1 Kings 21

¹And David came into Nobe to Achimelech the Priest: and Achimelech was astonished, because David was come. And he said to him: Why art thou alone, and none is with thee?

²And David said to Achimelech the Priest: The king hath commanded me a word and said: Let no man know the thing, for which thou art sent by me, & what manner of precepts I have given thee, for my servants also I have appointed into such and such a place.

³Now therefore if thou have any thing at hand, yea if but five loaves, give me, or whatsoever thou shalt find.

⁴And the Priest answered David, saying: I have no lay breads at hand, but only holy bread, if the servants be clean, especially from women?

⁵And David answered the Priest, and said to him: And truly, if the matter be concerning women, we have refrained ourselves from yesterday and the day before, when we came forth, and the vessels of the servants were holy. Moreover this way is polluted, but it also shall be sanctified this day in the vessels.

⁶The Priest therefore gave him hallowed bread; for neither was any bread there, but only the loaves of proposition, which had been taken away from the face of our Lord, that hot loaves might be set down.

⁷And there was there a certain man of the servants of Saul that day, within the tabernacle of our Lord, & his name was Doeg an Idumeite, the mightiest of Saul's pastors.

⁸And David said to Achimelech: Hast thou here at hand a spear, or a sword? Because mine own sword, and mine own weapons I took not with me. For the king's word hastened forward.

⁹And the Priest said: Lo here the sword of Goliath the Philistian, whom thou slewest in the Valley of Terebinth, is wrapped up in a mantle behind the Ephod: if thou wilt take this, take it: for neither is here any other beside that. And David said: there is none other like to that, give me it.

¹⁰David therefore arose, and fled that day from the face of Saul: and came to Achis the king of Geth,

¹¹& the servants of Achis said to him, when they had seen David: Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing in dances to this man saying: Saul struck a thousand, and David ten thousand?

¹²But David put these words in his heart, and feared exceedingly at the face of Achis the king of Geth.

¹³And he changed his countenance before them, and slipt down between their hands: and he stumbled at the doors of the gate, and his spittle ran down upon his beard.

¹⁴And Achis said to his servants: You have seen the man mad: why have you brought him to me?

¹⁵Do we lack mad men, that you have brought in this fellow, to play the mad man in my presence? Shall this man enter into my house?