David Takes the Consecrated Bread (Matthew 12:1–8; Mark 2:23–28; Luke 6:1–5)
2 UEB David said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king has sent me on a mission and has said to me, 'Let no one know anything about the business I am sending you, and what I have commanded you.' I have directed the young men to a certain 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 UEB Now then what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here." BSB BSB: Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
4 UEB The priest answered David and said, "There is no ordinary bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves 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 UEB David answered the priest, "Surely women have been kept from us for the past three days, as usual when I set out. The things belonging to the men have been set apart even on ordinary missions. How much more today will what they have be set apart!" 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 UEB So the priest gave him the bread that was set apart. For there was no bread there except the bread of the presence, which was removed from before Yahweh, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day it was taken away. 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 UEB Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Yahweh. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen. 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 UEB David said to Ahimelech, "Now is there not here on hand any spear or sword? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business 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 UEB The priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want to take that, take it, for there is no other weapon here." David said, "There is no other sword like that one; 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 UEB David arose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish, the king of Gath. BSB BSB: That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.
11 UEB Achish's servants said to him, "Is not this David, the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another about him in dances, 'Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands?'" 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 UEB David took these words to heart and was very afraid 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 UEB He changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands; he made marks on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run 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 UEB Then Achish said to his servants, "Look, you see the man is mad. Why have you brought 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 UEB Do I lack madmen, so that you have brought this fellow to behave like one in my presence? Will this fellow really come 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.