New King James Version

New Living Translation

David and the Holy Bread

Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?”

1

David Runs from Saul

aDavid went to the town of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw him. “Why are you alone?” he asked. “Why is no one with you?”

2

So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’ And I have directed my young men to such and such a place.

2

“The king has sent me on a private matter,” David said. “He told me not to tell anyone why I am here. I have told my men where to meet me later.

3

Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found.”

3

Now, what is there to eat? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have.”

4

And the priest answered David and said, “There is no [a]common bread on hand; but there is holy[b] bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.”

4

“We don’t have any regular bread,” the priest replied. “But there is the holy bread, which you can have if your young men have not slept with any women recently.”

5

Then David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And [c]the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day.”

5

“Don’t worry,” David replied. “I never allow my men to be with women when we are on a campaign. And since they stay clean even on ordinary trips, how much more on this one!”

6

So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away.

6

Since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread — the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the LORD in the Tabernacle. It had just been replaced that day with fresh bread.

7

Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul.

7

Now Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief herdsman, was there that day, having been detained before the LORD.b

8

And David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.”

8

David asked Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword? The king’s business was so urgent that I didn’t even have time to grab a weapon!”

9

So the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here.”
And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

9

“I only have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah,” the priest replied. “It is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. Take that if you want it, for there is nothing else here.”
“There is nothing like it!” David replied. “Give it to me!”

10

David Flees to Gath

Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

10

So David escaped from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath.

11

And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying:
‘Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands’?”

11

But the officers of Achish were unhappy about his being there. “Isn’t this David, the king of the land?” they asked. “Isn’t he the one the people honor with dances, singing,
‘Saul has killed his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”

12

Now David took these words [d]to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

12

David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King Achish of Gath might do to him.

13

So he changed his behavior before them, pretended [e]madness in their hands, [f]scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard.

13

So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard.

14

Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me?

14

Finally, King Achish said to his men, “Must you bring me a madman?

15

Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

15

We already have enough of them around here! Why should I let someone like this be my guest?”

Parallel

New King James Version

New Living Translation

1 Samuel 21

1 Samuel 21