1 Samuel 21

David Takes Consecrated Bread

1Then David went to Nob to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech came trembling [in fear] to meet David and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commissioned me with a matter and has told me, ‘Let no one know anything about the matter for which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you. I have directed the young men to a certain place.’ 3“Now what [food] do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.” 4The priest answered David, “There is no ordinary (unconsecrated) bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread; [you may have it] if only the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5David answered the priest, “Be assured that women have been kept from us in these three days since I set out, and the bodies of the young men were consecrated (ceremonially clean), although it was an ordinary (unconsecrated) journey; so how much more will their vessels be holy today?” 6So the priest gave him the consecrated bread; for there was no bread there except the 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.

7Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD; his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s shepherds.

8David said to Ahimelech, “Do you not have a sword or spear here on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my [other] weapons with me, because the king’s business was urgent.” 9Then 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 would take it for yourself, do so. For there is no other here except for it.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.”

10Then David arose and fled from Saul that day, and went to Achish king of Gath. 11The servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing in praise of this one as they danced, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands’?”

12David took these words to heart and was greatly afraid of Achish king of Gath. 13So [fearing for his life] he changed his behavior in their sight, and acted insanely in their hands, and he scribbled on the doors of the gate, and drooled on his beard. 14Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see that the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? 15“Do I lack madmen, that you bring this one to behave like a madman in my presence? Shall this one come into my house?”