1Samuel:21

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* And David came to Nob , to Ahimelech the priest . And Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David , and said to him , Why [are ] you alone , and no man with you ? * And David said to Ahimelech the priest , The king has commanded me a business and has said to me , Let no man know anything [of ] the business about which I send you , and what I have sent you . And I have sent servants to such and such a place . * And therefore , what is under your hand ? Give five [loaves ] of bread in my hand , or what there is to be found . * And the priest answered David and said , [There is ] no common bread under my hand , but there is holy bread if the young men have kept themselves at least from women . * And David answered the priest and said to him , Truly women [have been ] kept from us for about three days , since I came out , and the vessels of the young men are holy , and [in ] a way the holy [bread ] is common . Also surely today it is sanctified in the vessels . * And the priest gave him holy [bread ]. For there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence that was taken from before the LORD , in order to put hot bread in on the day when it was taken away . * And a man from the servants of Saul [was ] there that day , held before the LORD . And his name [was ] Doeg , an Edomite , the chief of Saul 's herdsmen . * And David said to Ahimelech , And is there not here under your hand spear or sword ? For I have not brought my sword nor my weapons with me , because the king 's business needed haste . * And the priest said , The sword of Goliath the Philistine , whom you killed in the valley of Elah , behold , it [is ] wrapped in a cloth under the ephod , if you will take , take it for yourself , for there is no other here except that one . And David said , There is none like that . Give it to me . * And David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul , and went to Achish the king of Gath . * And the servants of Achish said to him , [Is ] not this David the king of the land ? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances , saying , Saul has slain his thousands , and David his ten thousands ? * And David laid up these words in his heart , and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath . * And he changed his behavior before them , and pretended himself to be mad in their hands , and marked on the doors of the gate and let his spittle fall down on his beard . * Then Achish said to his servants , Lo , you see the man is mad . Why have you brought him to me ? * Do I have need of mad men , that you have brought this one to show madness in my presence ? Shall this one come into my house ?

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