים המוסרים מלפני יהוה לשום לחם חם ביום הלקחו

The only bread that the priest had was the sacred bread that had been placed in Yahweh’s presence [in the Sacred tent]. So the priest gave David some of that bread. On that day the priest had taken those loaves from the table and replaced them with (fresh/newly baked) loaves.

7 ושם איש מעבדי שאול ביום ההוא נעצר לפני יהוה ושמו דאג האדמי--אביר הרעים אשר לשאול

It happened that Doeg, from the Edom people-group, was there on that day to make himself acceptable to Yahweh, [and he saw what Ahimelech did]. He was one of Saul’s officials and the leader of Saul’s shepherds.

8 ויאמר דוד לאחימלך ואין יש פה תחת ידך חנית או חרב כי גם חרבי וגם כלי לא לקחתי בידי כי היה דבר המלך נחוץ

David asked Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or a sword [that I could use]? The king [appointed us to do] this task [and told us to leave] immediately, so I did not have time to bring any weapons.”

9 ויאמר הכהן חרב גלית הפלשתי אשר הכית בעמק האלה הנה היא לוטה בשמלה אחרי האפוד--אם אתה תקח לך קח כי אין אחרת זולתה בזה ויאמר דוד אין כמוה תננה לי

Ahimelech replied, “I have only the sword that belonged to Goliath [the giant] from the Philistia people-group whom you killed in Elah Valley. It is wrapped in a cloth, and is behind the sacred vest [in the Sacred Tent]. If you want it, take it, because I have no other [weapon] here.” David replied, “Truly, there is no other sword that is [as good] as that one! Give it to me.”

10 ויקם דוד ויברח ביום ההוא מפני שאול ויבא אל אכיש מלך גת

[So Ahimelech gave it to him], and David left there. He [and his men] and went to Gath [city in the Philistia region], to stay with King Achish.

11 ויאמרו עבדי אכיש אליו הלוא זה דוד מלך הארץ הלוא לזה יענו במחלות לאמר הכה שאול באלפו ודוד ברבבתו

But the officers of King Achish [objected to David being there. They] said to King Achish, “This man is [RHQ] David, the king of Israel! He is the one [RHQ] whom [our enemies], the [Israeli] people, [honored by] dancing and singing, ‘Saul has killed thousands [of his enemies], but David has killed tens of thousands of them!’”

12 וישם דוד את הדברים האלה בלבבו וירא מאד מפני אכיש מלך גת

David heard what those men were saying, so he was afraid of [what] King Achish [might do to him].

13 וישנו את טעמו בעיניהם ויתהלל בידם ויתו על דלתות השער ויורד רירו אל זקנו

So he pretended that he was insane. He started scratching on the gates [of the city] and allowing his saliva to run down his beard.

14 ויאמר אכיש אל עבדיו הנה תראו איש משתגע למה תביאו אתו אלי

Then King Achish said to his men, “Look at this man! He is acting like an insane man! Why have you brought him to me?

15 חסר משגעים אני כי הבאתם את זה להשתגע עלי הזה יבוא אל ביתי

Have you brought him because I do not have enough insane men here already [RHQ]? I do not want [RHQ] him to come into my house!”