3
Now therefore what is under your hand? give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever there is present.
4
The Kohen 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.
5
David answered the Kohen, and said to him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days; when I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was but a common journey; how much more then today shall their vessels be holy?
6
So the Kohen gave him holy [bread]; for there was no bread there but the show bread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
7
Now a certain man of the servants of Sha'ul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Do'eg the Edomite, the best of the herdsmen who belonged to Sha'ul.
8
David said to Achimelekh, Isn't there here under your hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.
9
The Kohen said, The sword of Golyat the Pelishti, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the efod: if you will take that, take it; for there is no other except that here. David said, There is none like that; give it me.
10
David arose, and fled that day for fear of Sha'ul, and went to Akhish the king of Gat.
11
The servants of Akhish said to him, "Isn't this David the king of the land? Didn't they sing one to another about him in dances, saying, 'Sha'ul has slain his thousands, David his ten thousands?'"
12
David laid up these words in his heart, and was very afraid of Akhish the king of Gat.
13
He changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on his beard.