« | 1 Samuel 22 | » |
1 David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard [it,] they went down there to him.
2 And everyone [who was] in distress, everyone who [was] in debt, and everyone [who was] discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.
3 Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me."
4 So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.
5 Now the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go to the land of Judah." So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.
6 When Saul heard that David and the men who [were] with him had been discovered -- now Saul was staying in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants standing about him --
7 then Saul said to his servants who stood about him, "Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, [and] make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds?
8 "All of you have conspired against me, and [there is] no one who reveals to me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse; and [there is] not one of you who is sorry for me or reveals to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as [it is] this day."
9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, "I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
10 "And he inquired of the LORD for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."
11 So the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who [were] in Nob. And they all came to the king.
12 And Saul said, "Hear now, son of Ahitub!" And he answered, "Here I am, my lord."
13 Then 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 inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?"
14 So Ahimelech answered the king and said, "And who among all your servants [is as] faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in your house?
15 "Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, [or] to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, little or much."
16 And the king said, "You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house!"
17 Then the king said to the guards who stood about 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 tell it to me." But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the LORD.
18 And the king said to Doeg, "You turn and kill the priests!" So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod.
19 Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep -- with the edge of the sword.
20 Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.
21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the LORD's priests.
22 So 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.
23 "Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you [shall be] safe."
The New King James Version (NKJV)
The New King James Version (NKJV) is a modern translation of the Bible that seeks to preserve the stylistic and literary beauty of the original King James Version (KJV) while making it more accessible to contemporary readers. The project to create the NKJV began in 1975, spearheaded by Arthur Farstad and a team of over 130 scholars, theologians, and pastors. They aimed to maintain the traditional language and rhythm of the KJV while updating archaic terms and expressions to be more understandable for modern audiences. The translation was completed and published in 1982, offering a blend of reverence for the past and clarity for the present.
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