1Samuel 21:7 - Prayer Tents



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1Samuel 21
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David Pretends to Go Crazy

21David went on his way and Jonathan returned to town. David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the Priest. Ahimelech was alarmed as he went out to greet David: "What are you doing here all by yourself—and not a soul with you?"H935H1732H5011H288H3548H288H2729H7125H1732H559H376 2David answered Ahimelech the Priest, "The king sent me on a mission and gave strict orders: 'This is top secret—not a word of this to a soul.' I've arranged to meet up with my men in a certain place.H1732H559H288H3548H4428H6680H1697H559H376H3045H3972H1697H7971H6680H3045H5288H6423H492H4725 3Now, what's there here to eat? Do you have five loaves of bread? Give me whatever you can scrounge up!"H3426H3027H5414H2568H3899H3027H4672 4"I don't have any regular bread on hand," said the priest. "I only have holy bread. If your men have not slept with women recently, it's yours."H3548H6030H1732H559H2455H3899H3027H3426H6944H3899H5288H8104H389H802 5David said, "None of us has touched a woman. I always do it this way when I'm on a mission: My men abstain from sex. Even when it is an ordinary mission we do that—how much more on this holy mission."H1732H6030H3548H559H518H802H6113H8032H8543H3318H3627H5288H6944H1870H2455H6942H3117H3627 6So the priest gave them the holy bread. It was the only bread he had, Bread of the Presence that had been removed from GOD's presence and replaced by fresh bread at the same time.H3548H5414H6944H3899H3899H6440H5493H6440H3068H7760H2527H3899H3117H3947 7One of Saul's officials was present that day keeping a religious vow. His name was Doeg the Edomite. He was chief of Saul's shepherds.H376H5650H7586H3117H6113H6440H3068H8034H1673H130H47H7462H7586 8David asked Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or sword of any kind around here? I didn't have a chance to grab my weapons. The king's mission was urgent and I left in a hurry."H1732H559H288H3426H371H3027H2595H2719H3947H2719H3627H3027H4428H1697H1961H5169 9The priest said, "The sword of Goliath, the Philistine you killed at Oak Valley—that's here! It's behind the Ephod wrapped in a cloth. If you want it, take it. There's nothing else here."H3548H559H2719H1555H6430H5221H6010H425H3874H8071H310H646H3947H3947H312H2108H2088H1732H559H5414 10"Oh," said David, "there's no sword like that! Give it to me!" And at that, David shot out of there, running for his life from Saul. He went to Achish, king of Gath.H1732H6965H1272H3117H6440H7586H935H397H4428H1661 11When the servants of Achish saw him, they said, "Can this be David, the famous David? Is this the one they sing of at their dances? Saul kills by the thousand, David by the ten thousand!"H5650H397H559H1732H4428H776H6030H2088H4246H559H7586H5221H505H1732H7233 12When David realized that he had been recognized, he panicked, fearing the worst from Achish, king of Gath.H1732H7760H1697H3824H3966H3372H6440H397H4428H1661 13So right there, while they were looking at him, he pretended to go crazy, pounding his head on the city gate and foaming at the mouth, spit dripping from his beard.H8138H2940H5869H1984H3027H8427H1817H8179H7388H3381H2206 14Achish took one look at him and said to his servants, "Can't you see he's crazy? Why did you let him in here?H559H397H5650H7200H376H7696H935 15Don't you think I have enough crazy people to put up with as it is without adding another? Get him out of here!"H2638H7696H935H7696H935H1004


The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. More details.
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