شاوُل يذبح الكهنة
1 وهرب داوُدُ مِنْ جَتَّ ولَجأَ إلى مغارَةِ عَدلاَّمَ. فلمَّا سَمِـعَ إخوتُهُ وجميعُ بَيتِ أبـيهِ بالأمرِ نزَلوا إلى هُناكَ. 2 وانضَمَّ إليهِ كُلُّ مَنْ ضاقَت بهِ الحالُ، أو كانَ علَيهِ دَينٌ، أو شعرَ بِمَرارةِ نفْسٍ، فتولَّى قيادَتَهُم وصارَ معَهُ نحوَ أربعِ مئةِ رجُلٍ.
3 ثُمَّ ذهبَ داوُدُ مِنْ هُناكَ إلى مِصفاةٍ في أرضِ مُوآبَ، وقالَ لمَلِكِ موآبَ: «ليُقِمْ أبـي وأمِّي عِندَكُم حتّى أرى ما يفعَلُ اللهُ بـي». 4 وأخذَهُما إلى مَلِكِ مُوآبَ، فأقاما عِندَهُ كُلَّ أيّامِ اختباءِ داوُدَ في المَغاوِرِ. 5 فقالَ جادُ النبـيُّ لداوُدَ: «لا تُقِمْ في هذِهِ المَغاوِرِ. إذهَبْ وادخُلْ أرضَ يَهوذا». فذهَبَ داوُدُ مِنْ هُناكَ ودخَلَ غابةَ حارِثَ.
6 وسَمِـعَ شاوُلُ أنَّ داوُدَ ظهَر معَ رِجالِهِ، وكانَ بِـجبعةَ تَحتَ شجَرَةِ الأثلَةِ على التَّلَّةِ، ورُمحُهُ بـيدِهِ وجميعُ رجالِهِ حولَه. 7 فقالَ لهُم: «إسمَعوا يا بَني بنيامينَ. أتَظنُّونَ أنَّ ابنَ يَسَّى يُعطيكُم حُقولا أو كُروما، أو يجعلُكُم جميعا رؤساءَ مئاتٍ 8 حتّى تآمَرتُم عليَّ كُلُّكُم ولا واحدٌ فيكُم أعلَمَني عِندَما عاهَدَ ابني ابنَ يَسَّى، ولا فيكُم مَنِ اهتمَّ بـي وأعلَمَني أنَّ ابني أثارَ عليَّ أحدَ رجالي حتّى كَمَنَ لي كما ترونَ اليومَ؟» 9 فقالَ دُواغُ الأدوميُّ، وكانَ واقِفا معَ رجالِ شاوُلَ: «رأيتُ ابنَ يَسَّى عِندَما جاءَ إلى أخيمالِكَ بنِ أخيطوبَ في نُوبَ، 10 فسألَ لَه الرّبَّ عمَّا يفعَلُهُ، وأطعمَهُ، وأعطاهُ سيفَ جُلياتَ الفلِسطيِّ».
11 فاستدعى شاوُلُ أخيمالِكَ وجميعَ بَيتِ أبـيهِ الكهنَةَ الّذين في نُوبَ، فحضَروا إليهِ كُلُّهُم. 12 فقالَ شاوُلُ: «إسمعْ يا ابنَ أخيطوبَ». فأجابَهُ: «ها أنا يا سيِّدي». 13 فقالَ لَه شاوُلُ: «لماذا تآمَرتُما عليَّ أنتَ وابنُ يَسَّى، فأعطيتَهُ خبزا وسيفا، وسألتَ لَه اللهَ ليتمرَّدَ عليَّ ويكمُنَ لي كما ترَى اليومَ؟» 14 فأجابَهُ أخيمالِكُ: «أيُّ رجُلٍ مِنْ جميعِ رجالِكَ أمينٌ مِثلَ داوُدَ صهرِكَ وقائدِ حرسِكَ والمكرَّمِ في بَيتِكَ؟ 15 أفي هذا اليومِ دُونَ سواهُ حلَّلتُ لنفْسي أنْ أسألَ اللهَ لَه؟ كلاَّ، يا سيِّدي المَلِكُ، لا تـتَّهمْني ولا تـتَّهِمْ أهلي، فلا علمَ لي بهذا الأمرِ مِنْ قليلٍ أو كثيرٍ». 16 فقالَ لَه المَلِكُ: «موتا تموتُ يا أخيمالِكُ، أنتَ وجميعُ أهلِكَ». 17 ثُمَّ أمرَ الحرَسَ الواقفينَ حولَه: «تقدَّموا واقتُلوا كهنةَ الرّبِّ لأنَّهُم هُم أيضا وضَعوا أيديَهُم بـيَدِ داوُدَ، ولأنَّهُم عَلِموا أنَّهُ هاربٌ ولم يُخبِروني». فرفَضَ الحرَسُ أنْ يَرفعوا أيديَهُم على كهنَةِ الرّبِّ. 18 فقالَ المَلِكُ لدُواغَ الأدوميِّ: «تقدَّمْ أنتَ واقتُلِ الكهنَةَ». فتقدَّمَ دُواغُ وقتَلهُم وقتَلَ في ذلِكَ اليومِ خمسةً وثمانينَ رجُلا لابسي أفودِ كتَّانٍ. 19 ثُمَّ ضربَ شاوُلُ نُوبَ، مدينةَ الكهنَةِ، بِـحَدِّ السَّيفِ فسقَطَ الرِّجالُ والنِّساءُ والأطفالُ والرضَّعُ والبقَرُ والحميرُ والغنَمُ.
20 ولكنَّ أبـياثارَ، ابنَ أخيمالِكَ نَجا وهرَبَ إلى داوُدَ 21 وأخبرَهُ أنَّ شاوُلَ قتَلَ كهنةَ الرّبِّ. 22 فقالَ لَه داوُدُ: «حينَ رأيتُ دُواغَ الأدوميَّ هُناكَ، في ذلِكَ اليومِ، عرفْتُ أنَّهُ سيُخبِرُ شاوُلَ. فأنا الّذي سبَّبتُ موتَ بَيتِ أبـيكَ كُلِّهِم 23 فأقِمْ عِندي ولا تخفْ، لأنَّ شاوُلَ الّذي يَطلبُ حياتَكَ يطلُبُ حياتي كذلِكَ. فأنتَ عِندي في أمانٍ».
1 David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it , they went down thither to him. 2 And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.
3 ¶ And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me. 4 And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold.
5 ¶ And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.
6 ¶ When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;) 7 Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds; 8 That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
9 ¶ Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 And he enquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. 11 Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king. 12 And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am , my lord. 13 And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day? 14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king’s son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house? 15 Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. 16 And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house.
17 ¶ And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD. 18 And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. 19 And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.
20 ¶ And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had slain the LORD’s priests. 22 And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father’s house. 23 Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.