1 Samuel 22
Contemporary English Version
People Join David
22 (A) When David escaped from the town of Gath, he went to Adullam Cave. His brothers and the rest of his family found out where he was, and they followed him there. 2 A lot of other people joined him too. Some were in trouble, others were angry or in debt, and David was soon the leader of 400 men.
3 David left Adullam Cave and went to the town of Mizpeh in Moab, where he talked with the king of Moab. “Please,” David said, “let my father and mother stay with you until I find out what God will do with me.” 4 So he brought his parents to the king of Moab, and they stayed with him while David was in hiding.
5 One day the prophet Gad told David, “Don't stay here! Go back to Judah.” David then left and went to Hereth Forest.
Saul Kills the Priests of the Lord
6 Saul was sitting under a small tree on top of the hill at Gibeah when he heard that David and his men had been located. Saul was holding his spear, and his officers were standing in front of him. 7 He told them:
Listen to me! You belong to the Benjamin tribe,[a] so if that son of Jesse ever becomes king, he won't give you fields or vineyards. He won't make you officers in charge of thousands or hundreds as I have done. 8 But you're all plotting against me! Not one of you told me that my own son Jonathan had made an agreement with him. Not one of you cared enough to tell me that Jonathan had helped one of my officers[b] rebel. Now that son of Jesse is trying to ambush me.
9 (B) Doeg the Edomite was standing with the other officers and spoke up, “When I was in the town of Nob, I saw that son of Jesse. He was visiting the priest Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 Ahimelech talked to the Lord for him, then gave him food and the sword that had belonged to Goliath the Philistine.”
11 Saul sent a message to Ahimelech and his whole family of priests at Nob, ordering them to come to him. When they came, 12 Saul told them, “Listen to me, you son of Ahitub.”
“Certainly, Your Majesty,” Ahimelech answered.
13 Saul demanded, “Why did you plot against me with that son of Jesse? You helped him rebel against me by giving him food and a sword, and by talking with God for him. Now he's trying to ambush me!”
14 “Your Majesty, none of your officers is more loyal than David!” Ahimelech replied. “He's your son-in-law and the captain of your bodyguard. Everyone in your family respects him. 15 This isn't the first time I've talked with God for David, and it's never made you angry before! Please don't accuse me or my family like this. I have no idea what's going on!”
16 “Ahimelech,” Saul said, “you and your whole family are going to die.”
17 Saul shouted to his bodyguards, “These priests of the Lord helped David! They knew he was running away, but they didn't tell me. Kill them!”
But the king's officers would not attack the priests of the Lord.
18 Saul turned to Doeg, who was from Edom, and said, “Kill the priests!”
On that same day, Doeg killed 85 priests. 19 Then he attacked the town of Nob, where the priests had lived, and he killed everyone there—men, women, children, and babies. He even killed their cattle, donkeys, and sheep.
Only Abiathar Escapes from Nob
20 Ahimelech's son Abiathar was the only one who escaped. He ran to David 21 and told him, “Saul has murdered the Lord's priests at Nob!”
22 David answered, “That day when I saw Doeg, I knew he would tell Saul! Your family died because of me. 23 Stay here. Isn't the same person trying to kill both of us? Don't worry! You'll be safe here with me.”
1 Samuel 22
King James Version
22 David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him.
2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.
3 And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.
4 And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold.
5 And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.
6 When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;)
7 Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds;
8 That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
10 And he enquired of the Lord for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.
11 Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.
12 And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.
13 And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?
15 Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.
16 And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.
17 And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the Lord: because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord.
18 And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.
19 And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.
20 And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.
21 And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the Lord's priests.
22 And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.
23 Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.
1 Samuelsboken 22
nuBibeln (Swedish Contemporary Bible)
David i Adullams grotta
22 David lämnade sedan Gat och flydde till Adullams grotta. När hans bröder och andra släktingar fick höra detta, gick de dit till honom. 2 Men också andra började komma; människor i svårigheter och sådana som var skuldsatta och allmänt missnöjda och David blev deras ledare. Tillsammans var det omkring 400 män som samlades runt honom.
3 David gick också till Mispa i Moab och frågade kungen där: ”Kan mina föräldrar få stanna här under ditt beskydd tills jag vet vad Gud har för planer för mig?” 4 Sedan blev hans föräldrar kvar där under hela den tid som han vistades i bergfästet.
5 Men en dag sa profeten Gad till David att han skulle lämna sitt fäste och bege sig till Juda land. David gick då och kom till Heretskogen. 6 Nyheten om Davids ankomst nådde Saul då han satt under ett tamariskträd i Giva med spjutet i handen omgiven av alla sina män. 7 ”Lyssna nu, ni Benjamins män!” sa han till dem. ”Har Jishajs son kanske lovat er åkrar och vingårdar och befälsposter över tusen eller hundra man? 8 Är det därför ni har gaddat er samman mot mig? Inte en enda av er har någonsin talat om för mig att min egen son slutit förbund med Jishajs son. Ingen bryr sig så mycket om mig att han har upplyst mig om att min egen son har uppmanat min tjänare att lägga sig så här i bakhåll för mig.”
9 Då sa edomiten Doeg som var en av Sauls förmän: ”När jag var i Nov såg jag Jishajs son komma till Achimelek, Achituvs son. 10 Achimelek frågade Herren om vägledning för David och gav honom sedan proviant och filistén Goljats svärd.”
Saul avrättar åttiofem präster
11 Kungen skickade omedelbart efter Achimelek, Achituvs son, och hela hans familj och alla prästerna i Nov. När de kom dit, 12 sa Saul till dem: ”Lyssna på mig, Achituvs son!” ”Ja, herre”, svarade Achimelek. 13 ”Varför har du och Jishajs son sammansvurit er mot mig?” frågade Saul. ”Varför gav du honom mat och ett svärd och frågade Gud för hans räkning? Varför har du hjälpt honom att resa sig mot mig och lägga sig i bakhåll mot mig?”
14 ”Finns det någon bland alla dina tjänare som är så trogen som din svärson David?” svarade Achimelek. ”Han är ju befälhavare över din livvakt och en högt ärad medlem av ditt eget hushåll! 15 Det här var inte första gången jag rådfrågade Gud för hans skull! Min kung, anklaga inte mig, din tjänare och min familj för denna sak, för vi känner inte till någon sammansvärjning.”
16 ”Du ska dö, Achimelek, tillsammans med hela din familj!” sa kungen. 17 Sedan sa han till sina livvakter: ”Döda Herrens präster, för de har gaddat sig samman mot mig och ställt sig på David sida! De visste att han var på flykt undan mig och ändå berättade de det inte för mig!” Men kungens tjänare vägrade döda Herrens präster.
18 ”Då får du göra det”, sa kungen till Doeg. Och Doeg gjorde som kungen befallde och dödade den dagen åttiofem präster, alla iklädda efoder. 19 Sedan gick man till prästernas stad Nov och dödade alla där: män, kvinnor, barn och spädbarn och oxar, åsnor och får. 20 Bara en av Achimeleks söner, en som hette Evjatar, undkom och lyckades fly till David.
21 När Evjatar berättade för David att Saul hade dödat Herrens präster, 22 sa David: ”Jag förstod det! När jag såg Doeg här, visste jag att han skulle underrätta Saul. Det är jag som är orsak till att hela din fars familj har dödats. 23 Stanna nu här tillsammans med mig! Här är du säker. Han som vill döda dig är också ute efter mig.”
1 Samuel 22
New King James Version
David’s Four Hundred Men(A)
22 David therefore departed from there and (B)escaped (C)to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 (D)And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was [a]discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about (E)four hundred men with him.
3 Then David went from there to Mizpah of (F)Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.” 4 So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.
5 Now the prophet (G)Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go to the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.
Saul Murders the Priests
6 When Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered—now Saul was staying in (H)Gibeah under a tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants standing about him— 7 then Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse (I)give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds? 8 All of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who reveals to me that (J)my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse; and there is not one of you who is sorry for me or reveals to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day.”
9 Then answered (K)Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, “I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to (L)Ahimelech the son of (M)Ahitub. 10 (N)And he inquired of the Lord for him, (O)gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 So the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were in Nob. And they all came to the king. 12 And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub!”
He answered, “Here I am, my lord.”
13 Then Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?”
14 So Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as (P)faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in your house? 15 Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, or to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, little or much.”
16 And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all (Q)your father’s house!” 17 Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me.” But the servants of the king (R)would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the Lord. 18 And the king said to Doeg, “You turn and kill the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and [b]struck the priests, and (S)killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. 19 (T)Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep—with the edge of the sword.
20 (U)Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, (V)escaped and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the Lord’s priests. 22 So David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father’s [c]house. 23 Stay with me; do not fear. (W)For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe.”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 22:2 Lit. bitter of soul
- 1 Samuel 22:18 attacked
- 1 Samuel 22:22 family
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Swedish Contemporary Bible (nuBibeln) Copyright © 2015 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
