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

Then David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech was afraid at meeting David, and said to him, Why are you alone and no man with you?

2 D avid said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commanded me to do something, and has said to me, ‘Let no one know anything about the business about which I send you, and what I have commanded you. I have sent the young men to a certain place.’

David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has charged me with a matter and has told me, Let no man know anything of the mission on which I send you and with what I have charged you. I have appointed the young men to a certain place.

3 N ow therefore what is under your hand? Please give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever is available.”

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

4 T he priest answered David, and said, “I have no common bread, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.”

And the priest answered David, There is no common bread on hand, but there is hallowed bread—if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

5 D avid answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us as usual these three days. When I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was only a common journey. How much more then today shall their vessels be holy?”

And David told the priest, Truly women have been kept from us in these three days since I came out, and the food bags and utensils of the young men are clean, and although the bread will be used in a secular way, it will be set apart in the clean bags.

6 S o the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the show bread that was taken from before Yahweh, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

So the priest gave him holy bread, for there was no bread there but the showbread which was taken from before the Lord to put hot bread in its place the day when it was taken away.

7 N ow a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Yahweh; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the best of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul.

Now a certain man of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen.

8 D avid said to Ahimelech, “Isn’t there 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.”

David said to Ahimelech, Do you have at hand a sword or spear? The king’s business required haste, and I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me.

9 T he priest said, “Behold, the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you would like to take that, take it; for there is no other except that here.” David said, “There is none like that. Give it to me.”

The priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you slew in the Valley of Elah, see, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you will take that, do so, for there is no other here. And David said, There is none like that; give it to me.

10 D avid arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

David arose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.

11 T he servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David the king of the land? Didn’t they sing to one another about him in dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, David his ten thousands?’”

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 their dances: Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

12 D avid laid up these words in his heart, and was very afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

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

13 H e changed his behavior before them, and pretended to be insane in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on his beard.

And he changed his behavior before them, and pretended to be insane in their hands, and scribbled on the gate doors, and drooled on his beard.

14 T hen Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why then have you brought him to me?

Then said Achish to his servants, You see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me?

15 D o I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Should this fellow come into my house?”

Have I need of madmen, that you bring this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?