1 Samuel 21:1-9

New Catholic Bible

Chapter 21

The Priest and the Holy Band. ¹ David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech was afraid when he encountered David and he said to him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?” ² David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king sent me on some business, and he said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about this task on which I am sending you or what I commanded you to do.’ I have sent my young men to such and such a place. ³ Now, therefore, what do you have at hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever can be found.”

⁴ The priest answered David saying, “I do not have any regular bread at hand, but there is consecrated bread, if the young men have abstained from being with women.” ⁵ David answered the priest saying, “We have assuredly abstained from being with women these three days since I set out. The young men’s gear is consecrated even on missions that are not consecrated. How much more is their gear consecrated today.”

⁶ So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, because there was no other bread than the shewbread. The shewbread had been removed from before the Lord and taken away when it was replaced by the hot bread.^[a]

⁷ One of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg, the Edomite, and he was Saul’s chief shepherd.

Goliath’s Sword. ⁸ David asked Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or a sword at hand? I did not bring either my sword nor any other weapon because the king’s mission had to be done in haste.” ⁹ The priest answered, “The sword of Goliath, the Philistine whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here. It is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.^[b] If you want it, take it, because it is the only one here.” David said, “There is none like it, give it to me.”