1 Samuel 21

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 David then got up and left, and Jonathan went back to the town.	1 And David came to Nobe to Achimelech the priest: and Achimelech was astonished at David's coming. And he said to him: Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
2 David then went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech came out trembling to meet David andsaid, 'Why are you alone? Why is nobody with you?'	2 And David said to Achimelech the priest: The king hath commanded me a business, and said: Let no man know the thing for which thou art sent by me, and what manner of commands I have given thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.
3 David replied to Ahimelech the priest, 'The king has given me an order and said to me, "Do not letanyone know anything about the mission on which I am sending you, or about the order which I have given you."I have arranged to meet the guards at such and such a place.	3 Now therefore if thou have any thing at hand, though it were but five loaves, give me, or whatsoever thou canst find.
4 Meanwhile, if you have five loaves of bread to hand, give them to me, or whatever there is.'	4 And the priest answered David, saying: I have no common bread at hand, but only holy bread, if the young men be clean, especially from women?
5 The priest replied to David, 'I have no ordinary bread to hand; there are only consecrated loaves ofpermanent offering -- provided that the men have kept themselves from women?'	5 And David answered the priest, and said to him: Truly, as to what concerneth women, we have refrained ourselves from yesterday and the day before, when we came out, and the vessels of the young men were holy. Now this way is defiled, but it shall also be sanctified this day in the vessels.
6 David replied to the priest, 'Certainly, women have been forbidden to us, as always when I set off on acampaign. The men's things are clean. Though this is a profane journey, they are certainly clean today as far astheir things are concerned.'	6 The priest therefore gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there, but only the loaves of proposition, which had been taken away from before the face of the Lord, that hot loaves might be set up.
7 The priest then gave him what had been consecrated, for the only bread there was the loaves ofpermanent offering, which is taken out of Yahweh's presence, to be replaced by warm bread on the day when itis removed.	7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, within the tabernacle of the Lord: and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of Saul's herdsmen.
8 Now one of Saul's servants happened to be there that day, detained in Yahweh's presence; his namewas Doeg the Edomite and he was the strongest of Saul's shepherds.	8 And David said to Achimelech: Hast thou here at hand a spear, or a sword? for I brought not my own sword, nor my own weapons with me, for the king's business required haste.
9 David then said to Ahimelech, 'Have you no spear or sword here to hand? I did not bring either mysword or my weapons with me, because the king's business was urgent.'	9 And the priest said: Lo, here is the sword of Goliath the Philistine whom thou slewest in the valley of Terebinth, wrapped up in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take this, take it, for here is no other but this. And David said: There is none like that, give it me.
10 The priest replied, 'The sword of Goliath the Philistine whom you kil ed in the Val ey of the Terebinthis here, wrapped in a piece of clothing behind the ephod; if you care to take it, do so, for that is the only onehere.' David said, 'There is nothing like that one; give it to me.'	10 And David arose and fled that day from the face of Saul: and came to Achis the king of Geth:
11 David journeyed on and that day fled out of Saul's reach, going to Achish king of Gath.	11 And the servants of Achis, when they saw David, said to him: Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to him in their dances, saying: Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
12 Achish's servants said to him, 'Is not this David, the king of the country? Was it not of him that theysang as they danced: Saul has kil ed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands?'	12 But David laid up these words in his heart, and was exceedingly afraid at the face of Achis the king of Geth.
13 David pondered on these words and became very frightened of Achish king of Gath.	13 And he changed his countenance before them, and slipt down between their hands: and he stumbled against the doors of the gate, and his spittle ran down upon his beard.
14 When their eyes were on him, he played the madman and, when they held him, he feigned lunacy.He drummed his feet on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard.	14 And Achis said to his servants: You saw the man was mad: why have you brought him to me?
15 Achish said to his servants, 'You can see that this man is mad. Why bring him to me?	15 Have we need of madmen, that you have brought in this fellow, to play the madman in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?
16 Have I not enough madmen, without your bringing me this one to weary me with his antics? Is he tojoin my household?'