Parallel Bible results for "1 samuel 21"

1 Samuel 21

The Complete Jewish Bible CJB

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?"

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.

3 Now, what do you have on hand? If you can spare five loaves of bread, give them to me, or whatever there is."

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.

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!"

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.

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.

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."

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."

10 The same day, David took flight from Sha'ul and went to Akhish king of

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'?"

12 These remarks were not lost on David, and he became very much afraid of Akhish king of Gat.

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.

14 Akhish said to his servants, "Here, you see that the man is meshugga; why bring him to 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?"

GOD'S WORD Translation GW

1 David went to the priest Ahimelech at Nob. Ahimelech was trembling as he went to meet David. "Why are you alone?" he asked David. "Why is no one with you?"

2 "The king ordered me to do something," David answered the priest Ahimelech, "and he told me, 'No one must know anything about this mission I'm sending you on and about the orders I've given you. I've stationed my young men at a certain place.'"

3 [David added,] "Now, what do you have [to eat]? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever you can find."

4 "I don't have any ordinary bread," the chief priest answered David. "But there is holy bread for the young men if they haven't had sexual intercourse [today]."

5 David answered the priest, "Of course women have been kept away from us as usual when we go [on a mission]. The young men's bodies are kept holy even on ordinary campaigns. How much more then will their bodies be holy today?"

6 So the priest gave him holy [bread] because he only had the bread of the presence which had been taken from the LORD's presence and replaced with warm bread that day.

7 That same day one of Saul's servants who was obligated to stay in the LORD's presence was there. His name was Doeg. A foreman for Saul's shepherds, he was from Edom.

8 David asked Ahimelech, "Don't you have a spear or a sword here? I didn't take either my spear or any other weapon because the king's business was urgent."

9 The chief priest answered, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Elah Valley, is here. It is wrapped in a cloth behind the priestly ephod. If you want to take it, take it. There's no other weapon here." David said, "There's none like it. Let me have the sword."

10 That day David left. He was [still] fleeing from Saul when he came to King Achish of Gath.

11 Achish's officers asked, "Isn't this David, the king of [his] country? He's the one they used to sing about in the dances: 'Saul has defeated thousands but David tens of thousands.'"

12 When David realized what they had said, he was terrified of King Achish of Gath.

13 So he changed his behavior [when he was] in their presence and acted insane [as long as he was] under their authority. He scribbled on the doors of the city gate and let his spit run down his beard.

14 Achish said to his officers, "Look at him! Don't you see [that he's] insane? Why bring him to me?

15 Do I have such a shortage of lunatics that you bring this man so that he can show me he is insane? Does this man have to come into my house?"