faid unto him, Go, carry | place. them to the city.

41 ¶ And as foon as the lad was gone, David arofe out of a place toward the fouth, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himfelf three times: and they kiffed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.

42 And Jonathan faid to David, Go in peace, forafmuch as we have fworn both of us in the name of the Lord, faying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my feed and thy feed for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

CHAP. XXI.

HEN came David to

TH

Nob to Ahimelech the prieft and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and faid unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

2 And David faid unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath faid unto me, Let no man know any thing of the bufinefs whereabout I fend thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my fervants to fuch and fuch a

3 Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is prefent.

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

5 And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth, women have been kept from us about these three days, fince I came out, and the vefiels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were fanctified this day in the veffel.

6 So the priest gave him hallowed bread; for there was no bread there, but the fhew-bread that was taken from before the Lord, to put hot-bread in the day when it was taken away.

7 Now a certain man of the fervants of Saul, was there that day, detained before the Lord; and his name was Doeg an Edomite, the chiefeft of the herd-men that belonged to Saul.

8 And David faid unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear

or

or fword? for I have neither [man is mad: wherefore then

brought my sword nor my weapons with me, becaufe the king's bufinefs required hafte.

9 And the priest faid, The fword of Goliath the Philiftine, whom thou fleweft in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapt in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other fave that, here. And David faid, There is none like that, give it me. 10 ¶ And David arofe and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

have ye brought him to me?

15 Have I need of madmen, that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my prefence? shall this fellow come into my house?

CHAP. XXII.

AVID therefore de

Departed thence, and ef

caped to the cave Adullam : and when his brethren, and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him.

2 And every one that was in diftrefs, and every one II And the fervants of that was in debt, and every Achifh faid unto him, Is one that was discontented, not this David the king of the gathered themselves unto land? did they not fing one to him, and he became a capanother of him in dances, fay-tain over them: and there ing, Saul hath flain his thou- were with him about four fands, and David his ten hundred men. thousands?

12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was fore afraid of Achifh the king of Gath.

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

14 Then faid Achish unto his fervants, Lo, you see the

3¶ And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab : and he faid unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.

4 And he brought them before the king of Moab : and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold.

5 ¶ And the prophet Gad

faid unto David, Abide not in the hold, depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the foreft of Hareth.

10 And he enquired of the Lord for him: and gave him victuals, and gave him the fword of Goliath the Philiftine.

II Then the king fent 6 ་ When Saul heard to call Ahimelech the priest, that David was difcovered, the fon of Ahitub, and all and the men that were with his father's house, the priests him, (now Saul abode in that were in Nob: and they Gibeah under a tree in Ra-came all of them to the king. mah, having his fpear in his hand, and all his fervants were standing about him).

12 And Saul faid, Hear now, thou fon of Ahitub: and he answered, Here I am,

my lord.

7 Then Saul faid unto his fervants that ftood about 13 And Saul faid unto him, Hear now, ye Benja-him, Why have ye conspired mites, Will the fon of Jelle, give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thoufands, and captains of hundreds :

8 That all of you have confpired against me: and there is none that fheweth me that my son hath made a league with the fon of Jeffe, and there is none of you that is forry for me, or fheweth unto me that my fon hath ftirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

against me, thou and the fon of Jeffe, in that thou haft given him bread, and a fword, and haft enquired of God for him, that he should rife against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

14 Then Ahimelech anfwered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy fervants, as David, which is the king's fon-in-law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?

15 Did I then begin to 9 ¶ Then anfwered Doeg enquire of God for him? the Edomite (which was be it far from me: let not fet over the fervants of Saul) the king impute any thing and faid, I saw the fon of unto his fervant, nor to all Jeffe coming to Nob, to the houfe of my father: for Ahimelech the fon of Ahi-thy fervant knew nothing of all this, lefs or more.

ub.

10

16 And the king faid, there, that he would furely Thou shalt furely die, Ahi-tell Saul: I have occafioned melech, thou, and all thy fa- the death of all the perfons of ther's house. thy father's house.

23 Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life, feeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in fafe

A

17 And the king faid unto the footmen that ftood about him, Turn and flay the priefts of the Lord; becaufe their hand alfo is with Da-guard. vid, and because they knew when he fled, and did not fhew it to me. But the fervants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord. 18 And the king faid to Doeg, Turn thou and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and flew on that day fourfcore and five perfons that did wear a linen ephod.

19 And Nob, the city of the priests, fmote he with the edge of the fword, both men and women, children and fucklings, and oxen, and affes, and fheep, with the edge of the fword.

20 And one of the fons of Ahimelech the fon of Ahitub, named Abiathar, efcaped and fled after David.

21 And Abiathar fhewed David, that Saul had flain the Lord's priefts.

22 And David faid unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, -when Doeg the Edomite was 5

CHAP. XXIV.

ND it came to pass

when Saul was returned from following the Philiftines, that it was told him, faying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.

2 Then Saul took three thousand chofen men out of all Ifrael, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.

3 And he came to the fheep-cotes by the way, where was a cave, and Saul went in to cover his feet and David and his men remained in the fides of the cave.

4 And the men of David. faid unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord faid unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it fhall feem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.

5 And it came to país efterward, that David's heart fmote

fmote him, because he had cut | I cut off the fkirt of thy robe and killed thee not; know thou and fee that there is neither evil nor tranfgreffion in mine hand, and I have not finned against thee; yet thou hunteft my foul, to take it.