CHAPTER III.

I. SAMUEL, xxi.-xxvi. Psalms, vii.

DAVID THE OUTLAW.

David and the Shewbread-The Band of Outlaws-Doeg, the Edomite-The Murder of the Priests-David Succors Keilah-Consulting the Ephod-Ziphites Betray David-Nabal, the Churl-Abigail's Discretion-Nabal's Death-David Marries Abigail—The Rock of Escape-David Spares Saul's Life-The Truce-A Psalm of Deliverance.

THEN came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest ; and Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said to him: Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? And David said to Ahimelech the priest: The king hath charged me with a certain business, and he said to me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee. And I have appointed the young men who attend me to meet me in such and such a place. And now what hast thou by thee? Give me a few loaves of bread in mine hand, or whatsoever thou hast. And the priest answered David, and said: I have no common bread by me, but there is holy bread. So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that had been taken from before Jehovah, to put there fresh bread in the day when it was taken away. And David said to Ahimelech: And is there not here by thee spear or sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor

DOEG THE EdomitE.

233

my armor with me, because the king's business required haste. And the priest said: The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the vale of the Terebinth, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If thou wilt take that, take it; for there is no other save that here. And David said: There is none like that; give it me. And David departed thence, and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And his brethren and all his father's house heard it, and went down to him thither.

Then David went to Mizpeh of Moab, and said to the king of Moab Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come and be with you till I know what God will do for me. And he brought them unto the king of Moab; and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in hiding. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto David unto the cave of Adullam; and he became captain over them; and there were with him about four hundred men. Then Gad the prophet said to David: Abide not in this hold. Get thee into the land of Judah. So David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth.

Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was in Nob the day that David came, detained there before Jehovah, Doeg the Edomite by name, chief of Saul's herdmen. And Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk-tree on the height, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants standing about him. And Saul said to his servants that stood about him: Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, or make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds; that all of you have conspired against me? For none shewed me when my son made a

covenant with the son of Jesse, and none was sorry for me, or shewed me when my son stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, and said: I saw the son of Jesse come to Nob, to Ahimelech son of Ahitub. And he inquired of Jehovah for him, and gave him food, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

Then the king sent to call Ahimelech son of Ahitub, the priest, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob; and they came all of them unto the king. And Saul said Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered Here am I, my lord. And Saul said to him : Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse? For thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he might rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day. Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said: And who among all thy servants was so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and captain of thy guard, and honorable in thine house? Is this the first time that I have inquired of God for him? Far be it from the king to impute any thing unto his servant, and to all the house of my father; for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. But the king said: Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house. And the king said to the runners that stood about him: Turn and slay the priests of Jehovah; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not disclose it to me. But the king's servants would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of Jehovah. Then the king said to Doeg: Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. So Doeg the Edomite turned and fell upon

DAVID SUCCORS KEILAH.

235

the priests. And he slew on that day eighty-five persons that wore the linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, oxen and asses and sheep, with the edge of the sword. But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, Abiathar by name, escaped, and fled after David, and came down to David with an ephod in his hand. And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the priests of Jehovah; and David said to Abiathar: I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I am the cause of the death of all thy father's house. Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life, but with me thou shalt be safe.

Then they told David, saying: Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and robbing the threshingfloors. And David inquired of Jehovah, saying: Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And Jehovah said to David: Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah. But David's men said to him: Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines? Then David inquired of Jehovah yet again. And Jehovah answered him and said: Up, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand. So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and slew them with a great slaughter. Thus David saved the inhabitants of

Keilah.

Then it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said: God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town with gates and bars. And Saul summoned all the people to

war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. But David learned that Saul was planning mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest: Bring hither the ephod. Then said David: Jehovah, God of Israel, hearken to thy servant; for Saul purposeth to come to Keilah, to destroy the city because of me. Will he come down, as thy servant hath heard? Jehovah, God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And Jehovah said: He will come down. Then said David : Will the men of Keilah deliver up me and my men into the hand of Saul? And Jehovah said: They will. Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.

Doth not David

Then David took up his abode in a fastness in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And the Ziphites came up to Saul unto Gibeah, saying: hide himself with us in the forest fastnesses, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the desert? Now therefore, O king, come down, according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him up into the king's hand. And Saul said: Blessed be ye of Jehovah; because ye have had compassion on me. Go now, make yet more sure, and learn and mark his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there; for it is told me that he is very cunning. Mark therefore, and learn all the lurking-places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you; and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will hunt him down among all the thousands of Judah. So they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul.