1
Then cameDavid 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
And Davidsaid unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no manknow 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.
4
And the priestansweredDavid, and said, There is no commonbread under mine hand, but there ishallowedbread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
5
And Davidanswered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truthwomen have been kept from us about these threedays, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a mannercommon, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
6
So the priestgave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread*, that was taken from before the LORD, to puthotbread in the day when it was taken away.
7
Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day,detainedbefore the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.
8
And Davidsaid unto Ahimelech, And is therenot here under thine handspear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king'sbusinessrequiredhaste.
9
And the priestsaid, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a clothbehind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no othersave that here. And Davidsaid, There is none like that; give it me.
11
And the servants of Achishsaid 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?
13
And he changed his behaviourbefore 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.