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left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When David’s brothers and all his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All who were in distress or in debt or discontented joined him; and he became their leader. There were about four hundred men who were with him.
3 From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come and stay here with you until I know what God will do for me.” 4 So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David remained in the stronghold.
5 But the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold. Leave there and go to the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
6 Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. At that time Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under a tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah with his spear in his hand, with all his servants standing around him. 7 Saul said them, “Listen, men of Benjamin, will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8 Is that why you have conspired against me? No one informed me that my own son made a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned for me or warns me that my own son has incited my servant to lie in wait and ambush me, as he does this day.”
9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul’s servants, said, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob.
10 “Ahimelech inquired of the Lord for him there. He also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub, and his whole father’s house, who were priests at Nob, and they all came to the king. 12 Saul said, “Listen now, you son of Ahitub.”
“Yes my lord,” he answered.
13 Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has risen up against me, to lie in wait, as he does today?”
14 Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all your servants is as loyal as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguards, and who is honoured in your house? 15 Was today the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! O king do not bring an accusation against your servant or any of his father’s house, for your servant knew nothing at all about this.”
16 But the king said, “You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s family.”
17 Then the king ordered the guards standing by him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they have also sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not inform me.”
But the king’s servants were not willing to raise their hands and strike down the priests of the Lord.
18 So the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike down the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests himself. That day, he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. 19 He also struck down Nob, the city of the priests, with the sword. He put to the sword both men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep.
20 However, one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, named Abiathar escaped and fled after David. 21 Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22 Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the deaths of all the people of your father’s house. 23 Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. You will be safe with me.”