1 Samuel, Chapter 21

1. Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said to him, Why are you alone, and no man with you?    2. And David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has commanded me to do an errand, and has said to me, Let no man know anything of the errand on which I send you, and what I have commanded you: and I have assigned my servants to such and such a place.    3. Now therefore what do you have in your hand? give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or what there is present.    4. And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread in my hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.    5. And David answered the priest, and said to him, Of a truth women have been kept from us for about these three days, since I came out, and the carrying 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.    6. So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread there in the day when it was taken away.    7. Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, on business before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdsmen that belonged to Saul.    8. And David said to Ahimelech, And is there not here in your hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.    9. And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you slew in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if you will take that, take it: for there is no other here except that. And David said, There is none like that; give it to me.    10. And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.    11. And the servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?    12. And David laid up these words in his heart, and was greatly afraid of Achish the king of Gath.    13. And he changed his behavior before them, and pretended to be insane in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down upon his beard.    14. Then said Achish to his servants, Lo, you see the man is mad: why then have you brought him to me?    15. Have I need of mad men, that you have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?