David goes to the land of Moab
1David went away from King Achish and went to the Adullam cave to hide there. People told his brothers and family that he was there and they came to him. 2Everyone who had problems came to David, as well as people who had to pay money to other people who were angry with them. David became their leader. There were about 400 men with him. 3David went from the Adullam cave to the town of Mizpah in Moab and he asked the king of Moab: ‘Please may my parents come and stay with you until I know what God wants to do for me?’ 4David got a place for his parents to stay with the king of Moab while he was hiding in the mountains. 5Then the prophet Gad told David: ‘You must not stay here and hide in the mountains. You must go to the land_of_Judah.’ David went there and he stayed in the Hereth Forest.
Saul kills the priests of Nob
6They told Saul that David and his men were in the Hereth Forest. Saul was sitting under the tamarisk tree on a hill at the town of Gibeah. He had his spear in his hand and his officials were standing around him. 7He said to them: ‘Men of the Benjamin tribe, you must listen: Do you think David will also give you all wheat_fields and vineyards? Do you think he will also make you all officers over a 1 000 men or a 100 men? No, he will not. 8You have all betrayed me. No one told me that my son had made an agreement with the son of Jesse. Not one of you is worried about me. No one told me that my son made David, my servant, rebel_against me. This is what David is doing today. He is waiting to attack me.’
9Doeg, the man from Edom, was standing with Saul's officials. He said to Saul: ‘I saw David, son of Jesse, go to the town Nob, to Ahimelek, son of Ahitub. 10Ahimelek prayed to the Lord and asked Him what David must do. Then he gave David food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.’
11The king said they must call Ahimelek, son of Ahitub, and his family. They were the priests in Nob and they all came to the king. 12Saul said: ‘You must listen, son of Ahitub.’ Ahimelek said: ‘I am listening, Your_Majesty.’ 13Saul said to Ahimelek: ‘Why did you betray me? Why did you help the son of Jesse? You gave him food and a sword and you asked the Lord what he must do. That is why he rebels and wants to fight against me. He is now waiting to attack me.’
14Ahimelek said to the king: ‘But I thought that I could believe David. I believed him more than your other officials. He is your son-in-law and he is the leader of the people who guard you. Everyone in your family respects him. 15This is not the first time that I have prayed to the Lord to ask what David must do. No, Your_Majesty, you must not think that my family and I have done something wrong. I knew nothing about the plans against you, nothing.’
16But the king said: ‘Ahimelek, you will die, you and your family, this is sure.’ 17The king told the men who were standing next to him: ‘You must attack the priests and kill them, because they have also helped David. They knew that he was running away but they did not tell me.’
But the officials of the king did not want to kill the priests of the Lord, or attack them. 18Then the king said to Doeg: ‘Then you must kill the priests.’ So Doeg, the man from Edom, attacked the priests. On that day he killed 85 priests, men who were wearing linen shoulder-cloths. 19He killed them all with the sword and he also killed everyone in the town of Nob, the village of the priests, men and women, children and babies, cattle, donkeys and sheep. 20But one of the sons of Ahimelek, son of Ahitub, ran away and he did not die. His name was Abiathar. He fled and went to David. 21He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22David said to Abiathar: ‘I knew when Doeg from Edom was there that he would tell Saul. It is my fault that your whole family died. 23You must stay with me. Do not worry. The man who wants to kill you also wants to kill me, but you will be safe with me.’
