1 Samuel 22

22 ¹ David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father's household heard of it, they went down to him there. ² Everyone in distress, everyone in debt, and everyone bitter in spirit gathered to him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him. ³ From there David went to Mizpeh of Moab, and he said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and mother come and stay with you until I know what our Father will do for me." ⁴ So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. ⁵ But Gad the prophet said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold. Leave, and go into the land of Judah." So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.

Saul Slaughters the Father's Priests

⁶ Now Saul heard that David and the men with him had been discovered. Saul was sitting at Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree on the height, his spear in his hand, with all his servants standing around him. ⁷ Saul said to his servants standing around him, "Listen now, you Benjaminites! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, ⁸ that all of you have conspired against me? No one tells me when my own son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or tells me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in wait, as he does this day."

⁹ Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul's servants, spoke up: "I saw the son of Jesse come to Nob, to Ahimelech son of Ahitub. ¹⁰ Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

¹¹ Then the king sent for Ahimelech the priest, son of Ahitub, and all his father's household, the priests who were at Nob; and all of them came to the king. ¹² Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." He answered, "Here I am, my lord."

¹³ Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has risen up against me to lie in wait, as he does this day?"

¹⁴ Ahimelech answered the king, "And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, the king's son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and honored in your house? ¹⁵ Was today the first time I inquired of our Father for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king accuse his servant or any of my father's household, for your servant knew nothing of this whole affair, small or great."

¹⁶ But the king said, "You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's household." ¹⁷ Then the king ordered the guards standing beside him, "Turn and kill the priests of our Father, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing and did not tell me." But the king's servants were unwilling to raise a hand to strike down the priests of our Father.

¹⁸ So the king said to Doeg, "You turn and strike down the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests himself. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.

¹⁹ He also put Nob, the city of the priests, to the sword — men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep, all put to the sword. ²⁰ But one son of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to David. ²¹ Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of our Father.

²² Then David said to Abiathar, "I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of every person in your father's house. ²³ Stay with me; do not be afraid. The one who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you will be safe."