David at Nob

21 ^[a]David went to Nob,^(A) to Ahimelek the priest. Ahimelek trembled^(B) when he met him, and asked, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”

² David answered Ahimelek the priest, “The king sent me on a mission and said to me, ‘No one is to know anything about the mission I am sending you on.’ As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. ³ Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.”

⁴ But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread^(C) on hand; however, there is some consecrated^(D) bread here—provided the men have kept^(E) themselves from women.”

⁵ David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual^(F) whenever^[b] I set out. The men’s bodies are holy^(G) even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!” ⁶ So the priest gave him the consecrated bread,^(H) since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.

⁷ Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg^(I) the Edomite,^(J) Saul’s chief shepherd.

⁸ David asked Ahimelek, “Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s mission was urgent.”

⁹ The priest replied, “The sword^(K) of Goliath^(L) the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah,^(M) is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one.”

David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

David at Gath

¹⁰ That day David fled from Saul and went^(N) to Achish king of Gath. ¹¹ But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances:

¹² David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. ¹³ So he pretended to be insane^(P) in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.

¹⁴ Achish said to his servants, “Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? ¹⁵ Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?”

David at Adullam and Mizpah

22 David left Gath and escaped to the cave^(Q) of Adullam.^(R) When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. ² All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered^(S) around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.

³ From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?” ⁴ So he left them with the king of Moab,^(T) and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold.

⁵ But the prophet Gad^(U) said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.^(V)

Saul Kills the Priests of Nob

⁶ Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. And Saul was seated,^(W) spear in hand, under the tamarisk^(X) tree on the hill at Gibeah, with all his officials standing at his side. ⁷ He said to them, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders^(Y) of thousands and commanders of hundreds? ⁸ Is that why you have all conspired^(Z) against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant^(AA) with the son of Jesse.^(AB) None of you is concerned^(AC) about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today.”

⁹ But Doeg^(AD) the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officials, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub^(AE) at Nob.^{(AF) 10} Ahimelek inquired^(AG) of the Lord for him; he also gave him provisions^(AH) and the sword^(AI) of Goliath the Philistine.”

²² The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake^(A) realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone.^{(B) 23} Then some boats from Tiberias^(C) landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.^{(D) 24} Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

Jesus the Bread of Life

²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi,^(E) when did you get here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me,^(F) not because you saw the signs^(G) I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures^(H) to eternal life,^(I) which the Son of Man^(J) will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal^(K) of approval.”

²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe^(L) in the one he has sent.”^(M)

³⁰ So they asked him, “What sign^(N) then will you give that we may see it and believe you?^(O) What will you do? ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna^(P) in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’^[a]”^(Q)

³² Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven^(R) and gives life to the world.”

³⁴ “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”^(S)

³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am^(T) the bread of life.^(U) Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes^(V) in me will never be thirsty.^{(W) 36} But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All those the Father gives me^(X) will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven^(Y) not to do my will but to do the will^(Z) of him who sent me.^{(AA) 39} And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,^(AB) but raise them up at the last day.^{(AC) 40} For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son^(AD) and believes in him shall have eternal life,^(AE) and I will raise them up at the last day.”