1Sa 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?
1Sa 21:2 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.
1Sa 21:3 Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in
mine hand, or what there is present.
1Sa 21:4 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.
1Sa 21:5 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.
1Sa 21:6 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.
1Sa 21:7 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.
1Sa 21:8 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.
1Sa 21:9 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.
1Sa 21:10 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to
Achish the king of Gath.
1Sa 21:11 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?
1Sa 21:12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of
Achish the king of Gath.
1Sa 21:13 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.
1Sa 21:14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad:
wherefore then have ye brought him to me?
1Sa 21:15 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?