1 Samuel 21
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
David and the Holy Bread
21 [a]David came to Nob to the priest Ahimelech. Ahimelech came trembling to meet David and said to him, “Why are you alone and no one with you?”(A) 2 David said to the priest Ahimelech, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘No one must know anything of the matter about which I send you and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment[b] with the young men for such and such a place. 3 Now then, what have you at hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever is here.” 4 The priest answered David, “I have no ordinary bread at hand, only holy bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.”(B) 5 David answered the priest, “Indeed, women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition; the vessels of the young men are holy even when it is a common journey; how much more today will their vessels be holy?”(C) 6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.(D)
7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s shepherds.(E)
8 David said to Ahimelech, “Is there no spear or sword here with you? I did not bring my sword or my weapons with me because the king’s business required haste.” 9 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 will take that, take it, for there is none here except that one.” David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”(F)
David Flees to Gath
10 David rose and fled that day from Saul; he went to King Achish of Gath. 11 The servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances,
‘Saul has killed his thousands
and David his ten thousands’?”(G)
12 David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of King Achish of Gath.(H) 13 So he changed his behavior before them; he pretended to be mad when in their presence.[c] He scratched marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 14 Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is mad; why then have you brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
1 Samuel 21
King James Version
21 Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
2 And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.
3 Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.
4 And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
5 And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
6 So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the Lord, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.
8 And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.
9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.
10 And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?
15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?
撒 母 耳 記 上 21
Chinese Union Version (Traditional)
21 大 衛 到 了 挪 伯 祭 司 亞 希 米 勒 那 裡 ， 亞 希 米 勒 戰 戰 兢 兢 地 出 來 迎 接 他 ， 問 他 說 ： 你 為 甚 麼 獨 自 來 ， 沒 有 人 跟 隨 呢 ？
2 大 衛 回 答 祭 司 亞 希 米 勒 說 ： 王 吩 咐 我 一 件 事 說 ： 我 差 遣 你 委 託 你 的 這 件 事 ， 不 要 使 人 知 道 。 故 此 我 已 派 定 少 年 人 在 某 處 等 候 我 。
3 現 在 你 手 下 有 甚 麼 ？ 求 你 給 我 五 個 餅 或 是 別 樣 的 食 物 。
4 祭 司 對 大 衛 說 ： 我 手 下 沒 有 尋 常 的 餅 ， 只 有 聖 餅 ； 若 少 年 人 沒 有 親 近 婦 人 才 可 以 給 。
5 大 衛 對 祭 司 說 ： 實 在 約 有 三 日 我 們 沒 有 親 近 婦 人 ； 我 出 來 的 時 候 ， 雖 是 尋 常 行 路 ， 少 年 人 的 器 皿 還 是 潔 淨 的 ； 何 況 今 日 不 更 是 潔 淨 麼 ？
6 祭 司 就 拿 聖 餅 給 他 ； 因 為 在 那 裡 沒 有 別 樣 餅 ， 只 有 更 換 新 餅 ， 從 耶 和 華 面 前 撤 下 來 的 陳 設 餅 。
7 （ 當 日 有 掃 羅 的 一 個 臣 子 留 在 耶 和 華 面 前 。 他 名 叫 多 益 ， 是 以 東 人 ， 作 掃 羅 的 司 牧 長 。 ）
8 大 衛 問 亞 希 米 勒 說 ： 你 手 下 有 槍 有 刀 沒 有 ？ 因 為 王 的 事 甚 急 ， 連 刀 劍 器 械 我 都 沒 有 帶 。
9 祭 司 說 ： 你 在 以 拉 谷 殺 非 利 士 人 歌 利 亞 的 那 刀 在 這 裡 ， 裹 在 布 中 ， 放 在 以 弗 得 後 邊 ， 你 要 就 可 以 拿 去 ； 除 此 以 外 ， 再 沒 有 別 的 。 大 衛 說 ： 這 刀 沒 有 可 比 的 ！ 求 你 給 我 。
10 那 日 大 衛 起 來 ， 躲 避 掃 羅 ， 逃 到 迦 特 王 亞 吉 那 裡 。
11 亞 吉 的 臣 僕 對 亞 吉 說 ： 這 不 是 以 色 列 國 王 大 衛 麼 ？ 那 裡 的 婦 女 跳 舞 唱 和 ， 不 是 指 著 他 說 掃 羅 殺 死 千 千 ， 大 衛 殺 死 萬 萬 麼 ？
12 大 衛 將 這 話 放 在 心 裡 ， 甚 懼 怕 迦 特 王 亞 吉 ，
13 就 在 眾 人 面 前 改 變 了 尋 常 的 舉 動 ， 在 他 們 手 下 假 裝 瘋 癲 ， 在 城 門 的 門 扇 上 胡 寫 亂 畫 ， 使 唾 沫 流 在 鬍 子 上 。
14 亞 吉 對 臣 僕 說 ： 你 們 看 ， 這 人 是 瘋 子 。 為 甚 麼 帶 他 到 我 這 裡 來 呢 ？
15 我 豈 缺 少 瘋 子 ， 你 們 帶 這 人 來 在 我 面 前 瘋 癲 麼 ？ 這 人 豈 可 進 我 的 家 呢 ？
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.