1 Samuel 21

¹ And David comes in to Nob, unto Ahimelech the priest, and Ahimelech trembles at meeting David, and said to him, "Wherefore [are] you yourself alone, and no man with you?" ² And David said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king has commanded me a matter, and he said unto me, Let no man know anything of the matter about which I am sending you, and which I have commanded you; and the young men I have caused to know at such and such a place; ³ and now, what is there under your hand? five loaves give into my hand, or that which is found." ⁴ And the priest answers David, and said, "There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if the youths have been kept only from women." ⁵ And David answers the priest, and said to him, "Surely, if women have been restrained from us as heretofore in my going out, then the vessels of the young men are holy, and it [is] a common way: and also, surely to-day it is sanctified in the vessel." ⁶ And the priest gives to him the holy thing, for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence which is turned aside from the presence of Yahweh to put hot bread in the day of its being taken away. ⁷ And there [is] a man of the servants of Saul on that day detained before Yahweh, and his name [is] Doeg the Edomite, chief of the shepherds whom Saul has. ⁸ And David said to Ahimelech, "And is there not here under your hand spear or sword? for neither my sword nor my vessels have I taken in my hand, for the matter of the king was urgent." ⁹ And the priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you did smite in the valley of Elah, lo, it is wrapped in a garment behind the ephod, if it you do take to yourself, take; for there is none other save it in this [place]." And David said, "There is none like it - give it to me." ¹⁰ And David rises and flees on that day from the face of Saul, and comes in unto Achish king of Gath; ¹¹ and the servants of Achish say unto him, "Is not this David king of the land? is it not of this one they sing in dances, saying, 'Saul smote among his thousands, and David among his myriads?'" ¹² And David lays these words in his heart, and is exceedingly afraid of the face of Achish king of Gath, ¹³ and changes his behavior before their eyes, and feigns himself mad in their hand, and scribbles on the doors of the gate, and lets down his spittle unto his beard. ¹⁴ And Achish said unto his servants, "Lo, you see a man acting as a madman; why do you bring him in unto me? ¹⁵ A lack of madmen [have] I, that you have brought in this one to act as a madman by me! does this one come in unto my house?"