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The Priests Slain at Nob

¹ So David departed from there and ^(C1)escaped to ^(C2)the cave of Adullam; and when his brothers and all his father's house heard about it, they went down there to him.² Everyone who was suffering hardship, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him; and he became captain over them. There were about ^(C1)four hundred men with him.

³ And David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, "Please let my ^(F1)father and my mother come out of Judah and stay with you until I know what God will do for me."⁴ Then he left them with the king of Moab; and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the ^(F1)stronghold.⁵ Then ^(C1)the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold; leave, and go into the land of Judah." So David left and went into the forest of Hereth.

⁶ But Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered. ^(C1)Now Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under the tamarisk tree on the high place with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him.⁷ Saul said to his servants who were standing around him, "Listen now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse also give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he ^(C1)make you all commanders of thousands and hundreds?⁸ "For all of you have conspired against me so that no one ^(F1)informs me ^(C1)when my son Jonathan makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you ^(C2)cares about me or informs me that my son has stirred up my servant against me to lie in ambush, as he does this day?"⁹ Then ^(C1)Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul's servants, replied, "^(C2)I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to ^(C3)Ahimelech the priest the son of Ahitub.¹⁰ "Ahimelech ^(C1)inquired of the LORD for him, and ^(C2)gave him provisions and ^(C3)the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

¹¹ Then the king sent someone to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's household, the priests who were at Nob; and all of them came to the king.¹² Then Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." He replied, "Here I am at your service, my lord."¹³ Saul said to him, "Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so he would rebel against me ^(C1)by lying in ambush, as he does this day?"

^14 (C1)Then Ahimelech answered the king, "And who among all your servants is as faithful and trustworthy as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and who is captain over your guard and your confidant, and is honored in your house?¹⁵ "Did I just begin ^(C1)to inquire of God for him today? Far be it from me! ^(C2)Do not let the king impute any guilt to his servant or to any of the household of my father, for your servant knows nothing at all about this entire matter."¹⁶ But Saul said, "Be assured that you shall die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's household (extended family)."¹⁷ And ^(C1)the king said to the guards who stood around him, "Turn around and kill the priests of the LORD, because their ^(F1)loyalty also is with David, and because they knew that he was fleeing and did not inform me." But the ^(C2)servants of the king were not willing to put out their hands to attack the LORD'S priests.¹⁸ So the king said to Doeg, "You turn around and attack the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned and ^(F1)attacked the priests, and that day ^(C1)he killed eighty-five men ^(C2)who wore the priest's linen ephod.¹⁹ And he struck Nob the city of the priests ^(C1)with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and infants; also he struck oxen and donkeys and sheep with the edge of the sword.

²⁰ But ^(C1)one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, ^(C2)escaped and fled to David.²¹ Abiathar told David that Saul had murdered the LORD'S priests.²² Then David said to Abiathar, "I knew that day, when ^(C1)Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would certainly tell Saul. I have brought about the death of everyone in your father's household (extended family).²³ "Stay with me; do not be afraid, for ^(C1)he who seeks my life seeks your life, but you are safe with me."