David Takes the Consecrated Bread (Matthew 12:1–8; Mark 2:23–28; Luke 6:1–5)
2 CPDV And David said to the priest Ahimelech: “The king has instructed to me a word, and he said: ‘Let no one know the matter about which you have been sent by me, and what type of instructions I have given to you. For I have also summoned servants to one and another place.’ BSB BSB: “The king has given me a mission,” David replied. “He told me no one is to know about the mission on which I am sending you. And I have directed my young men to meet me at a certain place.
3 CPDV Now therefore, if you have anything at hand, even five loaves of bread, or whatever you may find, give it to me.” BSB BSB: Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
4 CPDV And the priest, responding to David, said to him: “I have no common bread at hand, but only holy bread. Are the young men clean, especially from women?” BSB BSB: “There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.”
5 CPDV And David responded to the priest, and said to him: “Indeed, as concerns being with women, we have abstained since yesterday and the day before, when we departed, and so the vessels of the young men have been holy. And although, this journey has been defiled, it will also be sanctified today as concerns the vessels.” BSB BSB: David answered, “Women have indeed been kept from us, as is usual when I set out. And the bodies of the young men are holy even on common missions. How much more so today!”
6 CPDV Therefore, the priest gave to him sanctified bread. For there was no bread there, but only the bread of the Presence, which had been taken away from before the face of the Lord, so that fresh loaves might be set up. BSB BSB: So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.
7 CPDV Now a certain man among the servants of Saul was there on that day, inside the tabernacle of the Lord. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the most powerful among the shepherds of Saul. BSB BSB: Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD. And his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief shepherd for Saul.
David Flees to Gath (Psalm 34:1–22; Psalm 56:1–13)
8 CPDV Then David said to Ahimelech: “Do you have, here at hand, a spear or a sword? For I did not take my own sword, or my own weapons with me. For the word of the king was urgent.” BSB BSB: Then David asked Ahimelech, “Is there not a spear or sword on hand here? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s mission was urgent.”
9 CPDV And the priest said: “Behold, here is the sword of Goliath, the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Terebinth. It is wrapped up in a cloak behind the ephod. If you wish to take this, take it. For there is nothing else here except this.” And David said, “There is nothing else like this, so give it to me.” BSB BSB: 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, you may take it. For there is no other but this one here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”
10 CPDV And so, David rose up, and he fled on that day from the face of Saul. And he went to Achish, the king of Gath. BSB BSB: That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.
11 CPDV And the servants of Achish, when they had seen David, said to him: “Is this not David, the king of the land? Were they not singing about him, while dancing, saying, ‘Saul has struck down a thousand, and David ten thousand?’ ” BSB BSB: But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing about him in their dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”
12 CPDV Then David took these words to his heart, and he became exceedingly afraid before the face of Achish, the king of Gath. BSB BSB: Now David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
13 CPDV And he altered his mouth before them, and he slipped down between their hands. And he stumbled against the doors of the gate. And his spit flowed down his beard. BSB BSB: So he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard.
14 CPDV And Achish said to his servants: “You saw that the man is insane. Why did you bring him to me? BSB BSB: Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you can see that the man is insane! Why have you brought him to me?
15 CPDV Or do we have need of those who are mad, so that you would bring in this one, to behave madly in my presence? How did this man get into my house?” BSB BSB: Am I in need of madmen, that you have brought this man to rave in my presence? Must this man come into my house?”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.