[1] David therefore departed 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] Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and
everyone who was discontented, gathered themselves to him; and he became
captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. [3]
David went there to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said to the king of Moab, Please
let my father and my mother come forth, [and be] with you, until I know
what God will do for me. [4] He brought them before the king of Moab: and
they lived with him all the while that David was in the stronghold. [5] The
prophet Gad said to David, Don`t stay in the stronghold; depart, and get
you into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest
of Hereth. [6] Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were
with him: now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk-tree in Ramah,
with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him.
[7] Saul said to his servants who stood about him, Hear now, you
Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give everyone of you fields and
vineyards, will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of
hundreds, [8] that all of you have conspired against me, and there is none
who discloses to me when my son makes a league with the son of Jesse, and
there is none of you who 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 Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, and
said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
[10] He inquired of Yahweh for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the
sword of Goliath the Philistine. [11] Then the king sent to call Ahimelech
the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father`s house, the priests who
were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king. [12] Saul said, Hear
now, you son of Ahitub. He answered, Here I am, my lord. [13] 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,
that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? [14] Then
Ahimelech answered the king, and said, Who among all your servants is so
faithful as David, who is the king`s son-in-law, and is taken into your
council, and is honorable in your house? [15] Have I today begun to inquire
of God for him? be it far from me: don`t let the king impute anything to
his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for your servant knows
nothing of all this, less or more. [16] The king said, You shall surely
die, Ahimelech, you, and all your father`s house. [17] The king said to the
guard who stood about him, Turn, and kill the priests of Yahweh; because
their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, and
didn`t disclose it to me. But the servants of the king wouldn`t put forth
their hand to fall on the priests of Yahweh. [18] The king said to Doeg,
Turn you, and fall on the priests. Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell on
the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore a linen
ephod. [19] Nob, the city of the priests, struck he with the edge of the
sword, both men and women, children and nursing babies, and oxen and
donkeys and sheep, with the edge of the sword. [20] One of the sons of
Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after
David. [21] Abiathar told David that Saul had slain Yahweh`s priests. [22]
David said to Abiathar, I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was
there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned [the death] of all
the persons of your father`s house. [23] Abide you with me, don`t be
afraid; for he who seeks my life seeks your life: for with me you shall be
in safeguard.
