[1] Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech came to
meet David trembling, and said to him, Why are you alone, and no man with
you? [2] David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has commanded me a
business, and has said to me, Let no man know anything of the business
about which I send you, and what I have commanded you: and I have appointed
the young men to such and such a place. [3] Now therefore what is under
your hand? give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever there is
present. [4] The priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread
under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept
themselves from women. [5] David answered the priest, and said to him, Of a
truth women have been kept from us about these three days; when I came out,
the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was but a common journey;
how much more then today shall their vessels be holy? [6] So the priest
gave him holy [bread]; for there was no bread there but the show bread,
that was taken from before Yahweh, to put hot bread in the day when it was
taken away. [7] Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that
day, detained before Yahweh; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the best of
the herdsmen who belonged to Saul. [8] David said to Ahimelech, Isn`t there
here under your hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword
nor my weapons with me, because the king`s business required haste. [9] The
priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the
vale of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if
you will take that, take it; for there is no other except that here. David
said, There is none like that; give it me. [10] David arose, and fled that
day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. [11] The
servants of Achish said to him, "Isn`t this David the king of the land?
Didn`t they sing one to another about him in dances, saying, `Saul has
slain his thousands, David his ten thousands?`" [12] David laid up these
words in his heart, and was very afraid of Achish the king of Gath. [13] He
changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands,
and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on
his beard. [14] Then said Achish to his servants, Look, you see the man is
mad; why then have you brought him to me? [15] Do I lack madmen, that you
have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? shall this
fellow come into my house?
