1 و َوَصَلَ داوُدُ إلَى مَدِينَةِ نُوبٍ لِكَي يَرَى الكاهِنَ أخِيمَالِكَ. فَخَرَجَ أخِيمَالِكُ لِلِقاءِ داوُدَ، وَخافَ حِينَ التقاهُ وَسَألَهُ: «لِماذا أنتَ وَحدَكَ؟ لِماذا لَيسَ مَعَكَ أحَدٌ؟»

And David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech trembled at meeting David, and said to him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

2 ف َأجابَ داوُدُ أخِيمَالِكَ: «وَجَّهَ لِيَ المَلِكُ أمراً خاصّاً. وَقالَ لِي: ‹لا تُخبِرْ أحَداً بِالمَهَمَّةِ الَّتِي أنا مُرسِلُكَ فِيها، وَلا بِما طَلَبْتُ إلَيكَ أنْ تَفعَلَهُ.› وَقَدْ أخبَرْتُ رِجالِي أينَ يُمكِنُهُمْ أنْ يُلاقُونِي.

And David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has commanded me a business, and has said to me, Let no man know anything of the business whereon I send thee, and what I have commanded thee; and I have directed the young men to such and such a place.

3 و َالآنَ، ماذا يُوجَدُ لَدَيكَ مِنْ طَعامٍ؟ أحتاجُ إلَى خَمسَةِ أرغِفَةٍ أوْ أيَّ طَعامٍ لَدَيكَ لِآكُلَهُ.»

And now what is under thy hand? give me five loaves in my hand, or what may be found.

4 ف َقالَ الكاهِنُ لِداوُدَ: «لَيسَ لَدَيَّ خُبزٌ عادِيٌّ هُنا، لَكِنْ لَدَيَّ بَعضٌ مِنَ الخُبزِ المُقَدَّسِ. يَستَطِيعُ رِجالُكَ أنْ يَأْكُلُوا مِنهُ إذا لَمْ يَكُونُوا قَدْ عاشَرُوا نِساءً.»

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

5 ف َأجابَ داوُدُ: «لَمْ نُعاشِرْ نِساءً. فَرِجالِي يَحفَظُونَ أجسادَهُمْ طاهِرَةً كُلَّما خَرَجنا لِلقِتالِ، وَحَتَّى فِي المَهَمّاتِ العادِيَّةِ. أَفَلا يَكُونونَ طاهِرِينَ اليَوْمَ؟»

And David answered the priest and said to him, Yes indeed, 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 is in a manner common, and the more so, because to-day is hallowed in the vessels.

6 ف َلَمْ يَكُنْ هُناكَ خُبزٌ إلّا الخُبْزَ المُقَدَّسَ، فَأعطَى الكاهِنُ داوُدَ ذَلِكَ الخُبزَ. وَهُوَ الخُبزُ الَّذِي كانَ يَضَعُهُ الكَهَنَةُ عَلَى المائِدَةِ المُقَدَّسَةِ فِي حَضرَةِ اللهِ. وَفِي كُلِّ يُومٍ كانُوا يَأْخُذُونَ هَذا الخُبزَ وَيَضَعُونَ خُبزاً طازِجاً بَدَلاً مِنهُ.

And the priest gave him holy; for there was no bread there but the shew-loaves that were taken from before Jehovah, to put on hot bread in the day when they were taken away.

7 و َكانَ أحَدُ رِجالِ شاوُلَ هُناكَ فِي ذَلِكَ اليَومِ، وَهُوَ دُواغُ الأدُومِيُّ. وَكانَ مُشرِفاً عَلَى رِعاةِ شاوُلَ. فَقَدْ حُجِزَ هُناكَ أمامَ اللهِ.

(Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Jehovah; and his name was Doeg, the Edomite, chief of the shepherds that to Saul.)

8 و َسَألَ داوُدُ أخِيمَالِكَ: «ألَدَيكَ رُمحٌ أوْ سَيفٌ هُنا؟ لَمْ أجِدِ الوَقتَ لِآخُذَ رُمحِي أوْ سَيفِي، لِأنَّ أمرَ المَلِكِ كانَ طارِئاً.»

And David said to Ahimelech, And is there not here under thy hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, for the king's business was urgent.

9 ف َأجابَ الكاهِنُ: «السَّيفُ الوَحِيدُ هُنا هُوَ سَيفُ جُلياتَ الفِلِسْطِيِّ. وَهُوَ السَّيفُ الَّذِي انتَزَعتَهُ أنتَ مِنهُ عِندَما قَتَلتَهُ فِي وادِي البُطمِ. وَهُوَ هُناكَ خَلفَ الثَّوبِ الكَهَنُوتِيِّ مَلفُوفاً فِي قُماشٍ. فَخُذهُ إنْ كُنتَ تُرِيدُهُ.» فَقالَ داوُدُ: «سَيفُ جُلياتَ؟ إنَّهُ سَيفٌ لا مَثِيلَ لَهُ، فَأعطِنِي إيّاهُ.» داوُدُ يَهرُبُ إلَى العَدُوِّ فِي جَتّ

And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of terebinths, 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 ف ِي ذَلِكَ اليَومَ هَرَبَ داوُدُ مِنْ شاوُلَ، وَذَهَبَ إلَى أخِيشَ مَلِكِ جَتَّ.

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

11 ف َقالَ كِبارُ مَسؤُولِي أخِيشَ: «أَهَذا داوُدُ رَجُلُ مَلِكِ إسْرائِيلَ؟ أَلَيسَ هُوَ الَّذِي يَتَغَنَّى بِهِ بَنُو إسْرائِيلَ وَيَرْقُصُونَ وَيُنْشِدُونَ لَهُ: ‹شاوُلُ قَتَلَ الآلافَ. وَداوُدُ عَشَراتِ الآلافِ؟›»

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

12 ف انتَبَهَ داوُدُ وَبَدَأ يُفَكِّرُ فِي ما كانُوا يَقُولُونَهُ. فَخَشِيَ مِنْ أخِيشَ مَلِكِ جَتَّ.

And David took to heart these words, and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

13 ف َتَظاهَرَ بِالجُنُونِ أمامَ أخِيشَ وَكبارِ مَسؤُولِيهِ. فَكُلَّما كانَ فِي حَضرَتِهِمْ كانَ يَتَصَرَّفُ بِشَكلٍ أخرَقَ. فَكانَ يَبصِقُ عَلَى البَوّاباتِ. وَتَرَكَ بُصاقَهُ يَنزِلُ عَلَى لِحيَتِهِ.

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

14 ف َقالَ أخِيشُ لِكِبارِ مَسؤُولِيه: «ألا تَرَونَ أنَّ هَذا الرَّجُلَ مَجنُونٌ؟ فَلِماذا أحضَرتُمُوهُ إلَيَّ؟

And Achish said to his servants, Behold, ye see the man is mad: why did ye bring him to me?

15 ع ِندِي ما يَكفِينِي مِنَ المَجانِينِ. لَكِنَّكُمْ جِئتُمْ بِهِ إلَيَّ لِكَي يَستَعرِضَ أمامِي جُنُونَهُ. فَكَيفَ تَسمَحُونَ لِهَذا بِأنْ يَدخُلَ بَيتِي؟»

have I lack of madmen, that ye have brought this one to rave in my presence? shall this come into my house?