1 Samuel 21

Præsten gav ham da det hellige Brød; thi der var ikke andet Brød der end Skuebrødene, som tages bort fra deres Plads for HERRENs Åsyn, samtidig med at der lægges frisk Brød i Stedet.

Men den Dag var en Mand af Sauls Folk lukket inde der for HERRENs Åsyn, en Edomit ved Navn Doeg, den øverste af Sauls Hyrder.

Derpå brød David op og flygtede samme Dag for Saul, og han kom til Kong Akisj af Gat.

Disse Ord gav David Agt på,og han grebes af stor Frygt for Kong Akisj af Gat;

derfor lod han afsindig overfor dem og rasede imellem Hænderne på dem, idet han trommede på Portfløjene og lod sit Spyt flyde ned i Skægget.

Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why {art} thou alone, and no man with thee? {Ahimelech: also called Ahiah}

And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed {my} servants to such and such a place.

Now therefore what is under thine hand? give {me} five {loaves of} bread in mine hand, or what there is present. {present: Heb. found}

And the priest answered David, and said, {There is} no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women {have been} kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and {the bread is} in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel. {yea...: or, especially when this day there is other sanctified in the vessel}

So the priest gave him hallowed {bread}: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

Now a certain man of the servants of Saul {was} there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name {was} Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that {belonged} to Saul.

And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.

And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it {is here} wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take {it}: for {there is} no other save that here. And David said, {There is} none like that; give it me.

And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

And the servants of Achish said unto him, {Is} not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. {scrabbled: or, made marks}

Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore {then} have ye brought him to me? {is mad: or, playeth the mad man}

Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this {fellow} to play the mad man in my presence? shall this {fellow} come into my house?