1 Samuel 21

Great(i) 1 Then came Dauid to Nob to Ahimelech the preast: And Ahimelech was astonyed at the sodayne commynge of Dauid, & sayd vnto him: Why art thou alone, & no man wt the? 2 And Dauid sayde to Ahimelech the preaste: the kynge hath commaunded me to do a certeyn thynge, and hath sayde vnto me, let no man knowe where aboute I sende the, and what I haue commannded the to do. And I haue appoynted my seruauntes, to soche and soche places. 3 Nowe therfore yf thou hast ought vnder thyne hande geue me fyue loues of breade, or what cometh to hande. 4 And the preast answered Dauid, and sayde: there is no comen bread vnder myne hande, but here is halowed bread, yf the younge men haue kepte them selues from vncleane thynges especiallye wemen. 5 Dauid answered the Preaste, and sayde vnto hym: of a truth wemen hath bene locked vp from vs about a thre dayes. When I came out, & the vesselles of the young men were holy. How be it this waye is vnpure, and how much more shal there be holynes in the vessell. 6 And so the preast gaue him halowed bred, for there was no nother bred there, saue the shewebreds, that were taken from before the Lorde, to put freshe bred there, the daye that it was taken awaye. 7 And ther was there the same daye a certen man of the seruauntes of Saul abydyng before the Lorde, named Doeg an Edomite, the chefest of Sauls hearde men. 8 And Dauid sayd vnto Ahimelech: is not here vnder thyne hande other speare or swerde? for I haue nether brought my swerde nor my harnesse with me, because the kynge busines required haste. 9 And the preast sayd: the swerde of Goliath the Philistine whome thou sluest in the Ocke valley, beholde, it is here wrapt in a cloth behynd the Ephod. If thou wilt take that, take it, for there is no nother saue that here. And Dauid sayd: there is none to that, geue it me. 10 And Dauid arose and fled the same daye from the presence of Saul, & went to Achis the kyng of Geth. 11 And the seruauntes of Achis sayd of him: is not this Dauid the kyng of the lande? dyd they not syng vnto him, in daunses saying Saul hath slayne his thousand, & Dauid his ten thousand? 12 And Dauid put those wordes into his heart, & was sore afrayed of Achis the kyng of Geth. 13 And he chaunged his speche before them, & fayned him self madd in theyr handes, & scrabled on the dores of the gate, and let his spittel fall downe vpon his bearde. 14 Then sayde Achis vnto his seruaunte: Loo, ye se that this man is besyde hym selfe, wherfore then haue ye brought hym to me? 15 Haue I nede of madd men that ye haue brought this felow to playe the mad man in my presence? Shall he come into my howse.