1 Samuel 21

David Comes to Ahimelech at Nob

1David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech came trembling to meet David and said to him, “Why are you alone and no one is with you?” 2David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king commanded me a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything concerning the matter for which I am sending you and which I have commanded you.’ And I have directed the young men to such and such a place. 3And now, what is under your hand? Give five loaves of bread into my hand, or whatever is found.” 4The priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread under my hand, but there is holy bread, if only the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5David answered the priest and said to him, “Indeed, women have been kept from us as formerly when I went out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, though it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy.” 6So the priest gave him holy bread, for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD to put hot bread in its place on the day it was taken away.

Doeg Is Present

7Now a man from the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD. His name was Doeg the Edomite, chief of Saul’s shepherds.

David Takes Goliath’s Sword

8David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not here under your hand a spear or sword? For I did not take my sword or my weapons in my hand because the king’s matter was urgent.” 9The priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck in the Valley of Elah—look, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that for yourself, take it, for there is no other except it here.” David said, “There is none like it. Give it to me.”

David Flees to Achish of Gath

10David arose and fled that day from before Saul and came to Achish king of Gath. 11The servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, king of the land? Did they not answer concerning this one in dances, saying:

‘Saul has struck his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?” 12David set these words in his heart and was very afraid before Achish king of Gath. 13So he changed his behavior in their eyes and acted as though mad in their hand. He made marks on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down upon his beard. 14Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see a man acting mad. Why have you brought him to me? 15Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this one to act mad before me? Shall this one come into my house?”