Font Size
1 Samuel 21
Palabra de Dios para Todos
1 Samuel 21
Palabra de Dios para Todos
David escapa de Saúl
21 David se fue al pueblo llamado Nob[a] para ver al sacerdote Ajimélec, y Jonatán regresó al pueblo. Al llegar David a Nob, Ajimélec salió a su encuentro. Él temía por David, y le preguntó:
—¿Por qué estás solo? ¿Por qué no viene nadie contigo?
2 David respondió:
—Cumplo una orden del rey y me dijo que no le dijera a nadie sobre esta misión, que nadie debería saberlo. Les dije a mis hombres dónde encontrarme. 3 ¿Qué tienes de comer? Dame cinco piezas de pan o lo que tengas de comer.
4 El sacerdote le dijo a David:
—Aquí no tengo pan común y corriente, pero sí tengo algo de pan sagrado. Tus oficiales lo pueden comer si no han tenido relaciones sexuales con ninguna mujer.[b]
5 David le respondió:
—No hemos estado con ninguna mujer. Mis hombres mantienen su cuerpo puro cada vez que salimos a la batalla, aun en misiones ordinarias.[c] Y especialmente hoy, que nuestra misión es extraordinaria.
6 Como no había más pan que el sagrado, el sacerdote le dio a David de ese pan. Era el pan que los sacerdotes ponían en la mesa sagrada ante el SEÑOR. Todos los días lo quitaban y lo cambiaban por pan fresco.
7 Ese día estaba allí uno de los oficiales de Saúl llamado Doeg el edomita, que había tenido que quedarse en el santuario del SEÑOR.[d] Él era el jefe de los pastores[e] de Saúl.
8 David le preguntó a Ajimélec:
—¿Tienes alguna lanza o espada por aquí? El asunto del rey es muy importante. Tengo que irme de prisa y no traje mi espada ni ninguna otra arma.
9 El sacerdote respondió:
—La única espada que hay aquí es la de Goliat, el filisteo que mataste en el valle de Elá. Está detrás del efod, envuelta en un paño. Puedes tomarla si quieres.
David le dijo:
—Dámela. No hay como la espada de Goliat.
David huye a diferentes lugares
10 Ese mismo día, David siguió huyendo de Saúl, y se dirigió a Aquis, rey de Gat. 11 Los oficiales de Aquis dijeron:
—Este es David, el rey del país, de quien cantan los israelitas. Por él bailan y cantan:
“¡Saúl mató a miles,
pero David mató a diez miles!”
12 David ponía mucha atención a lo que decían, pues tenía miedo de Aquis, rey de Gat. 13 Así que David se hizo pasar por loco frente a Aquis y sus oficiales mientras estaba con ellos. Hacía garabatos en las puertas y dejaba que la saliva le corriera por la barba.
14 Aquis les dijo a los oficiales:
—¡Miren nada más! ¡Este hombre está loco! ¿Para qué me lo traen? 15 Ya tengo suficientes locos. ¡No necesito ni uno más que venga a hacer sus locuras delante de mí! ¡No dejen que entre a mi casa nunca más!
Footnotes
- 21:1 Nob Ciudad cerca de Raná donde vivían muchos sacerdotes. Ver 1 S 22:19.
- 21:4 Tus oficiales […] ninguna mujer Esto hacía impuros a los hombres. Tampoco podían comer nada que por haber sido ofrecido a Dios fuera sagrado.
- 21:5 Mis hombres […] ordinarias Ver 2 S 11:11 y Dt 23:9-14.
- 21:7 había […] del SEÑOR Probablemente esto signifique que Doeg estaba allí como parte de una promesa hecha a Dios o por alguna otra razón religiosa. O tal vez signifique que lo habían detenido allí por algún crimen, como matar a alguien por accidente.
- 21:7 pastores o mensajeros.
1 Samuel 21
New King James Version
1 Samuel 21
New King James Version
David and the Holy Bread
21 Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And (A)Ahimelech was (B)afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?”
2 So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’ And I have directed my young men to such and such a place. 3 Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found.”
4 And the priest answered David and said, “There is no [a]common bread on hand; but there is (C)holy[b] bread, (D)if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.”
5 Then David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And [c]the (E)vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated (F)in the vessel this day.”
6 So the priest (G)gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread (H)which had been taken from before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place on 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 (I)Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul.
8 And David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.”
9 So the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in (J)the Valley of Elah, (K)there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here.”
And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
David Flees to Gath
10 Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And (L)the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying:
(M)‘Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands’?”
12 Now David (N)took these words [d]to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So (O)he changed his behavior before them, pretended [e]madness in their hands, [f]scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? 15 Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 21:4 ordinary
- 1 Samuel 21:4 consecrated
- 1 Samuel 21:5 The young men are ceremonially undefiled
- 1 Samuel 21:12 Lit. in his heart
- 1 Samuel 21:13 insanity
- 1 Samuel 21:13 scribbled
1 Samuel 21
New International Version
1 Samuel 21
New International Version
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:
“‘Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands’?”(O)
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?”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 21:1 In Hebrew texts 21:1-15 is numbered 21:2-16.
- 1 Samuel 21:5 Or from us in the past few days since
1 Samuel 21
English Standard Version
1 Samuel 21
English Standard Version
David and the Holy Bread
21 [a] Then David came to (A)Nob, to (B)Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech (C)came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” 4 And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is (D)holy bread—(E)if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 And David answered the priest, “Truly 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 an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 6 So the priest gave him (F)the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, (G)which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was (H)Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.
8 Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.” 9 And the priest said, (I)“The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in (J)the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.”
David Flees to Gath
10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to (K)Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? (L)Did they not sing to one another of him in dances,
‘Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”
12 And David (M)took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, 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 behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 21:1 Ch 21:2 in Hebrew
Palabra de Dios para Todos (PDT)
© 2005, 2015 Bible League International
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.