1 Samuel 21

1 Then came David to Nob, unto Ahimelech, the priest, —and Ahimelech trembled when he met David, and said unto him—Why art thou, alone, and, no man, with thee?

Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

2 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest—The king, hath charged me with a matter, and hath said unto me—Let, no man, know aught of the business on which I am sending thee, and with which I have charged thee, —But, unto the young men, have I appointed, such and such a place.

And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed the young men to such and such a place.

3 Now, therefore, what is there under thy hand? Five loaves, give thou into my hand, —or, whatever can be found.

Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or whatsoever there is present.

4 And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, —but, hallowed bread, there is, if the young men have kept themselves, at least from women.

And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.

5 And David answered the priest and said to him—Of a truth, women, have been withheld from us, of late, through my coming out, and the wallets of the young men have become hallowed, —while [the bread], itself, is in a manner common, and the more so since, to-day, [there are other loaves] to be hallowed, in the vessel.

And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days; When I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was but a common journey; how much more then today shall their vessels be holy?

6 So the priest gave him hallowed [bread], —because there was there no bread, save the Presence-Bread, which had to be removed from before Yahweh, to put hot bread, on the day when it should be taken away.

So the priest gave him holy [bread]: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

7 Now, in that very place, was a man of the servants of Saul, on that day, detained before Yahweh, whose name, was Doeg the Edomite, —chief of the shepherds that belonged unto Saul.

Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.

8 Then said David to Ahimelech, See whether there is here, under thy hand, a spear or a sword? for, neither my sword, nor my other weapons, did I take in my hand, for, the king’s business, was, urgent.

And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.

9 And the priest said: The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou didst smite in the vale of Elah, lo! that, is wrapped up in a cloth, behind the ephod, if, that, thou wilt take to thee, take it, for there is no other, save that, here. And David said—There is none, like it, give it me.

And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slowest in the vale of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

10 Then arose David, and fled, that day, from the face of Saul, —and came in unto Achish, king of Gath.

And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not, this, David, king of the land? Was it not, of this man, that they kept responding in the dances, saying, Saul, hath smitten his, thousands, but, David, his, tens of thousands?

And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

12 And David laid up these words in his heart, —and feared greatly, because of Achish king of Gath.

And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

13 So he feigned himself mad, in their sight, and raged in their hand, —and struck against the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down upon his beard.

And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

14 Then said Achish unto his servants, —Lo! ye can see, a madman playing his pranks, wherefore should ye bring him in, unto me?

Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?

15 Lacking of madmen, am I that ye should bring in this one to play his mad pranks, unto me? Shall, this, one enter my household?

Do I lack mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?