1 David got up and left, while Jonathan returned to the city.

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?

2 David went to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he met David and said to him, 'Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?'

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.

3 David answered Ahimelech the priest, 'The king has given me an assignment and said to me, "Let no one know anything about the mission I am sending you on and what I have instructed you." I have also told my young men to meet me at a certain place.

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

4 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever you can find.'

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.

5 The priest answered David, 'I don’t have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is consecrated bread—if the young men have kept themselves 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.

6 David replied to the priest, 'Indeed women have been kept away from us, as usual whenever I set out. The bodies of the young men are holy even on ordinary missions, and all the more today.'

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.

7 So the priest gave him the holy bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by hot bread on the day 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.

8 Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd.

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.

9 David asked Ahimelech, 'Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s mission was urgent.'

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.

10 The priest replied, 'The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it. There is no other here.' David said, 'There is none like it; give it to me.'

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

11 David got up and fled that day from Saul’s presence 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?

12 The servants of Achish said to him, 'Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances, saying, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands"?'

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

13 David took these words to heart and was very afraid of Achish 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.

14 So he changed his behavior before them and acted like a madman in their presence. He made marks on the doors of the gate and let saliva run down his beard.

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

15 Achish said to his servants, 'Look at this man! He’s insane! Why bring him to me?

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?

16 Do I lack madmen, that you have to bring this fellow here to act the madman in my presence? Must this man come into my house?'