1 Samuel 21:1-7

David and the Holy Bread

1
Ch 21:2 in Hebrew
Then David came to bNob, to cAhimelech the priest. And Ahimelech dcame to meet David, trembling and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?”
2And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” 4And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is eholy breadfif the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 6So the priest gave him gthe holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, hwhich is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.

7Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was iDoeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen.

1 Samuel 22:9-23

9Then answered jDoeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse kcoming to Nob, to lAhimelech the son of Ahitub, 10 mand he inquired of the Lord for him and ngave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

11Then 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 all of them came to the king. 12And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13And 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 ohave inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, pto lie in wait, as at this day?” 14Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over
Septuagint, Targum; Hebrew  and has turned aside to
your bodyguard, and honored in your house?
15Is today the first time rthat I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, smuch or little.” 16And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.” 17And the king said to tthe guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. 18Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, uand he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. 19And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; vboth man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.

20But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named wAbiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, xwhen Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house. 23 yStay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.”

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