1 Samuel
22
- David left Gath and escaped to the cave
of Adullam. When his brothers and his father's household heard about it, they
went down to him there.
- All those who were in distress or in debt
or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four
hundred men were with him.
- From there David went to Mizpah in Moab
and said to the king of Moab, "Would you let my father and mother come
and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me ?"
- So he left them with the king of Moab, and
they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold.
- But the prophet Gad said to David, "Do
not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah." So David left
and went to the forest of Hereth.
- Now Saul heard that David and his men had
been discovered. And Saul, spear in hand, was seated under the tamarisk tree
on the hill at Gibeah, with all his officials standing around him.
- Saul said to them, "Listen, men of
Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will
he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds ?
- Is that why you have all conspired against
me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None
of you is concerned about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant
to lie in wait for me, as he does today."
- But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with
Saul's officials, said, "I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son
of Ahitub at Nob.
- Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him;
he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine."
- Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech
son of Ahitub and his father's whole family, who were the priests at Nob,
and they all came to the king.
- Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub."
"Yes, my lord," he answered.
- Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired
against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring
of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me,
as he does today ?"
- Ahimelech answered the king, "Who of
all your servants is as loyal as David, the king's son-in-law, captain of
your bodyguard and highly respected in your household ?
- Was that day the first time I inquired of
God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of
his father's family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole
affair."
- But the king said, "You will surely
die, Ahimelech, you and your father's whole family."
- Then the king ordered the guards at his
side: "Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they too have sided
with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me." But
the king's officials were not willing to raise a hand to strike the priests
of the LORD.
- The king then ordered Doeg, "You turn
and strike down the priests." So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them
down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.
- He also put to the sword Nob, the town of
the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle,
donkeys and sheep.
- But Abiathar, a son of Ahimelech son of
Ahitub, escaped and fled to join David.
- He told David that Saul had killed the priests
of the LORD.
- Then David said to Abiathar: "That
day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul.
I am responsible for the death of your father's whole family.
- Stay with me; don't be afraid; the man who
is seeking your life is seeking mine also. You will be safe with me."
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