¹So David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam, and his brothers and all his father's household heard it, and they went down to him there. ²And everyone who was distressed, and everyone who had a debt, and everyone who was embittered gathered around him, and he became a prince over them, and they were with him – about four hundred men. ³And David went from there to Mizpeh in Moab, and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother come out to be with you, until I know what God is going to do with me.” ⁴And he led them into the presence of the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the days while David was in the citadel. ⁵Then the prophet Gad said to David, “You shall not dwell in the citadel. Go and betake yourself to the land of Judah.” So David departed, and he came to the forest of Hereth. ⁶And Saul heard about it, because David had been informed on, including the men who were with him, while Saul was sitting in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree in Ramah. And his spear was in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him. ⁷And Saul said to his servants who were standing around him, “Now listen, you Benjaminites. Will the son of Jesse really give all of you the fields and vineyards? Will he make you all commanders of a thousand and commanders of a hundred? ⁸For you have all conspired against me, and no-one informed me about my son allying himself with the son of Jesse, and none of you is grieving for me or has been informing me that my son has incited my servant against me, setting an ambush on this day.” ⁹And Doeg the Edomite, who had been appointed over Saul's servants, answered and said, “I have seen the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. ¹⁰And Ahimelech inquired of him from the Lord, and he gave him provisions, and he gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” ¹¹Then the king sent an envoy to call for Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, the priest, and all his father's household – the priests who were in Nob – and they all came to the king. ¹²And Saul said, “Now listen, son of Ahitub.” And he said, “Here I am, my lord.” ¹³And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, by you giving him bread and a sword, and in inquiring for him of God, for him to rise up against me, ambushing me on this day?” ¹⁴And Ahimelech answered the king and said, “Rather, who among all your servants is faithful like David, who is the king's son-in-law, who goes at your bidding and is honoured in your house? ¹⁵Is it today that I began to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me. May the king not lay anything to the charge of his servant or of anyone of my father's house, for your servant is not aware of any of this, in a big or small way.” ¹⁶Then the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all the house of your father.” ¹⁷Then the king said to the runners who were standing around him, “Turn on them and kill the Lord's priests, for their hand is also with David, and because they knew that he had fled, but they did not inform me.” But the king's servants were not willing to stretch out their hand to attack the Lord's priests. ¹⁸Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn on them and attack the priests.” Then Doeg the Edomite turned on them, and he attacked the priests, and on that day he killed eighty-five men bearing an ephod of fine linen. ¹⁹And he struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both men and women, both children and babies, and oxen and donkeys and sheep, with the edge of the sword. ²⁰But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub escaped, whose name was Abiathar, and he fled to join David. ²¹And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the Lord's priests. ²²Then David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day when Doeg the Edomite was there that he would certainly tell Saul. I have been involved in all the loss of life in your father's house. ²³Stay with me, do not fear, for he who seeks my life seeks your life, so that you are a guard with me.”