1 Samuel 21

NEW JERUSALEM	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 David then got up and left, and Jonathan went back to the town.	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?
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 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.
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 what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.
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, 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.
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 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.
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, 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.
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 for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
11 David journeyed on and that day fled out of Saul's reach, going to Achish king of Gath.	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?
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 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
13 David pondered on these words and became very frightened of Achish king of Gath.	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.
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 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye 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 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?
16 Have I not enough madmen, without your bringing me this one to weary me with his antics? Is he tojoin my household?'