1 Then came H935 David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech came H935 to meet David trembling, and said unto him , Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? 2 And David H1732 said H559 unto Ahimelech H288 the priest H3548 , The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said H559 unto me , Let no man H376 know anything of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed the young men H376 to such and such a place . 3 Now therefore what is under thy hand? give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatsoever there is present. 4 And the priest answered David , and said, There is no common bread H3899 under my hand H3027 , but there is holy bread H3899 ; if only the young men have kept themselves from women. 5 And David H1732 answered the priest H3548 , and said H559 unto him , Of a truth women H802 have been kept H8104 from us about these three days ; when I came out , the vessels of the young H5288 men H5288 were holy H6944 , though it was but a common journey; how much more then to-day shall their vessels be holy H6944 ? 6 So the priest H3548 gave him holy H6944 bread; for there was H1961 no bread there but the showbread, that was H1961 taken from before Jehovah, to put hot bread in the day H3117 when it was H1961 taken away . 7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was H1961 there that day H3117 , detained before Jehovah ; and his name was H1961 Doeg the Edomite, the chiefest of the herdsmen that belonged H1961 to Saul. 8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thy 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 H559 , The sword H2719 of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the vale of Elah, behold , it is here פֹּ֥ה poh H6311 wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take H3947 that , take H3947 it ; for there is no other save that here H6311 . And David H1732 said H559 , There is none like that ; give it me . 10 And David H1732 arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul , and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish H397 said unto him , Is not this David H1732 the king H4428 of the land ? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul H7586 hath slain his thousands, And David H1732 his ten thousands? 12 And David H1732 laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish H397 the king H4428 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 H3381 him to me ? 15 Do I lack madmen , that ye have brought H935 this fellow to play the madman H7696 in my presence? shall this fellow come H935 into my house? ← 1 Samuel 20 1 Samuel 22 → Commentaries on 1 Samuel 21 American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries