Then came David to ¹ Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The ¹ king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from ¹ women.

And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the ¹ vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it ² were sanctified this day in the vessel.

Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, ¹ detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.

And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ¹ ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

And David arose, and ¹ fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and ¹ scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? ¹ shall this fellow come into my house?