| |
Chapter 21
|
1
|
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? |
2
|
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. |
3
|
Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five
loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present. |
4
|
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. |
5
|
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. |
6
|
So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was
no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before
the LORD, 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 the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an
Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul. |
8
|
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. |
9
|
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. |
10
|
And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and
went to Achish the king of Gath. |
11
|
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? |
12
|
And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore
afraid of Achish the king of Gath. |
13
|
And 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 upon his beard. |
14
|
Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man
is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me? |
15
|
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? |
