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1st Samuel Chapter 21

David at Nob

21:1 DAVID went to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David (/ˈdeɪvɪd/; Biblical Hebrew: דָּוִד‎, romanized: Dāwīḏ, “beloved one”)Historians of the Ancient Near East agree that David probably lived around 1000 BCE., and said to him, Why are you alone, and no man with you?

21:2 And Davidדָּוִד
/ˈdeɪvɪd/; romanized: Dāwīḏ, “beloved one”) Historians of the Ancient Near East agree that David probably lived around 1000 BCE. For more info click here
said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has ordered me on a mission, and he said to me, No man must know any thing of the mission which I am sending you, and what I have ordered you: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

21:3 Now then what have you got on hand? give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you have.
21:4 The priest answered Davidדָּוִד
/ˈdeɪvɪd/; romanized: Dāwīḏ, “beloved one”) Historians of the Ancient Near East agree that David probably lived around 1000 BCE. For more info click here
, and said, There is no ordinary bread here, there is only hallowed bread; if the young men have kept away from women.

21:5 Davidדָּוִד
/ˈdeɪvɪd/; romanized: Dāwīḏ, “beloved one”) Historians of the Ancient Near East agree that David probably lived around 1000 BCE. For more info click here
answered the priest, and said to him, I assure you women have been kept from us about three days, as always. Whenever I went on a mission, even if the journey is an ordinary one, the containers of the young men were made holy, all the more then may holy food be put in this day in the containers.

21:6 So the priest gave him hallowed bread: because there was none there but the shewbreadלחם הפנים
Leḥem haPānīm, literally: “Bread of the Faces”, in the King James Version: shewbread, in a biblical or Jewish context, refers to the cakes or loaves of bread which were always present, on a specially-dedicated table, in the Temple in Jerusalem as an offering to God. An alternative, and more appropriate, translation would be presence bread, since the Bible requires that the bread be constantly in the presence of God
, which had been taken from before YAHWEH יְהֹוָה
Hebrew Yəhōwā, one vocalization of the Tetragrammaton יהוה‎ (YHWH), the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. It is considered one of the seven names of God in Judaism and a form of God’s name in Christianity. Covenant making covenant keeping GOD. For more info click here
, to be replace by hot bread the day it was taken away.

21:7 Now one of the servants of Saulשָׁאוּל
(/sɔːl/;, Šāʾūl; Greek: Σαούλ, Saoúl; transl. ”asked/prayed for”) For more info click here
was there that day, detained before YAHWEH יְהֹוָה
Hebrew Yəhōwā, one vocalization of the Tetragrammaton יהוה‎ (YHWH), the proper name of the God of Israel in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. It is considered one of the seven names of God in Judaism and a form of God’s name in Christianity. Covenant making covenant keeping GOD. For more info click here
; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the Saulשָׁאוּל
(/sɔːl/;, Šāʾūl; Greek: Σαούλ, Saoúl; transl. ”asked/prayed for”) For more info click here
‘s chief herdsmen.

21:8 Davidדָּוִד
/ˈdeɪvɪd/; romanized: Dāwīḏ, “beloved one”) Historians of the Ancient Near East agree that David probably lived around 1000 BCE. For more info click here
said to Ahimelech, Haven’t you got spear or sword on hand? I didn’t bring my sword or my weapons with me, because the king’s mission required haste.

21:9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod noun (in ancient Israel) a sleeveless garment worn by Jewish priests — ORIGIN late Middle English: from Hebrew ‘ēp̱ōḏ.: if you want take that one, take it: for there is no other but that one. Davidדָּוִד
/ˈdeɪvɪd/; romanized: Dāwīḏ, “beloved one”) Historians of the Ancient Near East agree that David probably lived around 1000 BCE. For more info click here
replied, There is none like that; give it to me.

David Flees to Gath

21:10 ¶ And Davidדָּוִד
/ˈdeɪvɪd/; romanized: Dāwīḏ, “beloved one”) Historians of the Ancient Near East agree that David probably lived around 1000 BCE. For more info click here
rose up, and fled that day because of the fear of Saulשָׁאוּל
(/sɔːl/;, Šāʾūl; Greek: Σαούλ, Saoúl; transl. ”asked/prayed for”) For more info click here
, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

21:11 The servants of Achish said to him, Why, that’s Davidדָּוִד
/ˈdeɪvɪd/; romanized: Dāwīḏ, “beloved one”) Historians of the Ancient Near East agree that David probably lived around 1000 BCE. For more info click here
the king of the land! The one they sang to one another of him in dances, saying,

Saulשָׁאוּל
(/sɔːl/;, Šāʾūl; Greek: Σαούλ, Saoúl; transl. ”asked/prayed for”) For more info click here
has slain his thousands,

Davidדָּוִד
/ˈdeɪvɪd/; romanized: Dāwīḏ, “beloved one”) Historians of the Ancient Near East agree that David probably lived around 1000 BCE. For more info click here
his ten thousands?

21:12 These words worried Davidדָּוִד
/ˈdeɪvɪd/; romanized: Dāwīḏ, “beloved one”) Historians of the Ancient Near East agree that David probably lived around 1000 BCE. For more info click here
and was very afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

21:13 So he changed his behavior before them, and pretended to be mad in front of them, and scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his spit fall down upon his beard.

David pretends to be mad

21:14 Then said Achish to his servants, Y’all see the man is raving mad: why did y’all bring him to me?
21:15 Do I have need of mad men? that y’all have brought this fellow to play the mad man for me? Should this fellow even come into my house?

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