1 Samuel 21
1. Then came * David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid * at the meeting * of David, and said * unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
2. 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 * my servants to such and such a place.
3. Now therefore what is under thine hand? give * me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present * .
4. And the priest answered * David,and said * , There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept * themselves at least from women.
5. And David answered * the priest,and said * unto him, Of a truth women have been kept * from us about these three days, since I came out * , and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified * this day in the vessel.
6. So the priest gave * him hallowed 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 a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained * before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen * that belonged to Saul.
8. 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 slewest * in the valley 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. 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 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 was sore afraid * of Achish the king of Gath.
13. 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 see * the man is mad * : wherefore then have ye brought * him to me?
15. Have I need of mad men * , that ye have brought * this fellow to play the mad man * in my presence? shall this fellow come * into my house?
