| 1 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 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 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 And he brought them
before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was
in the stronghold. 5 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 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 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 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 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 And he inquired of
Jehovah for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the
Philistine.
11 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 And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he
answered, Here I am, my lord. 13 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 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 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 And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and
all thy father's house. 17 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 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 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 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.
Genesis - Public
Domain
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