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؟»

Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?”

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.

So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’ And I have directed my 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.»

Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can 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 on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.”

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

Then David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day.”

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.

So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was 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 the Lord. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of the herdsmen who belonged 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, “Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.”

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

So the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here.” And David said, “ There is none like it; give it to me.” David Flees to Gath

10 ف ِي ذَلِكَ اليَومَ هَرَبَ داوُدُ مِنْ شاوُلَ، وَذَهَبَ إلَى أخِيشَ مَلِكِ جَتَّ.

Then 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 this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?”

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

Now David took these words to heart, and was very 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.

So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard.

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

Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought 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 need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”