1 T hen David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech came trembling to meet David and said to him, “Why are you alone and no one with you?”

David came to Ahimelech the religious leader at Nob. Ahimelech came shaking in fear to meet David, and said to him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”

2 D avid said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commissioned me with a matter and has said to me, ‘ Let no one know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place.’

David said to Ahimelech the religious leader, “The king has given me something to do. And he has said to me, ‘Let no one know anything about what I have sent you to do.’ I have told the young men to meet at a certain place.

3 N ow therefore, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”

Now, what do you have ready? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you may have.”

4 T he priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.”

The religious leader answered David, “I only have bread which has been set apart as holy, if only the young men have kept themselves from women.”

5 D avid answered the priest and said to him, “ Surely women have been kept from us as previously when I set out and the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was an ordinary journey; how much more then today will their vessels be holy ?”

And David told the religious leader, “For sure women have been kept from us while we have traveled. The bodies of the young men are holy even on everyday trips. How much more they are today!”

6 S o the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence which was removed from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away.

So the religious leader gave him holy bread. For there was no bread there but the bread before the Lord. It was taken from before the Lord, so hot bread could be put in its place.

7 N ow one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s shepherds.

Now one of Saul’s servants happened to be there that day. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the head of Saul’s shepherds.

8 D avid said to Ahimelech, “Now is there not a spear or a sword on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s matter was urgent.”

David said to Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or a sword? I did not bring my sword or any spears with me, because I had to hurry to do the king’s work.”

9 T hen the priest said, “ The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

The religious leader said, “The sword is here that belonged to Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah. See, it is behind the linen vest, with a cloth around it. Take it, if you will. For it is the only one here.” And David said, “There is none like it. Give it to me.”

10 T hen David arose and fled that day from Saul, and went to Achish king of Gath.

Then David got up and ran that day from Saul. He went to Achish king of Gath.

11 B ut the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of this one as they danced, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?”

The servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing to each other about him as they danced, saying, ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”

12 D avid took these words to heart and greatly feared Achish king of Gath.

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

13 S o he disguised his sanity before them, and acted insanely in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down into his beard.

So he changed the way he acted in front of them. He pretended to be crazy while he was with them. He made marks on the doors of the gate. He let his spit run down into the hair of his face.

14 T hen Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man behaving as a madman. Why do you bring him to me?

Then Achish said to his servants, “See, you see the man is crazy. Why have you brought him to me?

15 D o I lack madmen, that you have brought this one to act the madman in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?”

Do I need any crazy men, that you bring this one to act crazy in front of me? Will this one come into my house?”