Dual Panel1David made his way to Nob to the priest Ahimelech, who hurried out to meet him and asked, “Why are you alone and unattended?”
2David answered Ahimelech, “I am under orders from the king: I was to let no one know about the mission on which he was sending me or what these orders were. When I took leave of my men I told them to meet me in such and such a place.
3Now, what have you got by you? Let me have five loaves, or as many as you can find.”
4The priest answered David, “I have no ordinary bread available. There is only the sacred bread; but have the young men kept themselves from women?”
5David answered the priest, “Women have been denied us as hitherto when I have been on campaign, even an ordinary campaign, and the young men's bodies have remained holy; and how much more will they be holy today!”
6So, as there was no other bread there, the priest gave him the sacred bread, the Bread of the Presence, which had just been taken from the presence of the LORD to be replaced by freshly baked bread on the day that the old was removed.
7One of Saul's servants happened to be there that day, detained before the LORD; his name was Doeg the Edomite, and he was the chief of Saul's herdsmen.
8David said to Ahimelech, “Have you a spear or sword here at hand? I have no sword or other weapon with me, because the king's business was urgent.”
9The priest answered, “There is the sword of Goliath the Philistine whom you slew in the valley of Elah; it is wrapped up in a cloak behind the ephod. If you want to take that, take it; there is no other weapon here.” David said, “There is no sword like it; give it to me.”
10That day David went on his way, fleeing from Saul, and came to King Achish of Gath.
11The servants of Achish said to him, “Surely this is David, the king of his country, the man of whom they sang as they danced: ‘Saul struck down thousands, but David tens of thousands.’”
12These comments were not lost on David, and he became very much afraid of King Achish of Gath.
13So he altered his behaviour in public and acted like a madman in front of them all, scrabbling on the double doors of the city gate and dribbling down his beard.
14Achish said to his servants, “The man is insane! Why bring him to me?
15Am I short of madmen that you bring this one to plague me? Must I have this fellow in my house?”