1 Samuel Chapter 21
He got up and left, and Jonathan went into town.
1 Sam 20:35-42
David and the Bread of the Presence
1 Then David went to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. He came cringing to meet David, “Why are you by yourself?”
2 David told Ahimelech, “The king commissioned me with a matter, ‘Don’t let anybody know about it. I’ve directed my young men where to meet me later.’ 3 What do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever you can find.”
4 The priest answered him, “There’s no ordinary bread here; there’s consecrated bread if your young men have not been with women.”
5 David answered,
“Women have certainly not been with us; that’s always the case on an expedition. The young men are holy even on an ordinary journey, much less today.”
6 The priest gave him the Bread of the Presence, which is removed from Yahveh’s presence and replaced with fresh bread the same day.
1 Sam 21:1-6
7 Saul’s chief shepherd was there that day, detained in Yahveh’s presence: Doeg the Edomite.
8 David asked Ahimelech, “Is there a spear or sword here? I didn’t bring either; the king’s matter was urgent.”
9 The priest said,
“The sword of Goliath that you killed in the Valley of Elah is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want to, take that. It’s the only one here.”
David said, “There’s none like that one. Let me have it.” 1 Sam 21:7-9
10 David fled that day from Saul to Achish, king of Gath. 11 His officers asked him, Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Didn’t they sing about him in dances.
“‘Saul has slain his thousands,
David his ten thousands!’?”
12 David took those comments to heart and was afraid of Achish. 13 So he acted like he was crazy. He made marks on the doors of the gate, and let spit run down his beard. 14 Achish told his men, “You can tell the man’s crazy. Why did you bring him to me? 15 Am I short on crazy people? Will he come into my house?”
1 Sam 21:10-15