Then came David
to Nob
to Ahimelech
the priest
: and Ahimelech
was afraid
at the meeting
of David
, and said
unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man
with thee?
And David said
unto Ahimelech
the priest
, The king
hath commanded
me a business
, and hath said
unto me, Let no man
know
any thing
of the business
whereabout I send
thee, and what I have commanded
thee: and I have appointed
my servants
to such
and such
a place
.
Now therefore what is under thine hand
? give
me five
loaves of bread
in mine hand
, or what there is present
.
And the priest answered
David
, and said
, There is no common
bread
under mine hand
, but there is
hallowed
bread
; if the young men
have kept
themselves at least
from women
.
And David answered
the priest
, and said
unto him, Of a truth
women
have been kept
from us about these three
days
, since I came out
, and the vessels
of the young men
are holy
, and the bread is in a manner
common
, yea, though it were sanctified
this day
in the vessel
.
So the priest gave
him hallowed
bread : for there was no bread
there but the shewbread
, that was taken
from before
the LORD
, to put
hot
bread
in the day
when it was taken away
.
Now a certain man of the servants
of Saul
was there that day
, detained
before
the LORD
; and his name
was Doeg
, an Edomite
, the chiefest
of the herdmen
that belonged to Saul
.
And David said
unto Ahimelech
, And is there
not
here under thine hand
spear
or sword
? for I have neither brought
my sword
nor my weapons
with me
, because the king's
business
required
haste
.
And the priest said
, The sword
of Goliath
the Philistine
, whom thou slewest
in the valley
of Elah
, behold, it is here wrapped
in a cloth
behind
the ephod
: if thou wilt take
that, take
it : for there is no other
save
that here
. And David
said
, There is none like that; give
it me.
And David arose
, and fled
that day
for fear
of Saul
, and went
to Achish
the king
of Gath
.
And the servants of Achish
said
unto him, Is not this David
the king
of the land
? did they not sing
one to another of him
in dances
, saying
, Saul
hath slain
his thousands
, and David
his ten thousands
?
And David laid up
these words
in his heart
, and was sore
afraid
of
Achish
the king
of Gath
.
And he changed his behaviour
before
them, and feigned himself mad
in their hands
, and scrabbled
on the doors
of the gate
, and let his spittle
fall down
upon his beard
.
Then said Achish
unto his servants
, Lo, ye see
the man
is mad
: wherefore then have ye brought
him to me?
Have I need of mad men
, that ye have brought
this fellow to play the mad man
in my presence? shall this fellow come
into my house
?