My Daily Meditation
Today’s Reading
The First Book of Samuel
Chapter 21:1-15
Chapter 22:1-23
1 Then came David to Nob, to Ahimelech the Priest, and Ahimelech was astonied at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
2 And David said to Ahimelech the Priest, The King hath commanded me a certain thing, and hath said unto me, Let no man know whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such places.
3 Now therefore if thou hast ought under thine hand, give me five cakes of bread, or what cometh to hand.
4 And the Priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but here is hallowed bread, if the young men have kept themselves, at least from women.
5 David then answered the Priest, and said unto him, Certainly women have been separate from us these two or three days since I came out: and the vessels of the young men were holy, though the way were profane, and how much more then shall every one be sanctified this day in the vessel?
6 So the Priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there, save the showbread that was taken from before the Lord, to put hot bread there, the day that it was taken away.
7 (And there was the same day one of the servants of Saul [f]abiding before the Lord, named Doeg the Edomite, the chiefest of Saul’s herdmen.)
8 And David said unto Ahimelech, Is there not here under thine hand a spear or a sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor mine harness with me, because the king’s business required haste.
9 And the Priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the Ephod: if thou wilt take that to thee, take it: for there is none other save that here: And David said, There is none to that, give it me.
10 And David arose and fled the same day from the presence of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the King of the land? did they not sing unto him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousand, and David his ten thousand?
12 And David considered these words, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
13 And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is beside himself, wherefore have ye brought him to me?
15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall he come into mine house?
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1 David therefore departed thence, and saved himself in the cave of Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.
2 And there gathered unto him all men that were in trouble, and all men that were in debt, and all those that were vexed in mind, and he was their prince, and there were with him about four hundred men.
3 And David went thence to Mizpah in Moab, and said unto the King of Moab, I pray thee, let my father and my mother come and abide with you, till I know what God will do for me.
4 And he brought them before the King of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in [q]the hold.
5 And the Prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold, but depart and go into the land of Judah. Then David departed and came into the forest of Hereth.
6 And Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, and Saul remained in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants stood about him.
7 And Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, the sons of Benjamin, will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards: will he make you all captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds:
8 That all ye have conspired against me, and there is none that telleth me that my son hath made a covenant with the son of Jesse? and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or showeth me, that my son hath stirred up my servant to lie in wait against me, as appeareth this day?
9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, (who was appointed over the servants of Saul) and said, I saw the son of Jesse, when he came to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub,
10 Who asked counsel of the Lord for him, and gave him victuals, and he gave him also the sword of Goliath the Philistine.
11 Then the King sent to call Ahimelech the Priest the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, to wit, the Priests that were in Nob: and they came all to the King.
12 And Saul said, Hear now thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.
13 Then Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him victual, and a sword, and hast asked counsel of God for him, that he should rise against me, and lie in wait as appeareth this day?
14 And Ahimelech answered the King, and said, Who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, being also the king’s son-in-law, and goeth at thy commandment, and is honorable in thine house?
15 Have I this day first begun to ask counsel of God for him? be it far from me, let not the king impute anything unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less nor more.
16 Then the King said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house.
17 And the King said unto the sergeants that stood about him, Turn, and slay the Priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and showed it not unto me. But the servants of the King would not move their hands to fall upon the Priests of the Lord.
18 Then the King said to Doeg, Turn thou and fall upon the Priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and ran upon the Priests, and slew that same day fourscore and five persons, that did wear a linen Ephod.
19 Also Nob the city of the Priests smote he with the edge of the sword, both man and woman, both child and suckling, both ox and ass, and sheep with the edge of the sword.
20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub (whose name was Abiathar) escaped and fled after David.
21 And Abiathar showed David, that Saul had slain the Lord’s Priests.
22 And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it the same day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would tell Saul. I am the cause of the death of all the persons of thy father’s house.
23 Abide thou with me, and fear not: for he that seeketh my life, shall seek thy life also: for with me thou shalt be in safeguard.
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