1 Samuel 21

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 David then got up and left, and Jonathan went back to the town.	1 Then David went into Nob, to the priest Ahimelech. And Ahimelech was astonished that David had arrived. And he said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?”
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 the priest Ahimelech: “The king has instructed to me a word, and he said: ‘Let no one know the matter about which you have been sent by me, and what type of instructions I have given to you. For I have also summoned servants to one and another 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 you have anything at hand, even five loaves of bread, or whatever you may find, give it to me.”
4 Meanwhile, if you have five loaves of bread to hand, give them to me, or whatever there is.'	4 And the priest, responding to David, said to him: “I have no common bread at hand, but only holy bread. Are the young men 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 responded to the priest, and said to him: “Indeed, as concerns being with women, we have abstained since yesterday and the day before, when we departed, and so the vessels of the young men have been holy. And although, this journey has been defiled, it will also be sanctified today as concerns 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 Therefore, the priest gave to him sanctified bread. For there was no bread there, but only the bread of the Presence, which had been taken away from before the face of the Lord, so that fresh 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 among the servants of Saul was there on that day, inside the tabernacle of the Lord. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the most powerful among the shepherds of 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 Then David said to Ahimelech: “Do you have, here at hand, a spear or a sword? For I did not take my own sword, or my own weapons with me. For the word of the king was urgent.”
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: “Behold, here is the sword of Goliath, the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Terebinth. It is wrapped up in a cloak behind the ephod. If you wish to take this, take it. For there is nothing else here except this.” And David said, “There is nothing else like this, so give it to 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 so, David rose up, and he fled on that day from the face of Saul. And he 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, when they had seen David, said to him: “Is this not David, the king of the land? Were they not singing about him, while dancing, saying, ‘Saul has struck down a thousand, and David ten thousand?’ ”
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 Then David took these words to his heart, and he became exceedingly afraid before the face of Achish, the king of Gath.
13 David pondered on these words and became very frightened of Achish king of Gath.	13 And he altered his mouth before them, and he slipped down between their hands. And he stumbled against the doors of the gate. And his spit flowed down 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 Achish said to his servants: “You saw that the man is insane. Why did you bring him to me?
15 Achish said to his servants, 'You can see that this man is mad. Why bring him to me?	15 Or do we have need of those who are mad, so that you would bring in this one, to behave madly in my presence? How did this man get 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?'