Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible RHE
New Revised Standard NRS
1 And David came to Nobe, to Achimelech, the priest and Achimelech was astonished at David’s coming. And he said to him: Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
1
David came to Nob to the priest Ahimelech. Ahimelech came trembling to meet David, and said to him, "Why are you alone, and no one with you?"
2 And David said to Achimelech, the priest: The king hath commanded me a business, and said: Let no man know the thing for which thou art sent by me, and what manner of commands I have given thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.
2
David said to the priest Ahimelech, "The king has charged me with a matter, and said to me, "No one must know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.' I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place.
3 Now therefore if thou have any thing at hand, though it were but five loaves, give me, or whatsoever thou canst find.
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Now then, what have you at hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here."
4 And the priest answered David, saying: I have no common bread at hand, but only holy bread, if the young men be clean, especially from women?
4
The priest answered David, "I have no ordinary bread at hand, only holy bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women."
5 And David answered the priest, and said to him: Truly, as to what concerneth women, we have refrained ourselves from yesterday and the day before, when we came out, and the vessels of the young men were holy. Now this way is defiled, but it shall also be sanctified this day in the vessels.
5
David answered the priest, "Indeed women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition; the vessels of the young men are holy even when it is a common journey; how much more today will their vessels be holy?"
6 The priest therefore gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there, but only the loaves of proposition, which had been taken away from before the face of the Lord, that hot loaves might be set up.
6
So the priest gave him the holy bread; for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, within the tabernacle of the Lord: and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of Saul’s herdsmen.
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Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's shepherds.
8 And David said to Achimelech: Hast thou here at hand a spear, or a sword? for I brought not my own sword, nor my own weapons with me, for the king’s business required haste.
8
David said to Ahimelech, "Is there no spear or sword here with you? I did not bring my sword or my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste."
9 And the priest said: Lo, here is the sword of Goliath, the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Terebinth, wrapped up in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take this, take it, for here there is no other but this. And David said: There is none like that, give it me.
9
The priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you will take that, take it, for there is none here except that one." David said, "There is none like it; give it to me."
10 And David arose and fled that day from the face of Saul: and came to Achis, the king of Geth:
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David rose and fled that day from Saul; he went to King Achish of Gath.
11 And the servants of Achis, when they saw David, said to him: Is not this David, the king of the land? Did they not sing to him in their dances, saying: Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
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The servants of Achish said to him, "Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, "Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands'?"
12 But David laid up these words in his heart, and was exceedingly afraid at the face of Achis, the king of Geth.
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David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of King Achish of Gath.
13 And he changed his countenance before them, and slipt down between their hands: and he stumbled against the doors of the gate, and his spittle ran down upon his beard.
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So he changed his behavior before them; he pretended to be mad when in their presence. He scratched marks on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down his beard.
14 And Achis said to his servants: You saw the man was mad: why have you brought him to me?
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Achish said to his servants, "Look, you see the man is mad; why then have you brought him to me?
15 Have we need of mad men, that you have brought in this fellow, to play the madman in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?
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Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?"
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New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.