1 Samuel 21:1-9
New American Standard Bible
David Takes Consecrated Bread
21 Then David came to (A)Nob, to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech (B)came trembling to meet David and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commissioned me with a matter and has said to me, ‘(C)No one is to know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place.’ 3 Now then, what [a]do you have on hand? Give [b]me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.” 4 The priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread [c]on hand, but there is (D)consecrated bread, if only the young men have (E)kept themselves from women.” 5 David answered the priest and said to him, “(F)Be assured, women have been denied to us as previously when I left and the [d](G)bodies of the young men were consecrated, though it was an ordinary journey; how much more then will [e]their bodies be consecrated today?” 6 So (H)the priest gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there except the (I)bread of the Presence which was removed from its place before the Lord, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day it was taken away.
7 Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was (J)Doeg the Edomite, the (K)chief of Saul’s shepherds.
8 David said to Ahimelech, “Now is there no spear or sword [f]on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons [g]with me, because the king’s matter was urgent.” 9 Then the priest said, “(L)The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you [h]killed (M)in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 21:3 Lit is there under your hand?
- 1 Samuel 21:3 Lit into my hand
- 1 Samuel 21:4 Lit under my hand
- 1 Samuel 21:5 Lit vessels
- 1 Samuel 21:5 Lit it be holy in the vessel
- 1 Samuel 21:8 Lit under your hand
- 1 Samuel 21:8 Lit in my hand
- 1 Samuel 21:9 Lit struck
1 Samuel 21:1-9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
David and the Holy Bread
21 [a]David came to Nob to the priest Ahimelech. Ahimelech came trembling to meet David and said to him, “Why are you alone and no one with you?”(A) 2 David said to the priest Ahimelech, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘No one must know anything of the matter about which I send you and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment[b] with the young men for such and such a place. 3 Now then, what have you at hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever is here.” 4 The priest answered David, “I have no ordinary bread at hand, only holy bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.”(B) 5 David answered the priest, “Indeed, 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 a common journey; how much more today will their vessels be holy?”(C) 6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.(D)
7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord; his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s shepherds.(E)
8 David said to Ahimelech, “Is there no spear or sword here with you? I did not bring my sword or my weapons with me because the king’s business required haste.” 9 The priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you will take that, take it, for there is none here except that one.” David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”(F)
Read full chapterNew American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.