1 Samuel 21
Traducción en lenguaje actual
David huye de Saúl
21 Por su parte, David se fue a Nob, donde vivía el sacerdote Ahimélec. Cuando Ahimélec vio a David, se puso nervioso y le preguntó:
—¿Por qué vienes solo?
2 —Porque el rey me mandó a una misión especial y me pidió guardar el secreto —le contestó David—. Por eso es que ni mis hombres vienen conmigo. Con ellos debo encontrarme en otro lugar. 3 Por cierto, tengo mucha hambre. ¿Podrías darme unas cinco piezas de pan, o lo que tengas?
4 —Sólo tengo el pan que usamos en el santuario —le contestó el sacerdote—. Te lo puedo dar, siempre y cuando ni tú ni tus hombres hayan tenido relaciones sexuales.
5 —No te preocupes —respondió David—, que ni siquiera cuando salimos a un viaje de rutina tenemos relaciones sexuales con nuestras esposas, mucho menos ahora.
6 Como el sacerdote no tenía ninguna otra clase de pan, le dio a David el que se ofrendaba a Dios. Era el pan que acababan de quitar del altar para poner uno nuevo y caliente. 7-9 David le dijo a Ahimélec:
—¿Podrías prestarme alguna lanza o espada? Fue tan urgente la orden del rey, que no alcancé a traer ningún arma conmigo.
—No tengo más que la espada de Goliat —contestó el sacerdote—. Es la espada del filisteo que mataste en el valle de Elá. Está allí, envuelta en tela, detrás de mi chaleco sacerdotal. Puedes llevártela, si quieres.
—Está muy bien —aceptó David—. Dámela.
Ese día estaba en el santuario un edomita llamado Doeg, que era el jefe de los pastores de Saúl.
10 David siguió huyendo de Saúl, y de allí se fue a Gat, que era una ciudad filistea. Cuando llegó allá, 11 lo llevaron ante el rey Aquís, a quien sus consejeros le dijeron: «Éste es David, el rey de esta tierra, de quien habla la canción: “Saúl mató a mil soldados, pero David mató a diez mil”».
12 Cuando David supo esto, tuvo mucho miedo de que el rey Aquís fuera a hacerle daño. 13 Entonces empezó a rasguñar los portones de la ciudad y a babear, como si estuviera loco. 14 Aquís les reclamó a sus consejeros: «¿Para qué me trajeron a este loco? 15 ¡Ya tengo en mi palacio suficientes locos, como para que me traigan otro más!»
1 Samuel 21
International Standard Version
David Flees to Nob
21 [a]David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest, and Ahimelech was trembling as he came[b] to meet David. Ahimelech[c] told him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?”
2 David told Ahimelech the priest, “The king commanded me about a matter, saying to me, ‘Don’t let anyone know anything about the matter I’m sending you to do[d] and about which I’ve commanded you. I’ve directed the young men to a certain place.’ 3 Now, what do you have available?[e] Give me five loaves of bread or whatever you have.”[f]
4 The priest answered David: “There is no ordinary bread available;[g] only consecrated bread, provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.”
5 David answered the priest, saying to him, “Indeed, women were kept from us as is usual[h] whenever I go out on a mission,[i] and the equipment[j] of the young men is consecrated even when it’s an ordinary journey, so how much more is their equipment[k] consecrated today?” 6 So the priest gave him consecrated bread because no bread was there except the Bread of the Presence that had been removed from the Lord’s presence and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.
7 Now, Doeg the Edomite, one of Saul’s officials,[l] was there that day, detained in the Lord’s presence. He was the chief of Saul’s shepherds.
David Takes Goliath’s Sword
8 David told Ahimelech, “Is there no spear or sword available[m] here? I took neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s mission is urgent.”
9 The priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah is wrapped up in a cloth behind the ephod.[n] If you want it, take it because there is no other except it here.”
So David said, “There is none like it. Give it to me.”
David Flees to Gath
10 David got up that day and fled from Saul, and he went to King Achish of Gath. 11 The officials[o] of Achish told him, “Isn’t this David, king of the land? Isn’t this the one about whom they sang as they danced,
‘Saul has struck down his thousands,
but David his ten thousands’?”
12 David took these words seriously,[p] and he was very frightened of King Achish of Gath. 13 So David changed his behavior before them and acted like he was crazy in their presence. He scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down his beard. 14 Achish told his officials,[q] “Look, you see a person acting like a madman. Why’d you bring him to me? 15 Am I lacking madmen that you bring me this one to act like a madman around me? Shall this one come into my house?”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 21:1 This verse is 21:2 in MT
- 1 Samuel 21:1 The Heb. lacks as he came
- 1 Samuel 21:1 Lit. He
- 1 Samuel 21:2 The Heb. lacks to do
- 1 Samuel 21:3 Lit. under your control
- 1 Samuel 21:3 Lit. what is found
- 1 Samuel 21:4 Lit. under my control
- 1 Samuel 21:5 Lit. as previously
- 1 Samuel 21:5 The Heb. lacks on a mission
- 1 Samuel 21:5 Or vessels
- 1 Samuel 21:5 Or are their vessels
- 1 Samuel 21:7 Or servants
- 1 Samuel 21:8 Lit. under your control
- 1 Samuel 21:9 The ephod was a type of vest normally worn by the priests
- 1 Samuel 21:11 Or servants
- 1 Samuel 21:12 Lit. paid attention to these words
- 1 Samuel 21:14 Or servants
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