Open English Translation 1SA Chapter 21

21 David went to the priest Ahimelek at Nob, but Ahimelek trembled when he saw David and asked him, “Why are you here by yourself? How come you don’t have a companion?”[ref]

2 “The king sent me on an errand,” David replied, “but he told me not to tell anyone about the matter that he sent me on. Plus I’ve told my young men where to meet me. 3 Now, what food do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever you can find.”

4 “There is no ordinary bread on hand,” the priest answered. “But there is the sacred bread, if only the young men have kept themselves from women.”

5 “There’s definitely been no women near us for three days,” David told the priest. “That’s how I always do missions. The men[fn] have been pure, even though it was a common journey, and today even more so.”

6 So the priest gave him the sacred bread, because there was no other bread there other than the previous day’s bread of the presence which had been removed from in front of Yahweh to be replaced by fresh bread.[ref]

7 Now it so happened that one of Sha’ul’s servants was there that day presenting himself to Yahweh. He was Doeg the Edomite, a leader of Sha’ul’s herdsmen.

8 David asked Ahimelek, “Do you have any spear or sword here? I didn’t have time to grab my sword or my weapons when I left, because the king’s matter was urgent.”

9 “I’ve only got Goliat’s sword,” replied the priest. “From the Philistine who you killed in the Elah valley. Look, it’s wrapped in the cloak behind the sacred apron. If you want to take it for yourself, take it, because there’s no other sword around here.”

“Yes, there’s no other sword like it,” said David. “Get it for me.”[ref]

10 Then David left and continued moving to distance himself from Sha’ul, and he went to King Akish of Gat. 11 But Akish’s servants complained to him, “Isn’t that David who’ll become king of Israel? Isn’t he the one they sing about when they dance, chanting, ‘Sha’ul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands?’ ”[ref]

12 David listened to those words without any reaction because he was very afraid of what King Akish might do,[ref] 13 so he changed his behaviour when he was with them and pretended to be insane. He scratched on wooden doors and let his saliva dribble down his beard.[ref] 14 Then King Akish complained to his servants, “Look, that man’s insane. Why did you all bring him to me? 15 Don’t I already have enough madmen around here—why add another? Must that man come into my house?”