21:1 Then David¹ got up and left, and Jonathan went to the city. 21:2 David went to Ahimelech the priest in Nob. Ahimelech came out trembling to meet David and said to him, “Why are you by yourself with no one accompanying you?” 21:3 David replied to Ahimelech the priest, “The king instructed me to do something, but he said to me, ‘Don’t let anyone know about the matter for which I am sending you and about which I have given you instructions.’ I have advised my soldiers to wait at a certain place.² 21:4 Now what do you have at your disposal? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”

21:5 The priest replied to David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread at my disposal. Only holy bread is available, and at that only if the soldiers have abstained from women.” 21:6 David said to the priest, “Certainly women have been kept away from us, just as on previous occasions when I have gone out. The soldiers’ equipment is holy, even on an ordinary journey. How much more so will they be holy today, along with their equipment!”

21:7 So the priest gave him holy bread, for there was no bread there other than the bread of the presence that had been removed from before the LORD in order to put hot bread on the day that it had been taken. 21:8 One of Saul’s servants was there on that day, detained before the LORD. His name was Doeg, the Edomite, the one in charge of Saul’s shepherds. 21:9 David said to Ahimelech, “Is there no sword or spear here at your disposal? I don’t have my own sword or equipment in hand due to the urgency of the king’s instructions.”

21:10 The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the valley of Elah, is wrapped in a garment behind the ephod. If you wish, take it for yourself. Other than that there’s nothing here.” David said, “There’s nothing like it! Give it to me!” 21:11 So on that day David got up and fled from Saul. He went to Achish the king of Gath. 21:12 The servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one that they sing about in dances, saying,

“Saul struck down his thousands,
But David his tens of thousands.”

21:13 David pondered these matters³ and was very fearful of Achish the king of Gath. 21:14 He altered his behavior in their presence. While he was in their hands, he pretended to be insane, making marks on the doors of the gate and making his spittle run down his beard.

21:15 Achish said to his servants, “Look at this insane man! Why did you bring him to me? 21:16 Am I lacking in fools, that you have brought me this man to display his insanity in front of me? Should this man enter my house?”