1 Samuel 22

¹ David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him.

² And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was of a bitter soul gathered to him. So he became commander over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.

³ And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.

⁴ And he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the days that David was in the stronghold.

⁵ And the prophet Gad said to David, Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go to the land of Judah. So David departed and came into the forest of Hereth.

⁶ And when Saul heard that David and the men with him had been discovered (now Saul was staying in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants standing about him);

⁷ then Saul said to his servants who stood about him, Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?

⁸ All of you have conspired against me, and not one is disclosing in my ear that my son made a covenant with the son of Jesse; and not one of you is sorry for me nor is disclosing in my ear that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day.

⁹ Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.

¹⁰ And he inquired of Jehovah for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

¹¹ So the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were at Nob. And they all came to the king.

¹² And Saul said, Listen now, son of Ahitub! And he answered, Here I am, my lord.

¹³ And Saul said to him, Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise up against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?

¹⁴ And Ahimelech answered the king and said, And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in all your house?

¹⁵ Have I this day begun to inquire of God for him? Let it not be! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, or to any in the house of my father; for your servant has known nothing of all this, little or much.

¹⁶ And the king said, You shall be executed to death, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!

¹⁷ And the king said to the guards who stood about him, Turn and kill the priests of Jehovah, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he was fleeing and did not disclose it in my ear. But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to fall upon the priests of Jehovah.

¹⁸ And the king said to Doeg, You turn and fall upon the priests! And Doeg the Edomite turned and fell upon the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men bearing a linen ephod.

¹⁹ Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep; with the edge of the sword.

²⁰ Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.

²¹ And Abiathar reported to David that Saul had killed the priests of Jehovah.

²² And David said to Abiathar, I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would report to inform Saul. I have brought about the death of all the souls of your father’s house.

²³ Stay with me, do not fear; for he who seeks my soul seeks your soul; but with me you shall be safeguarded.