1 Samuel 21 - Douy-Rheims Bible Challoner Revision

¹ The priest therefore gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there, but only the loaves of proposition, which had been taken away from before the face of the Lord, that hot loaves might be set up.

² Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, within the tabernacle of the Lord: and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of Saul's herdsmen.

³ And David said to Achimelech: Hast thou here at hand a spear, or a sword? for I brought not my own sword, nor my own weapons with me, for the king's business required haste.

⁴ And the priest said: Lo, here is the sword of Goliath the Philistine whom thou slewest in the valley of Terebinth, wrapped up in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take this, take it, for here is no other but this. And David said: There is none like that, give it me.

⁵ 0 And David arose and fled that day from the face of Saul: and came to Achis the king of Geth:

⁶ 1 And the servants of Achis, when they saw David, said to him: Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to him in their dances, saying: Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

⁷ 2 But David laid up these words in his heart, and was exceedingly afraid at the face of Achis the king of Geth.

⁸ 3 And he changed his countenance before them, and slipt down between their hands: and he stumbled against the doors of the gate, and his spittle ran down upon his beard.

⁹ 4 And Achis said to his servants: You saw the man was mad: why have you brought him to me?

¹⁰ 5 Have we need of madmen, that you have brought in this fellow, to play the madman in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

¹¹ David therefore went from thence and fled to the cave of Odollam. And when his brethren, and all his father's house had heard of it, they went down to him thither;

¹² And all that were in distress and oppressed with debt, and under affliction of mind gathered themselves unto him: and he became their prince, and there were with him about four hundred men.

¹³ And David departed from thence into Maspha of Moab: and he said to the king of Moab: Let my father and my mother tarry with you, I beseech thee, till I know what God will do for me.

¹⁴ And he left them under the eyes of the king of Moab, and they abode with him all the days that David was in the hold.

¹⁵ And Gad the prophet said to David: Abide not in the hold, depart, and go into the land of Juda. And David departed, and came into the forest of Haret.