[1] David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when
his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to
him. [2] And every one who was in distress, and every one who was in debt,
and every one who was discontented, gathered to him; and he became captain
over them. And there were with him about four hundred men. [3] And David
went from there to Mizpeh of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, "Pray
let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for
me." [4] And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him
all the time that David was in the stronghold. [5] Then the prophet Gad
said to David, "Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the
land of Judah." So David departed, and went into the forest of Hereth. [6]
Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him.
Saul was sitting at Gib'e-ah, under the tamarisk tree on the height, with
his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. [7]
And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, "Hear now, you
Benjaminites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and
vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of
hundreds, [8] that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses
to me when my son makes a league with the son of Jesse, none of you is
sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant
against me, to lie in wait, as at this day." [9] Then answered Do'eg the
E'domite, who stood by the servants of Saul, "I saw the son of Jesse coming
to Nob, to Ahim'elech the son of Ahi'tub, [10] and he inquired of the LORD
for him, and gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the
Philistine." [11] Then the king sent to summon Ahim'elech the priest, the
son of Ahi'tub, and all his father's house, the priests who were at Nob;
and all of them came to the king. [12] And Saul said, "Hear now, son of
Ahi'tub." And he answered, "Here I am, my lord." [13] And Saul said to him,
"Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you
have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, so that
he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?" [14] Then
Ahim'elech answered the king, "And who among all your servants is so
faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and captain over your
bodyguard, and honored in your house? [15] Is today the first time that I
have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his
servant or to all the house of my father; for your servant has known
nothing of all this, much or little." [16] And the king said, "You shall
surely die, Ahim'elech, you and all your father's house." [17] And the king
said to the guard who stood about him, "Turn and kill the priests of the
LORD; because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled,
and did not disclose 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 Do'eg, "You turn and fall upon the priests." And Do'eg the E'domite
turned and fell upon the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five
persons who wore the linen ephod. [19] And Nob, the city of the priests, he
put to the sword; both men and women, children and sucklings, oxen, asses
and sheep, he put to the sword. [20] But one of the sons of Ahim'elech the
son of Ahi'tub, named Abi'athar, escaped and fled after David. [21] And
Abi'athar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD. [22] And
David said to Abi'athar, "I knew on that day, when Do'eg the E'domite was
there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all
the persons of your father's house. [23] Stay with me, fear not; for he
that seeks my life seeks your life; with me you shall be in safekeeping."