1 Samuel 21
David Flees from
Saul |
1 |
Then came David to Nob to Ahim'elech the
priest: Mt. 12.3, 4 · Mk. 2.25, 26 · Lk. 6.3 and Ahim'elech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said
unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
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2 |
And David said unto Ahim'elech 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.
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3 |
Now therefore what is under thine hand?
give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what
there is present.
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4 |
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.
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5 |
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.
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6 |
So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the showbread, Lev.
24.5-9 that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken
away.
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7 |
Now a certain man of the servants of
Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Do'eg, an Edomite, the
chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.
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8 |
And David said unto Ahim'elech, 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.
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9 |
And the priest said, The sword of
Goli'ath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, 1
Sam. 17.51 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.
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10 |
And David arose, and fled that day for
fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
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11 |
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,
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Saul hath slain his thousands, |
and David his ten thousands 1 Sam.
18.7 ; 29.5 ? |
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12 |
And David laid up these words in his
heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. Ps.
56.1--0.1
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13 |
And he changed his behavior before them,
and feigned himself mad in their hands, Ps. 34.1--0.1 and
scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down
upon his beard.
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14 |
Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo,
ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to
me?
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15 |
Have I need of madmen, that ye have
brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? shall
this fellow come into my house?
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