1 Samuel 22 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
David left Gath and to the cave of When his brothers and the rest of his father's family heard about it, they went down to him there.
And everyone who was in everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was gathered around him, and he became their four hundred men were with him.
From there David went to Mizpah in and said to the king of "Please let my father and mother come and stay with you until I know what God is going to do for me."
So he left them in the care of the king of Moab, and they stayed with him the whole time David was in his
But the Gad said to David, "Don't stay in the stronghold. Go back into the land of Judah." So David left and went to the forest of
Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. Saul was sitting under a on the hill at with his in his hand, and all his officials standing around him.
Saul said to his officials standing around him, "Listen here, of Is the of going to give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?
Is that why all of you have against me? Nobody told me when my own son made a with the son of Jesse! None of you feels sorry for me or tells me that my own son has turned my servant against me to me — like he's doing right now!"
Then the who was standing with Saul's officials, spoke up: "I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at
Ahimelech for on David's behalf, gave him food, and gave him the sword of the
The king sent for Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, along with his entire family of priests at Nob. They all came to the king.
Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." He answered, "Here I am, my lord."
Saul said to him, "Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me? You gave him bread and a sword and asked God for guidance for him, so he could turn against me and ambush me — like he's doing right now!"
Ahimelech answered the king, "And who among all your servants is as as David — the king's own son-in-law, the captain of your and honored in your own household?
Was that the first time I asked God for guidance for him? Absolutely not! The king should not accuse his servant or anyone in my father's family of anything, because your servant knew nothing at all about any of this."
But the king said, "You are going to die, Ahimelech — you and your father's entire family."
Then the king ordered the standing around him, "Turn and kill the priests of Yahweh, because they are on David's side too. They knew he was running away and didn't tell me." But the king's servants to a the priests of Yahweh.
Then the king said to Doeg, "You turn and strike the priests." So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down himself. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the
And Nob, the city of priests, he with the of the — men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep. All put to the
But one son of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped. His name was and he fled to David.
Abiathar told David that Saul had killed Yahweh's priests.
David said to Abiathar, "I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would definitely tell Saul. I'm for the death of everyone in your father's family.
Stay with me. Don't be afraid. The one who to my to yours too — but you're with me."