1 Samuel 22:13-20

International Standard Version

¹³ Then Saul^[a] asked him, “Why have you conspired against me—you and Jesse’s son—by giving him food and a sword, and by inquiring of God for him, so he can rise up against me to lie in wait, as he’s doing^[b] today?”

¹⁴ Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all your officials^[c] is as faithful as David? He is the king’s son-in-law, the captain of your bodyguard, and he’s honored in your household. ¹⁵ Is today the first time I inquired of God for him? Absolutely not! The king shouldn’t accuse his servant, or any of my father’s family of anything, because your servant didn’t know anything at all^[d] about this.”

¹⁶ The king said, “Ahimelech, you will surely die, you and all your father’s family!” ¹⁷ The king told the guards, who were standing beside him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord because they supported David,^[e] and because they knew he was fleeing, but didn’t inform me.”^[f] But the officials of the king did not want to lift their hands^[g] to attack the priests of the Lord.

¹⁸ Then the king told Doeg, “You turn and attack the priests.” Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests. That day he killed eighty-five men who carry the linen ephod.^{[h] 19} He attacked the priestly town of Nob with the sword. Men and women, children and infants, oxen, donkeys and sheep were put to the sword.

Abiathar Takes the Ephod to David

²⁰ One man, Ahimelech’s son Abiathar, a grandson of Ahitub, escaped and fled to David.