David Encounters The Priests Of Nob

1 Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came trembling to meet David, and he said to him, "Why are you alone and there are no men with you?"

1 Then David came to (A)Nob to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech (B)came trembling to meet David and said to him, “Why are you alone and no one with you?”

1 Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

1 David went to Ahimelech(A) the priest at Nob.(B) Ahimelech was afraid to meet David, so he said to him, “Why are you alone and no one is with you?”

1 David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest, and Ahimelech was trembling as he came to meet David. Ahimelech told him, "Why are you alone, and no one with you?"

2 So David said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king charged me [with] a matter and said to me, 'No one must know anything about this matter [on] which I am sending you, [with] which I have charged you and the servants.'" So {I have arranged to meet with my servants at a certain place}.

2 David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commissioned me with a matter and has said to me, ‘(C)Let no one know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place.’

2 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

2 David answered Ahimelech the priest, “The king gave me a mission, but he told me, ‘Don’t let anyone know anything about the mission I’m sending you on or what I have ordered you to do.’ I have stationed my young men at a certain place.

2 David told Ahimelech the priest, "The king commanded me about a matter, saying to me, "Don't let anyone know anything about the matter I'm sending you to do and about which I've commanded you. I've directed the young men to a certain place.'

3 Now then, {what do you have at hand}? Give me five [loaves] of bread or {whatever is here}."

3 Now therefore, what (a)do you have on hand? Give (b)me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”

3 Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.

3 Now what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever can be found.”

3 Now, what do you have available? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever you have."

4 The priest answered David and said, "There is no ordinary bread {here at hand}; there is only holy bread, [but] only if the young men have kept themselves from women."

4 The priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread (c)on hand, but there is (D)consecrated bread; if only the young men have (E)kept themselves from women.”

4 And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

4 The priest told him, “There is no ordinary bread on hand. However, there is consecrated bread,(C) but the young men may eat it(a) only if they have kept themselves from women.”(D)

4 The priest answered David: "There is no ordinary bread available; only consecrated bread, provided that the young men have kept themselves from women."

5 David answered the priest and said to him, "Indeed, women [were] held back from us {as it has been when I've gone out before}. And the things of the young men are holy when it [is] an ordinary journey. {How much more} {today} will the things be holy?"

5 David answered the priest and said to him, “(F)Surely women have been kept from us as previously when I set out and the (G)vessels of the young men were holy, though it was an ordinary journey; how much more then today will (d)their vessels be holy?”

5 And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.

5 David answered him, “I swear that women are being kept from us, as always when I go out to battle.(E) The young men’s bodies(b) are consecrated(F) even on an ordinary mission, so of course their bodies are consecrated today.”

5 David answered the priest, saying to him, "Indeed, women were kept from us as is usual whenever I go out on a mission, and the equipment of the young men is consecrated even when it's an ordinary journey, so how much more is their equipment consecrated today?"

6 So the priest gave him [the] holy [bread], for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which was removed from before Yahweh, in order to set hot bread [there] on the day when it was taken away.

6 So (H)the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there but the (I)bread of the Presence which was removed from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place when it was taken away.

6 So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread,(G) for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence(H) that had been removed from the presence of the Lord. When the bread was removed, it had been replaced with warm bread.

6 So the priest gave him consecrated bread because no bread was there except the Bread of the Presence that had been removed from the LORD's presence and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.

7 Now there was a man from the servants of Saul on that day, detained before Yahweh, whose name [was] Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's shepherds.

7 Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was (J)Doeg the Edomite, the (K)chief of Saul’s shepherds.

7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.

7 One of Saul’s servants, detained before the Lord, was there that day. His name was Doeg the Edomite,(I) chief of Saul’s shepherds.

7 Now, Doeg the Edomite, one of Saul's officials, was there that day, detained in the LORD's presence. He was the chief of Saul's shepherds.

8 David asked Ahimelech, "Is there not {at your disposal} a spear or a sword? For I took neither my sword nor my weapons with me because the king's matter was urgent."

8 David said to Ahimelech, “Now is there not a spear or a sword (e)on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons (f)with me, because the king’s matter was urgent.”

8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.

8 David said to Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or sword on hand? I didn’t even bring my sword or my weapons since the king’s mission was urgent.”

8 David told Ahimelech, "Is there no spear or sword available here? I took neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's mission is urgent."

David Goes To Gath

9 So the priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine whom you killed in the valley of Elah [is] here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want to take it for yourself, [then] take it, for there is no other except it here." And David said, "There is none like it; give it to me."

9 Then the priest said, “(L)The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you (g)killed (M)in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

9 The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine,(J) whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want to take it for yourself, then take it, for there isn’t another one here.”“There’s none like it!” David said. “Give it to me.”

9 The priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah is wrapped up in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it because there is no other except it here." So David said, "There is none like it. Give it to me."

David Flees To Achish In Gath

10 So David got up and fled on that day from the presence of Saul, and he came to Achish the king of Gath.

10 Then David arose and fled that day from Saul, and went to (N)Achish king of Gath.

10 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

10 David fled that day from Saul’s presence and went to King Achish of Gath.(K)

10 David got up that day and fled from Saul, and he went to King Achish of Gath.

11 The servants of Achish said to him, "[Is] not this David the king of the land? [Is] it not for this [one] that they sang in the dances, saying, 'Saul killed his thousands, but David his ten thousands?'"

11 But the (O)servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? (P)Did they not sing of this one as they danced, saying,‘Saul has slain his thousands,And David his ten thousands’?”

11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

11 But Achish’s servants said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Don’t they sing about him during their dances:Saul has killed his thousands,but David his tens of thousands?”(L)

11 The officials of Achish told him, "Isn't this David, king of the land? Isn't this the one about whom they sang as they danced, "Saul has struck down his thousands, but David his ten thousands'?"

12 {David took these words seriously} and {felt severely threatened by} Achish the king of Gath.

12 David (Q)took these words (h)to heart and greatly feared Achish king of Gath.

12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

12 David took this to heart(c) and became very afraid of King Achish of Gath,

12 David took these words seriously, and he was very frightened of King Achish of Gath.

13 So he changed his behavior {before them} and pretended to be mad {in their presence}. He made scratches on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down into his beard.

13 So he (R)disguised his sanity before them, and acted insanely in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down into his beard.

13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

13 so he pretended to be insane in their presence.(M) He acted like a madman around them,(d) scribbling(e) on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.

13 So David changed his behavior before them and acted like he was crazy in their presence. He scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down his beard.

14 Then Achish said to his servants, "Look, you see a madman! Why did you bring him to me?

14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man behaving as a madman. Why do you bring him to me?

14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?

14 “Look! You can see the man is crazy,” Achish said to his servants. “Why did you bring him to me?

14 Achish told his officials, "Look, you see a person acting like a madman. Why'd you bring him to me?

15 Do I lack madmen that you have brought this one to act like a madman before me? Should this one enter my household?"

15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this one to act the madman in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?”

15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

15 Do I have such a shortage of crazy people that you brought this one to act crazy around me? Is this one going to come into my house?”(N)

15 Am I lacking madmen that you bring me this one to act like a madman around me? Shall this one come into my house?"

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.

King James Version Public Domain

New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org