1 And David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech trembled at meeting David, and said to him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has commanded me a business, and has said to me, Let no man know anything of the business whereon I send thee, and what I have commanded thee; and I have directed the young men to such and such a place.3 And now what is under thy hand? give me five loaves in my hand, or what may be found.4 And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.5 And David answered the priest and said to him, Yes indeed, 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, and the more so, because to-day {new} is hallowed in the vessels.6 And the priest gave him holy {bread}; for there was no bread there but the shew-loaves that were taken from before Jehovah, to put on hot bread in the day when they were taken away.7 (Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Jehovah; and his name was Doeg, the Edomite, chief of the shepherds that {belonged} to Saul.)8 And David said to Ahimelech, And is there not here under thy hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, for the king's business was urgent.9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of terebinths, 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.10 And David arose, and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.11 And the servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul has smitten his thousands, and David his ten thousands?12 And David took to heart these words, and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on his beard.14 And Achish said to his servants, Behold, ye see the man is mad: why did ye bring him to me?15 have I lack of madmen, that ye have brought this one to rave in my presence? shall this {man} come into my house?

1 En Dawid het in Nob gekom by die priester Ahim,leg; en Ahim,leg het Dawid bewend tegemoetgegaan en hom gevra: Waarom is u alleen, en is daar niemand by u nie?2 En Dawid sê aan die priester Ahim,leg: Die koning het my 'n opdrag gegee en aan my gesê: Laat geen mens iets van die saak weet waarvoor ek jou stuur en wat ek jou opdra nie. Daarom het ek die dienaars 'n sekere plek aangewys.3 Maar nou, wat is hier by u? Gee vyf brode in my hand, of wat beskikbaar is.4 En die priester het Dawid geantwoord en gesê: Hier is geen gewone brood by my nie; hier is net heilige brood. As die dienaars hulle maar net vir vroue in ag geneem het.5 Toe antwoord Dawid die priester en sê vir hom: Sekerlik is die vroue aan ons onthou soos altyd wanneer ek uittrek. Dus is die uitrustings van die dienaars heilig, alhoewel dit 'n ongewyde onderneming is -- hoeveel te meer as hulle vandag deur die uitrusting geheilig word!6 Toe gee die priester hom die heilige brood, want daar was geen ander brood nie, behalwe die toonbrode wat voor die aangesig van die HERE weggeneem word, om vars brood neer te sit op die dag as dit weggeneem word.7 Maar daar was 'n man uit die dienaars van Saul wat dieselfde dag opgesluit was voor die aangesig van die HERE, en sy naam was Doëg, die Edomiet, die opsigter oor die veewagters van Saul.8 En Dawid sê vir Ahim,leg: Is hier nie 'n spies of 'n swaard by u nie? Want ek het my swaard sowel as my wapens nie met my saamgeneem nie, omdat die opdrag van die koning dringend was.9 Toe sê die priester: Die swaard van Goliat, die Filistyn, wat u in die dal van die terpentynboom verslaan het, hier is dit in 'n mantel toegedraai, agter die skouerkleed; as u dit vir u wil neem, neem dit, want behalwe dit is hier geen ander nie. Toe sê Dawid: Daar is nie nog so een nie, gee dit aan my.10 En Dawid het hom klaargemaak en die dag van Saul af weggevlug en by Agis, die koning van Gat, gekom.11 Maar die dienaars van Agis het hom gevra: Is dit nie Dawid, die koning van die land nie? Het hulle nie vir hom in die koordanse gesing nie en gesê: Saul het sy duisende verslaan, maar Dawid sy tien duisende?12 En Dawid het hierdie woorde ter harte geneem en baie bevrees geword vir Agis, die koning van Gat.13 Daarom het hy hom voor hulle oë kranksinnig aangestel en hom mal gehou onder hulle hand en op die deure van die poort gekrap en sy speeksel in sy baard laat afloop.14 Daarop sê Agis aan sy dienaars: Julle sien tog die man is kranksinnig, waarom bring julle hom na my toe?15 Het ek gebrek aan kranksinniges, dat julle hierdie een bring om sy kranksinnigheid by my uit te haal? Moet so een in my huis inkom?