And David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech trembled to meet David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no man with you?”
And David said to Ahimelech the priest: “The king has commanded me a matter, and said to me, ‘Let no man know anything of the matter on which I am sending you, and which I have commanded you.’ And the young men I have directed to such-and-such a place.
Now then, what is there under your hand? Give five loaves of bread into my hand — or whatever is found.”
And the priest answered David and said, “There is no common bread under my hand — but there is holy bread, if only the young men have kept themselves from women.”
And David answered the priest and said to him: “Indeed, women have been kept from us, as yesterday and the day before, since I came out; and the vessels of the young men are holy. And this is a common journey — how much more, then, will they be holy today, vessels and all.”
So the priest gave him what was holy — for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the LORD, to set out hot bread on the day it is taken away.
Now a man from the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of the shepherds who belonged to Saul.
David Flees to Gath
And David said to Ahimelech, “And is there not here under your hand a spear or a sword? For I took neither my sword nor my weapons in my hand, because the king’s matter was urgent.”
And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah — look, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take it for yourself, take it — for there is no other besides it here.” And David said, “There is none like it. Give it to me.”
And David rose and fled that day from before Saul, and came to Achish, king of Gath.
And the servants of Achish said to him: “Is this not David, the king of the land? Is it not of this one that they sang to one another in the dances, saying, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
And David laid these words to his heart, and he was very afraid before Achish, king of Gath.
And he changed his behavior in their eyes, and acted like a madman in their hands; and he made marks on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down onto his beard.
And Achish said to his servants, “Look — you see a man raving mad. Why do you bring him to me?
Am I short of madmen, that you have brought this one to rave in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?”
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