1 Samuel 21

1Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why you alone, and no man with you? 2And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king has commanded me a business, and has said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send you, and what I have commanded you: and I have appointed servants to such and such a place. 3Now therefore what is under your hand? give five bread in mine hand, or what there is present. 4And the priest answered David, and said, no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. 5And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and in a manner common, yes, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. 6So the priest gave him hallowed : for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the Yahuah, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away. 7Now a certain man of the servants of Saul there that day, detained before the Yahuah; and his name Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that to Saul. 8And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under your hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. 9And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if you will take that, take : for no other save that here. And David said, none like that; give it me. 10And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11And the servants of Achish said unto him, not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? 12And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13And 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. 14Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: therefore have ye brought him to me? 15Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this to play the mad man in my presence? shall this come into my house?