1 Samuel 22

¹And David went from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And his brothers heard, and all the household of his father, and they went down to him there.

²And every man who was in distress gathered to him, and every man who had a creditor, and every man who was bitter of soul. And he became leader over them, and there were with him about four hundred men.

³And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab, and he said to the king of Moab, 'Please let my father and my mother come out to you, until I know what God will do for me.'

⁴And he led them before the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the days that David was in the stronghold.

⁵And Gad the prophet said to David, 'Do not remain in the stronghold; go on your way and enter the land of Judah.' And David went and came to the forest of Hereth.

⁶And Saul heard that David had been discovered, and the men who were with him. Now Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him.

⁷And Saul said to his servants who were stationed around him, 'Hear now, O sons of Benjaminites: will the son of Jesse also give to all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds of all of you?'

⁸'For all of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who reveals to my ear that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse, and none of you is grieved for me or reveals to my ear that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in ambush as at this day.'

⁹And Doeg the Edomite answered — he who was standing over Saul's servants — and he said, 'I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech son of Ahitub.'

¹⁰And he inquired of the LORD for him, and provision he gave to him, and the sword of Goliath the Philistine he gave to him.

¹¹And the king sent to summon Ahimelech son of Ahitub the priest, and all the house of his father, the priests who were at Nob. And they all came to the king.

¹²And Saul said, 'Hear now, son of Ahitub!' And he said, 'Here I am, my lord.'

¹³And Saul said to him, 'Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, by your giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, that he might rise against me to lie in ambush as at this day?'

¹⁴And Ahimelech answered the king and said, 'And who among all your servants is as faithful as David — the king's son-in-law, one who goes to your bodyguard, and honored in your house?'

¹⁵'Did I begin today to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king lay anything against his servant, against all my father's house, for your servant knew nothing of all this, small or great.'

¹⁶And the king said, 'You shall surely die, Ahimelech — you and all your father's house!'

¹⁷And the king said to the runners who were standing about him, 'Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, for their hand also is with David, and they knew that he was fleeing yet did not disclose it to my ear.' But the servants of the king were not willing to reach out their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.

¹⁸And the king said to Doeg, 'You turn and fall upon the priests.' And Doeg the Edomite turned and fell upon the priests himself, and he killed on that day eighty-five men who bore the linen ephod.

¹⁹And Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword: from man to woman, from infant to nursing baby, and ox and donkey and sheep — by the edge of the sword.

²⁰And one son of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped — and his name was Abiathar — and he fled after David.

²¹And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD.

²²And David said to Abiathar, 'I knew that day, for Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I myself have brought about the death of every life of your father's house.'

²³Stay with me; do not fear, for whoever seeks my life seeks your life, for you are under safekeeping with me.