¹David went from there and escaped to the cavern of Adullam; and his brothers and all the house of his father heard, and came down to him there.

²And every man in distress gathered together to him, and every man who had a creditor, and every man bitter in being; and he became chief over them; and there were about four hundred men with him.

³David went from there to Mizpah of Moab, and said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and my mother go out with you, until I know what God will do for me."

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

⁵And Gad the prophet said to David, "You must not dwell in the stronghold. Go, and come to the land of Judah." And David went, and came to the forest of Hereth.

⁶And Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had become known; and Saul was sitting in Gibeah under the tamarisk on the height, with his spear in his hand, and all his slaves stationed over him.

⁷And Saul said to his slaves who were stationed over him, "Listen now, Benjaminites: will the son of Jesse also give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he appoint every one of you captains of thousands and captains of hundreds,

⁸that all of you have conspired against me, and no one uncovers my ear when my son cuts a pact with the son of Jesse, and none of you is sick over me or uncovers my ear that my son has raised up my slave against me to lie in wait, as it is today?"

⁹And Doeg the Edomite, who was stationed over the slaves of Saul, answered and said, "I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub."

¹⁰He inquired of Yahweh for him, and gave him provision, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

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

¹²And Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." He said, "Here I am, my lord."

¹³And Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him food and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he might rise up against me, to lie in wait, as it is today?"

¹⁴Ahimelech answered the king and said, "And who among all your slaves is like David, faithful, and the son-in-law of the king, and one who turns aside to your bodyguard, and honored in your house?

¹⁵Is it today that I began to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king put a word against his slave, against all the house of my father; for your slave did not know a word of all this, small or great."

¹⁶And the king said, "You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all the house of your father."

¹⁷And the king said to the runners who were stationed over him, "Turn round and put to death the priests of Yahweh, for their hand also is with David, and they knew that he was fleeing and did not uncover my ear." But the slaves of the king were not willing to stretch out their hand to fall on the priests of Yahweh.

¹⁸And the king said to Doeg, You go round, and press in the priests. And Doeg the Edomite went round, and he pressed in the priests; and he put to death in that day eighty and five men carrying the ephod of linen.

¹⁹And Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, from man and to woman, from infant and to suckled, and ox and donkeys and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

²⁰And one of the son of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub escaped away, and his name was Abiathar; and he fled after David.

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

²²And David said to Abiathar, I knew in that day, that Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell to Saul; I have gone round in all the living being of the house of your father.

²³Dwell with me; fear not; for he who will search my living being will search your living being; for you are a duty with me.