1 Samuel

21 Then came David to Nôb, unto Ahimelech the priest,—and Ahimelech trembled when he met 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 charged me with a matter, and hath said unto me—Let no man know aught of the business on which I am sending thee and with which I have charged thee,—But unto the young men have I appointed such and such a place.

3 Now, therefore, what is there under thy hand? Five loaves give thou into my hand,—or whatever can be found.

4 And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread under my hand,—but hallowed bread there is, if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

5 And David answered the priest and said to him—Of a truth, women have been withheld from us of late through my coming out, and the wallets of the young men have become hallowed,—while [the bread] itself is in a manner common, and the more so since to-day [there are other loaves] to be hallowed in the vessel.

6 So the priest gave him hallowed [bread],—because there was there no bread save the Presence-Bread, which had to be removed from before Yahweh, to put hot bread, on the day when it should be taken away.

7 Now, in that very place was a man of the servants of Saul on that day, detained before Yahweh, whose name was Doeg the Edomite,—chief of the shepherds that belonged unto Saul.

8 Then said David to Ahimelech, See whether there is here under thy hand a spear or a sword? for neither my sword nor my other weapons did I take in my hand, for the king’s business was urgent.

9 And the priest said: The sword of Goliath the Philistine whom thou didst smite in the vale of Elah, lo! that is wrapped up in a cloth behind the ephod, if that thou wilt take to thee, take it, for there is no other save that here. And David said—There is none like it, give it me.

10 Then arose David, and fled that day from the face of Saul,—and came in unto Achish, king of Gath.

11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David, king of the land? Was it not of this man that they kept responding in the dances, saying, Saul hath smitten his thousands, But David his tens of thousands?

12 And David laid up these words in his heart,—and feared greatly, because of Achish king of Gath.

13 So he feigned himself mad in their sight, and raged in their hand,—and struck against the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down upon his beard.

14 Then said Achish unto his servants,—Lo! ye can see, a madman playing his pranks, wherefore should ye bring him in unto me?

15 Lacking of madmen am I that ye should bring in this one to play his mad pranks unto me? Shall this one enter my household?