 1 David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said to him, Why are you alone, and no man with you? 2 David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has commanded me a business and has said to me, Let no man know anything of the business about which I send you, and what I have sent you. And I have sent servants to such and such a place. 3 Therefore, what is under your hand? Give five loaves of bread in my hand, or what there is to be found. 4 The priest answered David and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. 5 David answered the priest and said to him, Truly women have been kept from us for about three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and in a way the holy bread is common. Also surely today it is sanctified in the vessels. 6 The priest gave him holy bread. For there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence that was taken from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in on the day when it was taken away. 7 A man from the servants of Saul was there that day, held before the Lord. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen. 8 David said to Ahimelech, And is there not here under your hand spear or sword? For I have not brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business needed haste. 9 The priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth under the ephod, if you will take, take it for yourself, for there is no other here except that one. And David said, There is none like that. Give it to me. 10 David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to King Achish of Gath. 11 The servants of Achish said to him, Is this not King David? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances saying, Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands? 12 David laid up these words in his heart and was very afraid of King Achish of Gath. 13 He changed his behavior before them and pretended to be mad in their hands, and marked on the doors of the gate and let his spittle fall down on his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, You see the man is mad. Why have you brought him to me? 15 Do I have need of mad men so that you have brought this one to show madness in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?
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