1 Samuel Chapter 22
David at the Case of Adullam
1 David left and got to the cave near Adullam. When his brothers and father’s family heard, they came down. 2 Everybody in distress, in debt, or discontented gathered to him till he became the captain of about 400 men.
3 He went from there to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king, “Please let my parents stay with you till I know what God will do for me.” 4 He left them with the king; they stayed with him the whole time David was in the fortress. 5 The prophet Gad told David, “Don’t stay in the fortress. Go to Judah.” So David went to the Forest of Hereth.
1 Sam 22:1-5
Saul Kills the Priests at Nob
6 Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. Saul was sitting in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the hill with spear in hand and his officers standing about him. 7 He told them,
“Listen, you Benjamites. Will Jesse’s son give you fields and vineyards? Will he make you commanders of thousands and hundreds 8 that you’ve plotted against me? Nobody lets me know when my son teams up with Jesse’s son. None of you sympathize with me or let me know that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in wait, like now.”
1 Sam 22:6-8
9 Doeg, who was standing by Saul’s servants, said, “I saw Jesse’s son going to Nob, to Ahimelech Ben-Ahitub. 10 He inquired from Yahveh for him, and gave him provisions and Goliath’s sword.”
11 The king sent for Ahimelech the priest and all his father’s family, the priests at Nob. They came to him.
12 Saul said, “Ben-Ahitub, 13 why have you and Jesse’s son plotted against me by giving him bread and a sword, and inquiring from God for him, so that he has risen against me to lie in wait today?”
14 Ahimelech answered,
“Who among your servants is as faithful as David, your son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, honored in your family? 15 Is today the first time I’ve asked God for him? No! You need not accuse me or my father’s family of anything. I didn’t know anything about this.”
1 Sam 22:9-15
16 The king said, “You and your father’s family have to die.” 17 He told the guard standing around him, “Kill Yahveh’s priests; their hand is with David. They knew he fled and didn’t let me know.”
But his men wouldn’t do it. 18 So he told Doeg to fall on them. He killed 85 men that day who wore the linen ephod. 19 He put Nob, the city of priests, to the sword—men and women, children and infants, cattle, donkeys, and sheep.
20 But one of Ahimelech’s sons named Abiathar escaped to David 21 and told him what Saul had done to Yahveh’s priests. 22 David said,
“The day Doeg was there I figured he’d tell Saul. I’ve occasioned the death of everybody in your father’s family. 23 Stay with me; don’t be afraid. The one that wants to kill you wants to kill me. You’ll be safe here.”
1 Sam 22:16-23