1 Samuel 21

1 David went to the town of Nob to see Ahimelek the priest. Ahimelek was trembling in fear when he met him, and he asked, “Why are you here alone? Why isn't there anybody with you?”

大衛到了挪伯祭司亞希米勒那裏，亞希米勒戰戰兢兢地出來迎接他，問他說：「你為甚麼獨自來，沒有人跟隨呢？」

2 “The king has given me an assignment,” David replied. “He told me ‘Nobody must know anything about the assignment I have sent you to do.’ As for my men, I've told them where to meet me.

大衛回答祭司亞希米勒說：「王吩咐我一件事說：『我差遣你委託你的這件事，不要使人知道。』故此我已派定少年人在某處等候我。

3 So what do you have on hand to eat? Let me have five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.”

現在你手下有甚麼？求你給我五個餅或是別樣的食物。」

4 “There's no ordinary bread,” the priest told David, “but there's some holy bread, as long as your men have not slept with any women lately.”

祭司對大衛說：「我手下沒有尋常的餅，只有聖餅；若少年人沒有親近婦人才可以給。」

5 “We have not slept with any women,” David answered. “In fact that's the rule when I lead the troops on mission. They keep themselves pure even during ordinary missions, and all the more so right now.”

大衛對祭司說：「實在約有三日我們沒有親近婦人；我出來的時候，雖是尋常行路，少年人的器皿還是潔淨的；何況今日不更是潔淨嗎？」

6 So the priest gave him the holy bread as they didn't have any other bread there except this “Bread of the Presence,” which had been removed from the presence of the Lord that day and replaced with fresh bread.

祭司就拿聖餅給他；因為在那裏沒有別樣餅，只有更換新餅，從耶和華面前撤下來的陳設餅。 （

7 One of Saul's servants happened to be there that day, trying to make himself right with the Lord. He was Doeg the Edomite, Saul's chief shepherd.

當日有掃羅的一個臣子留在耶和華面前。他名叫多益，是以東人，作掃羅的司牧長。）

8 “Have you got a spear or sword here?” David asked Ahimelech. “I didn't bring my sword or any of my weapons with me, because what the king needed me to do was urgent.”

大衛問亞希米勒說：「你手下有槍有刀沒有？因為王的事甚急，連刀劍器械我都沒有帶。」

9 The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine is here—the one you killed in the Valley of Elah. It's wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. You can take it if you want. It's the only one here.” “It's better than any other sword! Please give it to me,” David replied.

祭司說：「你在以拉谷殺非利士人歌利亞的那刀在這裏，裹在布中，放在以弗得後邊，你要就可以拿去；除此以外，再沒有別的。」大衛說：「這刀沒有可比的！求你給我。」

10 David ran away from Saul that day and went to Achish, king of Gath.

那日大衛起來，躲避掃羅，逃到迦特王亞吉那裏。

11 But Achish's officials asked the king, “Isn't this David, the king of that country? Didn't they sing about him in their dances, ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”

亞吉的臣僕對亞吉說：「這不是 以色列國王大衛嗎？那裏的婦女跳舞唱和，不是指着他說『掃羅殺死千千，大衛殺死萬萬』嗎？」

12 David listened carefully to what they said and this made him very afraid of Achish, the king of Gath.

大衛將這話放在心裏，甚懼怕迦特王亞吉，

13 So he changed the way he acted toward them and pretended to be crazy. He scratched marks on the town gates and let his spit run down his beard.

就在眾人面前改變了尋常的舉動，在他們手下假裝瘋癲，在城門的門扇上胡寫亂畫，使唾沫流在鬍子上。

14 Achish told his officials, “Look, you can see the man is completely mad! Why did you bring him to me?

亞吉對臣僕說：「你們看，這人是瘋子。為甚麼帶他到我這裏來呢？

15 Is it because I need more mad people that you've brought this man to go crazy right in front of me? Do you think I'm going to let him come into my house?”

我豈缺少瘋子，你們帶這人來在我面前瘋癲嗎？這人豈可進我的家呢？」