1And David left there and escaped to the cave Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard, they went down to him there. 2And every man in distress, and every man who had a creditor, and every man bitter of soul, gathered themselves to him. And he became commander over them. And about four hundred men were with him.

3And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and my mother come forth and be with you until I know what God will do for me." 4And he brought them before the king of Moab. And they lived with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. 5And the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold. Leave and go into the land of Judah." And David left and came into the forest of Hareth.

6And Saul heard that David and the men with him had been discovered. And Saul was staying in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand. And all his servants were standing about him. 7And Saul said to his servants standing by him, "Now hear, Benjamites, will the son of Jesse give to any of you fields and vineyards, and make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8But all of you have conspired against me, and none of you was revealing in my ear when my son made a covenant with the son of Jesse. And not one of you is sorry for me, even to reveal in my ear that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as today." 9And answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, "I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10And he asked of the LORD for him and gave him food and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

11And the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests in Nob. And they came, all of them, to the king. 12And Saul said, "Hear now, you son of Ahitub." And he answered, "Here I am, my lord." 13And Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have asked of God for him, that he should rise against me to lie in wait, as at this day?"

14And Ahimelech answered the king and said, "And who is so faithful among all your servants as David, who is the king's son-in-law and who goes at your bidding, and who is honorable in your house? 15Have I today begun to ask of God for him? Be it far from me. Do not let the king charge a thing to his servant, nor to all the house of my father, for your servant knew nothing of all this, more or less." 16And the king said, "Ahimelech, you shall surely die, you and all your father's house." 17And the king said to the guards that stood around him, "Turn and kill the priests of the LORD because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not reveal it to me." But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD. 18And the king said to Doeg, "You turn and fall upon the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned and fell upon the priests. And on that day he killed eighty-five persons who wore a linen ephod. 19And he struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and babes, and oxen, and donkeys, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

20And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the LORD'S priests. 22And David said to Abiathar, "I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father's house. 23Stay with me, and do not fear, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. But you shall be in safekeeping with me."