1 Samuel 22:1-23
22 * And David went away from there, and escaped to the fastness of ʽAdullam; and his brothers and all his kin heard of it, and they went down and joined him there.
2 And every man who was in a desperate pinch, and every man who was involved in debt, and every man with a grievance, gathered around him, and he became chief over them; and there came to be about four hundred men with him.
3 And David went from there to Mispeh-Moab and said to the king of Moab “Let my father and mother come out and be among you till I know what God will do with me”;
4 * and he brought them into the presence of the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time David was in the fastness.
5 But the prophet Gad said to David “You are not to stay in the fastness; go into the country of Judah”; and David went, and came into Hereth Badlands.
6 * And Saul heard of it, because David and the men who were with him were well known.
And Saul was at Gibeah sitting under the tamarisk on the height, with his spear in his hand and all his officers standing by,
7 and Saul said to his officers who were standing by “Listen, Benjamites: is Jesse’s son going to give all of you fields and vineyards and make all of you captains over a thousand or over a hundred,
8 that all of you have conspired against me and there is nobody to give me notice when my son leagues with Jesse’s son, and there is nobody who aches for me and gives me notice when my son sets up my servant against me as an underhand enemy, as he is doing today?”
9 And Doeg the Edomite, who was standing by Saul’s officers, answered “I saw Jesse’s son come to Ahimelec the son of Ahitub at Nob,
10 and he put a question to Jehovah for him and gave him provisions, and gave him Goliath the Philistine’s sword.”
11 And the king sent to summon Priest Ahimelec the son of Ahitub and all his kin, the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king.
12 And Saul said “Listen, son of Ahitub”; and he said “Yes, sire.”
13 And Saul said to him “Why have you and Jesse’s son conspired against me, you giving him bread and a sword and putting a question to God for him, standing up against me as an underhand enemy, as you are doing today?”
14 * And Ahimelec answered the king “And who among all your majesty’s officers is like David, enjoying your confidence and son-in-law to your majesty, and admitted to private audience, and honored in your house?
15 Have I begun today to put questions to Jehovah for him? away with the thought! Your majesty must not charge anything against your servant or any of my kin, for your servant knows nothing of all this, nothing great or small.”
16 And the king said “You die, Ahimelec, you and all your kin.”
17 And the king said to the runners who stood by “Turn to and put the priests of Jehovah to death, because they too have been backing David, and because they knew he was in flight and did not give me notice”; but the king’s officers would not put out their hands to cut down”; the priests of Jehovah.
18 And the king said to Doeg “Turn to, yourself, and cut the priests down”; and Doeg the Edomite turned to and cut the priests down himself, and put to death that day eighty-five men who carried linen ephods;
19 and in Nob, the priests’ city, he massacred everybody without quarter, man and woman, child at play and baby at the breast, ox and donkey and sheep, without quarter.
20 And one son of Ahimelec the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled away to follow David.
21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of Jehovah;
22 and David said to Abiathar “I knew that day that Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would be telling Saul; I have turned to to kill every soul of your family.
23 Stay with me, do not be afraid, because the one who is hunting for your life is the one who is hunting for mine; for you are in safe-keeping with me.”
Footnotes
^ 22:1 Var. cave of ʽAdullam
^ 22:4 Conj.* he left them at the court of
^ 22:6 Var. heard that something was known of David and men who were with him
^ 22:14 Unc. Or to your majesty, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored
