I Samuel 21

vayyaqom vayyelakh vihonatan ba ha'ir

David then went his way, and Jonathan returned to the town.

vayyavo david noveh el-akhimelekh hakkohen vayyekherad akhimelekh liqrat david vayyomer lo maddua attah levaddekha ve'ish en ittakh

David went to the priest Ahimelech at Nob. Ahimelech came out in alarm to meet David, and he said to him, “Why are you alone? Not a soul is with you!”

vayyomer david la'akhimelekh hakkohen hammelekh tsivvani davar vayyomer elay ish al-yeda me'umah et-haddavar asher-anokhi sholekhakha va'asher tsivvitikha ve'et-hanne'arim yodati el-meqom peloni almoni

David answered the priest Ahimelech, “The king has ordered me on a mission, and he said to me, ‘Absolutely no one must know anything about the mission on which I am sending you and for which I have given you orders.’ So I have directed [my] young men to such and such a place.

ve'attah mah-yyesh takhat-yadekha khamisha-lekhem tenah veyadi o hannimtsa

Now then, what have you got on hand? Any loaves of bread? Let me have them—or whatever is available.”

vayya'an hakkohen et-david vayyomer en-lekhem khol el-takhat yadi ki-im-lekhem qodesh yesh im-nishmeru hanne'arim akh me'isha

The priest answered David, “I have no ordinary bread on hand; there is only consecrated bread—provided the young men have kept away from women.”

vayya'an david et-hakkohen vayyomer lo ki im-isha atsurah-lanu kitmol shilshom betseti vayyihyu khele-hanne'arim qodesh vehu derekh khol ve'af ki hayyom yiqdash bakkeli

In reply to the priest, David said, “I assure you that women have been kept from us, as always. Whenever I went on a mission, even if the journey was a common one, the vessels of the young men were consecrated; all the more then may consecrated food be put into their vessels today.”

vayyitten-lo hakkohen qodesh ki lo-hayah sham lekhem ki-im-lekhem happanim hammusarim millifne Adonai lasum lekhem khom beyom hillaqekho

So the priest gave him consecrated bread, because there was none there except the bread of display, which had been removed from GOD’s presence to be replaced by warm bread as soon as it was taken away.—

vesham ish me'avde sha'ul bayyom hahu netsar lifne Adonai ushemo do'eg ha'adomi abbir haro'im asher lesha'ul

Now one of Saul’s officials was there that day, detained before GOD; his name was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief herdsman.

vayyomer david la'akhimelekh ve'in yesh-poh takhat-yadekha khanit o-kharev ki gam-kharbi vegam-kelay lo-laqakhti veyadi ki-hayah devar-hammelekh nakhuts

David said to Ahimelech, “Haven’t you got a spear or sword on hand? I didn’t take my sword or any of my weapons with me, because the king’s mission was urgent.”

vayyomer hakkohen kherev golyat happelishti asher-hikkita be'emeq ha'elah hinneh-hi lutah vassimlah akhare ha'efod im-otah tiqqakh-lekha qakh ki en akheret zulatah bazeh vayyomer david en kamoha tenennah li

The priest said, “There is the sword of Goliath the Philistine whom you slew in the valley of Elah; it is over there, wrapped in a cloth, behind the ephod. If you want to take that one, take it, for there is none here but that one.” David replied, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

vayyaqom david vayyivrakh bayyom-hahu mippene sha'ul vayyavo el-akhish melekh gat

That day David continued on his flight from Saul and he came to King Achish of Gath.

vayyomeru avde akhish elayw halo-zeh david melekh ha'arets halo lazeh ya'anu vammekholot lemor hikkah sha'ul ba'alafav vedavid berivvotav

The courtiers of Achish said to him, “Why, that’s David, king of the land! That’s the one of whom they sing as they dance: Saul has slain his thousands; David, his tens of thousands.”

vayyasem david et-haddevarim ha'elleh bilvavo vayyira me'od mippene akhish melekh-gat

These words worried David and he became very much afraid of King Achish of Gath.

vayeshanno et-tamo be'enehem vayyitholel beyadam vayetav al-daltot hasha'ar vayyored riro el-zeqano

So he concealed his good sense from them; he feigned madness for their benefit. He scratched marks on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard.

vayyomer akhish el-avadayw hinneh tiru ish mishtaggea lammah tavi'u oto elay

And Achish said to his courtiers, “You see the man is raving; why bring him to me?

khasar meshugga'im ani ki-havetem et-zeh lehishtaggea alay hazeh yavo el-beti

Do I lack madmen that you have brought this one to rave for me? Should he enter my house?”