^{1 Ref} David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave of Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him.

^{2 Ref} And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

^{3 Ref} And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, `and be' with you, till I know what God will do for me.

^{4 Ref} And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the stronghold.

^{5 Ref} And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the stronghold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth.

^{6 Ref} And Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him: now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk-tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him.

^{7 Ref} And Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds,

^{8 Ref} that all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that discloseth to me when my son maketh a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or discloseth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

^{9 Ref} Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.

^{10 Ref} And he inquired of Jehovah for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

^{11 Ref} Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.

^{12 Ref} And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.

^{13 Ref} And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

^{14 Ref} Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who among all thy servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and is taken into thy council, and is honorable in thy house?

^{15 Ref} Have I to-day begun to inquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute anything unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for thy servant knoweth nothing of all this, less or more.

^{16 Ref} And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.

^{17 Ref} And the king said unto the guard that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of Jehovah; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, and did not disclose it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of Jehovah.

^{18 Ref} And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and he slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.

^{19 Ref} And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen and asses and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

^{20 Ref} And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.

²¹ And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain Jehovah's priests.

^{22 Ref} And David said unto Abiathar, I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned `the death' of all the persons of thy father's house.

^{23 Ref} Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: for with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

^{1 Ref} And David goeth thence, and is escaped unto the cave of Adullam, and his brethren hear, and all the house of his father, and go down unto him thither;

^{2 Ref} and gather themselves unto him do every man in distress, and every man who hath an exactor, and every man bitter in soul, and he is over them for head, and there are with him about four hundred men.

^{3 Ref} And David goeth thence to Mizpeh of Moab, and saith unto the king of Moab, `Let, I pray thee, my father and my mother go out with you, till that I know what God doth for me;'

^{4 Ref} and he leadeth them before the king of Moab, and they dwell with him all the days of David's being in the fortress.

^{5 Ref} And Gad the prophet saith unto David, `Thou dost not abide in a fortress, go, and thou hast entered for thee the land of Judah;' and David goeth and entereth the forest of Hareth.

^{6 Ref} And Saul heareth that David hath become known, and the men who `are' with him, and Saul is abiding in Gibeah, under the grove in Ramah, and his spear `is' in his hand, and all his servants standing by him.

^{7 Ref} And Saul saith to his servants who are standing by him, `Hear, I pray you, ye Benjamites; also to all of you doth the son of Jesse give fields and vineyards! all of you he doth appoint heads of thousands and heads of hundreds!

^{8 Ref} for ye have conspired all of you against me, and there is none uncovering mine ear about my son's covenanting with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you grieving for me, and uncovering mine ear, that my son hath raised up my servant against me, to lie in wait as `at' this day.'

^{9 Ref} And answer doth Doeg the Edomite, who is set over the servants of Saul, and saith, `I have seen the son of Jesse coming in to Nob, unto Ahimelech son of Ahitub,

^{10 Ref} and he asketh for him at Jehovah, and provision hath given to him, and the sword of Goliath the Philistine hath given to him.

^{11 Ref} And the king sendeth to call Ahimelech son of Ahitub, the priest, and all the house of his father, the priests, who `are' in Nob, and they come all of them unto the king;

^{12 Ref} and Saul saith, `Hear, I pray thee, son of Ahitub;' and he saith, `Here `am' I, my lord.'

^{13 Ref} And Saul saith unto him, `Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, by thy giving to him bread and a sword, and to ask for him at God, to rise against me, to lie in wait, as `at' this day?'

^{14 Ref} And Ahimelech answereth the king and saith, `And who among all thy servants `is' as David -- faithful, and son-in-law of the king, and hath turned aside unto thy council, and is honoured in thy house?

^{15 Ref} To-day have I begun to ask for him at God? far be it from me! let not the king lay anything against his servant, against any of the house of my father, for thy servant hath known nothing of all this, less or more.'

^{16 Ref} And the king saith, `Thou dost surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all the house of thy father.'

^{17 Ref} And the king saith to runners, those standing by him, `Turn round, and put to death the priests of Jehovah, because their hand also `is' with David, and because they have known that he is fleeing, and have not uncovered mine ear;' and the servants of the king have not been willing to put forth their hand to come against the priests of Jehovah.

^{18 Ref} And the king saith to Doeg, `Turn round thou, and come against the priests;' and Doeg the Edomite turneth round, and cometh himself against the priests, and putteth to death in that day eighty and five men bearing a linen ephod,

^{19 Ref} and Nob, the city of the priests, he hath smitten by the mouth of the sword, from man even unto woman, from infant even unto suckling, and ox, and ass, and sheep, by the mouth of the sword.

^{20 Ref} And there escapeth one son of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, and his name `is' Abiathar, and he fleeth after David,

²¹ and Abiathar declareth to David that Saul hath slain the priests of Jehovah.

^{22 Ref} And David saith to Abiathar, `I have known on that day when Doeg the Edomite `is' there, that he doth certainly declare `it' to Saul; I have brought `it' round to every person of the house of thy father;

^{23 Ref} dwell with me; fear not; for he who seeketh my life seeketh thy life; for a charge `art' thou with me.'