²⁶ The king said to the priest Abiathar, “Go to Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death because you carried the ark of the Lord God before my father David and because you shared in all the hardships my father endured.”^(A)

¹⁸ Anathoth with its pasturelands, and Almon with its pasturelands—four towns.^(A)

²⁰ But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.^{(A) 21} Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. ²² David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsible^[a] for the lives of all your father’s house.^{(B) 23} Stay with me, and do not be afraid, for the one who seeks my life seeks your life; you will be safe with me.”^(C)

⁴² and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”^(A)

1 The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin,^(A)

²⁴ Abiathar came up, and Zadok also, with all the Levites, carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city.^{(A) 25} Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and the place where it stays.^{(B) 26} But if he says, ‘I take no pleasure in you,’ here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.”^{(C) 27} The king also said to the priest Zadok, “Look,^[a] go back to the city in peace, you and Abiathar,^[b] with your two sons, Ahimaaz your son and Jonathan son of Abiathar.^{(D) 28} See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.”^{(E) 29} So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.

¹⁶ This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die because you have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord’s anointed. See now, where is the king’s spear or the water jar that was at his head?”

⁴ Did you experience so much for nothing?—if it really was for nothing.^(A)

²⁸ “You are those who have stood by me in my trials,^(A)