²⁶ And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord Jehovah before David my father, and because thou wast afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.

¹⁸ Anathoth with its suburbs, and Almon with its suburbs; four cities.

²⁰ 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 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 Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: for with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

⁴² And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward.

¹ The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin:

²⁴ And, lo, Zadok also `came', and all the Levites with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of God; and they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city.

²⁵ And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favor in the eyes of Jehovah, he will bring me again, and show me both it, and his habitation:

²⁶ but if he say thus, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him.

²⁷ The king said also unto Zadok the priest, Art thou `not' a seer? return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.

²⁸ See, I will tarry at the fords of the wilderness, until there come word from you to certify me.

²⁹ Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they abode there.

¹⁶ This thing is not good that thou hast done. As Jehovah liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept watch over your lord, Jehovah's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his head.

⁴ Did ye suffer so many things in vain? if it be indeed in vain.

²⁸ But ye are they that have continued with me in my temptations;

³⁰ Cry aloud with thy voice, O daughter of Gallim! hearken, O Laishah! O thou poor Anathoth!

¹¹ And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab,

¹² and said unto them, Ye are the heads of the fathers' `houses' of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of Jehovah, the God of Israel, unto `the place' that I have prepared for it.

³⁵ And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host; and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar.

²⁵ For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and say, `Long' live king Adonijah.

⁷ And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him.

⁵ And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As Jehovah liveth, the man that hath done this is worthy to die:

⁶ And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.

⁷ And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into my hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.

⁸ And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

⁹ And David knew that Saul was devising mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.