David Flees to Adullam and Mizpeh

(Psalm 57:1-11; Psalm 142:1-7)

1And David goeth thence, and is escaped unto the cave of Adullam, and his brethren hear, and all the house of his father, and go down unto him thither; 2and gather themselves unto him do every man in distress, and every man who hath an exactor, and every man bitter in soul, and he is over them for head, and there are with him about four hundred men.

3And David goeth thence to Mizpeh of Moab, and saith unto the king of Moab, ‘Let, I pray thee, my father and my mother go out with you, till that I know what God doth for me;’ 4and he leadeth them before the king of Moab, and they dwell with him all the days of David’s being in the fortress. 5And Gad the prophet saith unto David, ‘Thou dost not abide in a fortress, go, and thou hast entered for thee the land of Judah;’ and David goeth and entereth the forest of Hareth.

Saul Slays the Priests of Nob

6And Saul heareth that David hath become known, and the men who [are] with him, and Saul is abiding in Gibeah, under the grove in Ramah, and his spear [is] in his hand, and all his servants standing by him. 7And Saul saith to his servants who are standing by him, ‘Hear, I pray you, ye Benjamites; also to all of you doth the son of Jesse give fields and vineyards! all of you he doth appoint heads of thousands and heads of hundreds! 8for ye have conspired all of you against me, and there is none uncovering mine ear about my son’s covenanting with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you grieving for me, and uncovering mine ear, that my son hath raised up my servant against me, to lie in wait as [at] this day.’ 9And answer doth Doeg the Edomite, who is set over the servants of Saul, and saith, ‘I have seen the son of Jesse coming in to Nob, unto Ahimelech son of Ahitub, 10and he asketh for him at Jehovah, and provision hath given to him, and the sword of Goliath the Philistine hath given to him.

11And the king sendeth to call Ahimelech son of Ahitub, the priest, and all the house of his father, the priests, who [are] in Nob, and they come all of them unto the king; 12and Saul saith, ‘Hear, I pray thee, son of Ahitub;’ and he saith, ‘Here [am] I, my lord.’ 13And Saul saith unto him, ‘Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, by thy giving to him bread and a sword, and to ask for him at God, to rise against me, to lie in wait, as [at] this day?’

14And Ahimelech answereth the king and saith, ‘And who among all thy servants [is] as David — faithful, and son-in-law of the king, and hath turned aside unto thy council, and is honoured in thy house? 15To-day have I begun to ask for him at God? far be it from me! let not the king lay anything against his servant, against any of the house of my father, for thy servant hath known nothing of all this, less or more.’ 16And the king saith, ‘Thou dost surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all the house of thy father.’ 17And the king saith to runners, those standing by him, ‘Turn round, and put to death the priests of Jehovah, because their hand also [is] with David, and because they have known that he is fleeing, and have not uncovered mine ear;’ and the servants of the king have not been willing to put forth their hand to come against the priests of Jehovah. 18And the king saith to Doeg, ‘Turn round thou, and come against the priests;’ and Doeg the Edomite turneth round, and cometh himself against the priests, and putteth to death in that day eighty and five men bearing a linen ephod, 19and Nob, the city of the priests, he hath smitten by the mouth of the sword, from man even unto woman, from infant even unto suckling, and ox, and ass, and sheep, by the mouth of the sword.

20And there escapeth one son of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, and his name [is] Abiathar, and he fleeth after David, 21and Abiathar declareth to David that Saul hath slain the priests of Jehovah. 22And David saith to Abiathar, ‘I have known on that day when Doeg the Edomite [is] there, that he doth certainly declare [it] to Saul; I have brought [it] round to every person of the house of thy father; 23dwell with me; fear not; for he who seeketh my life seeketh thy life; for a charge [art] thou with me.’