The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 David went to see Achimelekh the cohen in Nov. Achimelekh came trembling to meet David and asked, "Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?"
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Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was full of fear at meeting David, and said to him, Why are you by yourself, having no man with you?
2 David said to Achimelekh the cohen, "The king has sent me on a mission and told me not to let anyone know its purpose or what I've been ordered to do. I've arranged a place where the guards are to meet me.
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And David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has given me orders and has said to me, Say nothing to anyone about the business on which I am sending you and the orders I have given you: and a certain place has been fixed to which the young men are to go.
3 Now, what do you have on hand? If you can spare five loaves of bread, give them to me, or whatever there is."
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So now, if you have here five cakes of bread, give them into my hand, or whatever you have.
4 The cohen answered David, "I don't have any regular bread; however, there is consecrated bread - but only if the guards have abstained from women.
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And the priest, answering David, said, I have no common bread here but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.
5 David answered the cohen, "Of course women have been kept away from us, as on previous campaigns. Whenever I go out on campaign, the men's gear is clean, even if it's an ordinary trip. How much more, then, today, when they will be putting something consecrated in their packs!"
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And David in answer said to the priest, Certainly women have been kept from us; and as has been done before when I have gone out the arms of the young men were made holy, even though it was a common journey; how much more today will their arms be made holy.
6 So the cohen gave him consecrated bread, because there was no bread there other than the showbread that had been removed from before ADONAI to be replaced by freshly baked bread on the day the old bread was removed.
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So the priest gave him the holy bread: there was no other, only the holy bread which had been taken from before the Lord, so that new bread might be put in its place on the day when it was taken away.
7 One of the servants of Sha'ul happened to be there that day, detained before ADONAI. His name was Do'eg the Edomi, the head of Sha'ul's shepherds.
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Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, kept back before the Lord; his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the strongest of Saul's runners.
8 David said to Achimelekh, "Perhaps you have here with you a spear or a sword? I brought neither my sword nor my other weapons, because the king's mission was urgent."
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And David said to Ahimelech, Have you no sword or spear with you here? for I have come without my sword and other arms, because the king's business had to be done quickly.
9 The cohen said, "The sword of Golyat the P'lishti you killed in the Elah Valley, is over there behind the ritual vest, wrapped in a cloth. If you want it, take it; it's the only one here." David said, "There's nothing like it; give it to me."
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And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you put to death in the valley of Elah, is here folded in a cloth at the back of the ephod: take that, if you will, for there is no other sword here. And David said, there is no other sword like that; give it to me.
10 The same day, David took flight from Sha'ul and went to Akhish king of
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Then David got up and went in flight that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish, the king of Gath.
11 The servants of Akhish said to him, "Isn't this David, king of the land? Weren't they dancing and singing to each other, 'Sha'ul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands'?"
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And the servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David, the king of the land? did they not make songs about him in their dances, saying, Saul has put to death thousands, and David tens of thousands?
12 These remarks were not lost on David, and he became very much afraid of Akhish king of Gat.
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And David took these words to heart, fearing Achish, the king of Gath.
13 So, as they were watching, he changed his behavior and acted like a madman when they had hold of him, scratching marks on the doors of the city gate and drooling down his beard.
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So changing his behaviour before them, he made it seem as if he was off his head, hammering on the doors of the town, and letting the water from his mouth go down his chin.
14 Akhish said to his servants, "Here, you see that the man is meshugga; why bring him to me?
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Then Achish said to his servants, Look! the man is clearly off his head; why have you let him come before me?
15 Am I short of meshugga'im? Is that why you've brought this one to go crazy on me? Must I have this one in my house?"
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Are there not enough unbalanced men about me, that you have let this person come and do such tricks before me? is such a man to come into my house?
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.