1 Samuel 21

21 ¹ David came to Ahimelech the priest at Nob. Ahimelech came trembling to meet him and asked, "Why are you alone, no one with you?" ² David told Ahimelech the priest, "The king ordered me and said, 'No one must know anything about the mission I'm sending you on and what I've commanded you.' I've directed my young men to a certain place." ³ So what do you have? Give me five loaves, or whatever you can find."

⁴ The priest told David, "I have no ordinary bread, only holy bread—if the young men have kept from women."

⁵ David answered the priest, "Women have been kept from us, as always when I set out. The men's bodies are holy even on an ordinary journey; how much more so today!" ⁶ So the priest gave him the holy bread, since only the bread of the Presence was there—removed from before our Father to be replaced with warm bread the day it was taken away. ^a a v6 The bread of the Presence was twelve loaves kept in the holy place before our Father and replaced each week; normally only the priests were allowed to eat it.

⁷ One of Saul's servants was there that day, detained before our Father: Doeg the Edomite, chief of Saul's shepherds.

⁸ David asked Ahimelech, "Have you a spear or sword here? I brought neither my sword nor weapons, because the king's order was urgent."

⁹ The priest said, "Goliath the Philistine's sword—Goliath, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah—is here, wrapped in cloth behind the ephod. Take it if you want; there's no other here." David said, "None compares; give it to me."

David Flees to Gath

¹⁰ That day David rose and fled from Saul, and came to Achish king of Gath. ¹¹ But Achish's servants said to him, "Isn't this David, king of the land? Isn't he the one they sing about in their dances: 'Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'?"

¹² David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. ¹³ So he changed his behavior before them and acted insane in their presence; he scrawled on the gate doors and let his saliva run down his beard. ¹⁴ Achish told his servants, "Look, you see the man is insane. Why bring him to me? ¹⁵ Am I short of madmen, that you brought this one to rave at me? Should he enter my house?"