1And he arose and departed; and Yehonatan went into the city. 2Then came David to Noveh to Akhimelekh the kohen; and Akhimelekh came to meet David trembling, and said unto him, “Why are you alone, and no man with you?” 3And David said unto Akhimelekh the kohen, “HaMelekh has commanded me a business, and has said unto me, ‘Let no man know anything of the business whereabout I send you, and what I have commanded you’; and the young men have I appointed to such and such a place. 4Now therefore what is under your hand? Five loaves of bread? Give them in my hand, or whatsoever there is present.” 5And the kohen answered David, and said, “There is no common bread under my hand, but there is consecrated bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.”
6And David answered the kohen, and said unto him, “Of a truth, women have been kept from us about these three days; when I came out, the vessels of the young men were consecrated, though it was but a common journey; how much more then today, when there shall be consecrated bread in their vessels?” 7So the kohen gave him consecrated bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread, that was taken from before יהוה , to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
8Now a certain man of the servants of Sha’ul was there that day, detained before יהוה ; and his name was Do’eg HaAdomi, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Sha’ul. 9And David said unto Akhimelekh, “And is there perhaps here under your hand spear or sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the business of HaMelekh required haste.” 10And the kohen said, “The sword of Galat HaP’lishti, whom you slew in the vale of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the efod; if you will take that, take it; for there is no other save that one here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.” 11And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Sha’ul, and went to Akhish the king of Gat. 12And the servants of Akhish said unto him, “Is not this David the Melekh of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, ‘Sha’ul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” 13And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Akhish the king of Gat. 14And he changed his demeanor 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. 15Then said Akhish unto his servants, “Lo, when you see a man that is mad, why do you bring him to me? 16Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
אוַיָּקָם וַיֵּלַךְ; וִיהוֹנָתָן בָּא הָעִיר. בוַיָּבֹא דָוִד נֹבֶה אֶל אֲחִימֶלֶךְ הַכֹּהֵן; וַיֶּחֱרַד אֲחִימֶלֶךְ לִקְרַאת דָּוִד וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ מַדּוּעַ אַתָּה לְבַדֶּךָ וְאִישׁ אֵין אִתָּךְ. גוַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד לַאֲחִימֶלֶךְ הַכֹּהֵן הַמֶּלֶךְ צִוַּנִי דָבָר וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי אִישׁ אַל יֵדַע מְאוּמָה אֶת הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחֲךָ וַאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִךָ; וְאֶת הַנְּעָרִים יוֹדַעְתִּי אֶל מְקוֹם פְּלֹנִי אַלְמוֹנִי. דוְעַתָּה מַה יֵּשׁ תַּחַת יָדְךָ חֲמִשָּׁה לֶחֶם תְּנָה בְיָדִי; אוֹ הַנִּמְצָא. הוַיַּעַן הַכֹּהֵן אֶת דָּוִד וַיֹּאמֶר אֵין לֶחֶם חֹל אֶל תַּחַת יָדִי: כִּי אִם לֶחֶם קֹדֶשׁ יֵשׁ אִם נִשְׁמְרוּ הַנְּעָרִים אַךְ מֵאִשָּׁה.
ווַיַּעַן דָּוִד אֶת הַכֹּהֵן וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ כִּי אִם אִשָּׁה עֲצֻרָה לָנוּ כִּתְמוֹל שִׁלְשֹׁם בְּצֵאתִי וַיִּהְיוּ כְלֵי הַנְּעָרִים קֹדֶשׁ: וְהוּא דֶּרֶךְ חֹל וְאַף כִּי הַיּוֹם יִקְדַּשׁ בַּכֶּלִי. זוַיִּתֶּן לוֹ הַכֹּהֵן קֹדֶשׁ: כִּי לֹא הָיָה שָׁם לֶחֶם כִּי אִם לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים הַמּוּסָרִים מִלִּפְנֵי יהוה לָשׂוּם לֶחֶם חֹם בְּיוֹם הִלָּקְחוֹ.
חוְשָׁם אִישׁ מֵעַבְדֵי שָׁאוּל בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נֶעְצָר לִפְנֵי יהוה וּשְׁמוֹ דֹּאֵג הָאֲדֹמִי אַבִּיר הָרֹעִים אֲשֶׁר לְשָׁאוּל. טוַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד לַאֲחִימֶלֶךְ וְאִין יֶשׁ פֹּה תַחַת יָדְךָ חֲנִית אוֹ חָרֶב: כִּי גַם חַרְבִּי וְגַם כֵּלַי לֹא לָקַחְתִּי בְיָדִי כִּי הָיָה דְבַר הַמֶּלֶךְ נָחוּץ. יוַיֹּאמֶר הַכֹּהֵן חֶרֶב גָּלְיָת הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי אֲשֶׁר הִכִּיתָ בְּעֵמֶק הָאֵלָה הִנֵּה הִיא לוּטָה בַשִּׂמְלָה אַחֲרֵי הָאֵפוֹד אִם אֹתָהּ תִּקַּח לְךָ קָח כִּי אֵין אַחֶרֶת זוּלָתָהּ בָּזֶה; וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֵין כָּמוֹהָ תְּנֶנָּה לִּי. יאוַיָּקָם דָּוִד וַיִּבְרַח בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא מִפְּנֵי שָׁאוּל; וַיָּבֹא אֶל אָכִישׁ מֶלֶךְ גַּת. יבוַיֹּאמְרוּ עַבְדֵי אָכִישׁ אֵלָיו הֲלוֹא זֶה דָוִד מֶלֶךְ הָאָרֶץ; הֲלוֹא לָזֶה יַעֲנוּ בַמְּחֹלוֹת לֵאמֹר הִכָּה שָׁאוּל בַּאֲלָפָו וְדָוִד בְּרִבְבֹתָו. יגוַיָּשֶׂם דָּוִד אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה בִּלְבָבוֹ; וַיִּרָא מְאֹד מִפְּנֵי אָכִישׁ מֶלֶךְ גַּת. ידוַיְשַׁנּוֹ אֶת טַעְמוֹ בְּעֵינֵיהֶם וַיִּתְהֹלֵל בְּיָדָם; וַיְתָו עַל דַּלְתוֹת הַשַּׁעַר וַיּוֹרֶד רִירוֹ אֶל זְקָנוֹ. טווַיֹּאמֶר אָכִישׁ אֶל עֲבָדָיו: הִנֵּה תִרְאוּ אִישׁ מִשְׁתַּגֵּעַ לָמָּה תָּבִיאוּ אֹתוֹ אֵלָי. טזחֲסַר מְשֻׁגָּעִים אָנִי כִּי הֲבֵאתֶם אֶת זֶה לְהִשְׁתַּגֵּעַ עָלָי; הֲזֶה יָבוֹא אֶל בֵּיתִי.
D'var יהוה , The Word of יהוה 