1 Samuel 22
Dawud therefore left and escaped to the cave of Adullam: and when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. 2Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented, gathered themselves to him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. 3Dawud went there to Mizpeh of Moab: and he 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. 4He brought them to the king of Moab: and they lived with him all the while that Dawud was in the stronghold. 5The prophet Gad said to Dawud, Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah. Then Dawud departed, and came into the forest of Hereth. 6Talut heard that Dawud was seen, and the men who were with him: now Talut was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him. 7Talut said to his servants who stood around him, Hear now, you Benjamites; will Ibn Jesse give everyone of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, 8seeing that all of you have conspired against me, and there is none who discloses to me when my son makes a treaty with Ibn Jesse, and there is none of you who is sorry for me, or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? 9Then Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Talut, answered and said, I saw Ibn Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech Ibn Ahitub. 10Ahimelech inquired of Allah for him, and gave him food, and gave him the sword of Jalut the Philistine. 11Then the king sent for Ahimelech the priest, Ibn Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were in Nob: and they all came to the king. 12Talut said, Listen now, you son of Ahitub. Ahimelech answered, Here I am, my lord. 13Talut said to him, Why have you conspired against me, you and Ibn Jesse, in that you have given him bread, and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? 14Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, Who among all your servants is so faithful as Dawud, who is the king's son-in-law, and is captain of your bodyguard, and is respected in your house? 15Have I today begun to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me: do not let the king impute anything to his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for your servant knows nothing of all this, less or more. 16The king said, You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you, and all your father's house. 17The king said to the guard who stood about him, Turn, and kill the priests of Allah; because their hand also is with Dawud, and because they knew that he fled, and didn't tell me. But the servants of the king wouldn't put forth their hand to kill the priests of Allah. 18The king said to Doeg, Turn, and kill the priests. Doeg the Edomite turned, and struck the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore a linen ephod. 19He struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing babies, and oxen and donkeys and sheep, with the edge of the sword. 20One of the sons of Ahimelech Ibn Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled to Dawud. 21Abiathar told Dawud that Talut had slain Allah's priests. 22Dawud said to Abiathar, I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Talut: I have caused the death of all the persons of your father's house. 23Stay with me, do not be afraid; for he who seeks my life seeks your life: you will be safe with me.