David Flees from Saul
1 David went to the priest Ahimelech in Nob. Ahimelech came out trembling to meet him and asked, “Why did you come here all by yourself?”
2 “I am here on the king's business,” David answered. “He told me not to let anyone know what he sent me to do. As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. 3 Now, then, what supplies do you have? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have.”
4 The priest said, “I don't have any ordinary bread, only sacred bread; you can have it if your men haven't had sexual relations recently.”
5 “Of course they haven't,” answered David. “My men always keep themselves ritually pure even when we go out on an ordinary mission; how much more this time when we are on a special mission!”
6 So the priest gave David the sacred bread, because the only bread he had was the loaves offered to God, which had been removed from the sacred table and replaced by fresh bread.
( 7 Saul's chief herdsman, Doeg, who was from Edom, happened to be there that day, because he had to fulfill a religious obligation.)
8 David said to Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or a sword you can give me? The king's orders made me leave in such a hurry that I didn't have time to get my sword or any other weapon.”
9 Ahimelech answered, “I have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in Elah Valley; it is behind the ephod, wrapped in a cloth. If you want it, take it—it's the only weapon here.”
“Give it to me,” David said. “There is not a better sword anywhere!”
10 So David left, fleeing from Saul, and went to King Achish of Gath. 11 The king's officials said to Achish, “Isn't this David, the king of his country? This is the man about whom the women sang, as they danced, ‘Saul has killed thousands, but David has killed tens of thousands.’”
12 Their words made a deep impression on David, and he became very much afraid of King Achish. 13 So whenever David was around them, he pretended to be insane and acted like a madman when they tried to restrain him; he would scribble on the city gates and let spit drool down his beard. 14 So Achish said to his officials, “Look! The man is crazy! Why did you bring him to me? 15 Don't I have enough madmen already? Why bring another one to bother me with his crazy actions right here in my own house?”
Dāvids ņem upurmaizes
1 Tad viņš cēlās un devās prom, bet Jonatāns atgriezās pilsētā. 2 Dāvids ieradās Nobā pie priestera Ahīmeleha, un Ahīmelehs iztrūcies iznāca Dāvidam pretī un jautāja: “Kādēļ tu esi viens un neviens nav tev līdzi?” 3 Dāvids teica priesterim Ahīmeleham: “Ķēniņš man uzticēja kādu lietu un piekodināja: neviens nedrīkst zināt, kur es tevi sūtu un ko esmu tev pavēlējis! Bet ar puišiem man sarunāts kādā vietā. 4 Nu, kas tev ir pie rokas? Dod man piecas maizes vai kas nu tev atrodas.” 5 Priesteris atbildēja Dāvidam: “Parastas maizes man nav, vienīgi svētā maize – ja vien puiši būtu atturējušies no sievietēm…”
6 Dāvids atbildēja priesterim: “Sievietes mums bijušas liegtas vienmēr, kad es kur dodos, un puišu rīki ir svēti arī ikdienas ceļos – un šodien vēl jo vairāk tā maize mūsos paliks svēta.” 7 Tad priesteris deva viņam svētumu, jo tur nebija citas maizes kā vien upurmaizes, kas ņemamas no Kunga galda, lai noliktu karstu maizi, kad iepriekšējā noņemta. 8 Un tur bija kāds vīrs no Saula kalpiem, kas todien bija aizkavējies Kunga priekšā, edomietis Doēgs, Saula ganu virsnieks. 9 Dāvids jautāja Ahīmeleham: “Vai tev nav pie rokas kāds šķēps vai zobens – savu zobenu vai citus ieročus neesmu paņēmis, jo ķēniņa lieta bija steidzama!”
Dāvids bēg uz Gatu
10 Priesteris atbildēja: “Redzi, filistieša Goliāta zobens, viņu tu nokāvi Ēlas ielejā, tas ietīts apmetnī aiz efoda. Ņem to, ja gribi, izņemot to, nekā cita te nav!” Un Dāvids teica: “Otra tāda nav! Dod man to!” 11 Tajā pašā dienā Dāvids bēga no Saula pie Gatas ķēniņa Ahīša. 12 Ahīša kalpi teica viņam: “Vai šis nav Dāvids, viņu ķēniņš? Vai tad ne par šo viņi dejodami dzied:
Sauls kāva tūkstošus,
Dāvids – desmitiem tūkstošu!”
13 Dāvids ieklausījās šajos vārdos, un viņam uznāca bailes no Gatas ķēniņa Ahīša. 14 Viņš tēloja viņu priekšā, rāvās kā traks viņu rokās – spēra pa vārtiem un slienāja bārdā. 15 Ahīšs teica saviem kalpiem: “Jūs taču redzat, ka tas vīrs ir traks! Kāpēc jūs atvedāt viņu pie manis? 16 Vai man trūkst trako, ka jūs vēl šo esat atveduši, lai tas šeit pie manis ārdītos? Vai tādam jānāk manā mājā?”
