1 Samuel 22

Revised Geneva Translation

22 Therefore, David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brethren and all his father’s House heard it, they went down there to him.

² And there, all men who were troubled gathered to him, and all men who were in debt, and all those whose souls were embittered. And he was their prince. And there were about four hundred men with him.

³ And David went there to Mizpah in Moab, and said to the king of Moab, “Please, let my father and my mother come and stay with you until 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 time that David was in the stronghold.

⁵ And the Prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold. Depart and go into the land of Judah.” Then David departed and came into the forest of Hereth.

⁶ And Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. And Saul remained in Gibeah, under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand. And all his servants stood around him.

⁷ And Saul said to his servants who stood around him, “Hear now, sons of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all captains over thousands and captains over hundreds,

⁸ “so that all of you have conspired against me? And there is not one who tells me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse? And there is not one of you who is sorry for me or tells me that my son has stirred up my servant to lie in wait against me, as it is this day?”

⁹ Then Doeg the Edomite (who was appointed over the servants of Saul) answered and said, “I saw the son of Jesse when he came to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub,

¹⁰ “who asked counsel of the LORD for him and gave him provisions. And he also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

¹¹ Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the Priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s House (the priests who were in Nob). And they all came to the king.

¹² And Saul said, “Hear now, you son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “I am here, my lord.”

¹³ Then Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him provision, and a sword, and have asked counsel of God for him, so that he could rise against me and lie in wait, as it is this day?”

¹⁴ And Ahimelech answered the king, and said, “Who is so faithful among all your servants as David (being also the king’s son-in-law) and goes at your commandment and is honorable in your House?

¹⁵ “Have I this day first begun to ask counsel of God for him? Far be it from me. Do not let the king impute anything to his servant or to all the House of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, neither less nor more.”

¹⁶ Then the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s House!”

¹⁷ And the king said to the sergeants who stood around him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand is also with David and because they knew when he fled and did not tell me!” But the servants of the king would not move their hands to fall upon the priests of the LORD.

¹⁸ Then the king said to Doeg, “Turn yourselves and fall upon the priests!” And Doeg the Edomite turned and ran upon the priests and that same day killed eighty-five people who wore a linen ephod.

¹⁹ He also struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both man and woman, child and suckling, ox and donkey and sheep with the edge of the sword.

²⁰ But one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub (whose name was Abiathar) escaped and fled after David.

²¹ And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the LORD’s priests.

²² And David said to Abiathar, “I knew it the same day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would tell Saul. I am the cause of the death of all the people of your father’s House.

²³ “Stay with me. Do not fear. For he who seeks my life shall also seek your life. For you shall be safe with me.”