THEN came David to Nov to Achiymelek the priest: and Achiymelek was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why are you alone, and no man with you?
And David said unto Achiymelek the priest, The king has commanded me a business, and has said unto me, Let no man know anything of the business whereabout I send you, and what I have commanded you: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.
Now therefore what is under your hand? give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or what there is present.
And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have guarded themselves at least from women.
And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before Yahuah, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
Now a certain man of the servants of Sha'ul was there that day, detained before Yahuah; and his name was Do'eg, an Edomiy, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Sha'ul.
And David said unto Achiymelek, And is there not here under your hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.
And the priest said, The sword of Golyath the Pelishtiy, whom you slew in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if you will take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.
And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Sha'ul, and went to Akiysh the king of Gath.
And the servants of Akiysh said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Sha'ul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Akiysh the king of Gath.
And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
Then said Akiysh unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?
Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?