Today's Reading

1 And David went to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came trembling to meet David and said to him, Why are you alone, and no one with you?

2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has charged me with some matter, and he said to me, Let no man know anything about the matter that I have sent you on and charged you with. So I have made an appointment with my young men at such and such a place.

3 Now then what do you have on hand? Give five loaves of bread into my hand, or whatever there is to be found.

4 And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread on hand; yet there is holy bread, but only if the young men have kept themselves from women.

5 And David answered the priest and said to him, Women have indeed been kept from us, as previously when I went forth; and the vessels of the young men were holy, even if it was a common journey. How much more then today will their vessels be holy!

6 So the priest gave him what was holy, for there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence, which was taken from before Jehovah, to be replaced by hot bread at the time it was taken.

7 Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before Jehovah. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of the shepherds that belonged to Saul.

8 And David said to Ahimelech, And is there not a spear or a sword here on hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my equipment with me, for the king’s matter was urgent.

9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the valley of Elah, is here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take it, take it; for there is no other here but that one. And David said, There is none like it; give it to me.

10 Then David rose up and fled that day from before Saul, and he went to Achish the king of Gath.

11 But the servants of Achish said to him, Is this not David the king of the land? Is this not him of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying, Saul has struck down his thousands; / But David, his ten thousands?

12 And David took these words to heart and feared Achish the king of Gath greatly.

13 So he disguised his sanity in their sight and acted like a madman before them, and he made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard.

14 And Achish said to his servants, Look, you see that the man is mad. Why have you brought him to me?

15 Do I lack madmen that you have brought this one to me to be a madman before me? Shall this one come into my house?

1 Then David went from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard of it, they went down to him there.

2 And everyone who was in distress and everyone who was in debt and everyone who was discontented gathered to him, and he became captain over them. And with him were about four hundred men.

3 And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, Let my father and mother go forth and be with you until I know what God will do for me.

4 And he brought them before the king of Moab, and they remained with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.

5 And Gad the prophet said to David, Do not stay in the stronghold; depart and go into the land of Judah. So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.

6 Then Saul heard that David and the men with him had been discovered. Now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree on the height; and his spear was in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him.

7 And Saul said to his servants standing around him, Hear now, you Benjaminites: Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make every one of you captains of thousands and captains of hundreds,

8 That every one of you has conspired against me, so that no one discloses it to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse, and none of you is sorry for me or discloses it to me when my son stirs up my servant against me to ambush me as on this day?

9 Then Doeg the Edomite, who was set over Saul’s servants, answered and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub at Nob.

10 And he inquired of Jehovah for him and gave him provisions, and he gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

11 Then the king sent men to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were in Nob. And all of them came to the king.

12 And Saul said, Hear now, you son of Ahitub. And he said, Here I am, my lord.

13 And Saul said to him, Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him food and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, so that he rises up against me to ambush me as on this day?

14 And Ahimelech answered the king and said, And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law and has access to your council and is honored in your house?

15 Was it just today that I began to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! May the king not impute anything to his servant nor to all my father’s house, for your servant knows nothing of this matter, small or great.

16 But the king said, You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.

17 Then the king said to the runners who were standing around him, Turn, and kill the priests of Jehovah, because their hand is also with David, and because they knew that he was fleeing and they did not disclose it to me. But the king’s servants would not put forth their hand to attack the priests of Jehovah.

18 And the king said to Doeg, You turn, and attack the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he attacked the priests. And on that day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod.

19 And he struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both men and women, infants and sucklings, and oxen and asses and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub escaped, whose name was Abiathar, and he fled after David.

21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the priests of Jehovah.

22 And David said to Abiathar, I knew on that day when Doeg the Edomite was there that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsible for all the lives of your father’s house.

23 Remain with me, and do not be afraid; for he who seeks my life seeks your life, for you will be kept safe with me.

1 And some told David, saying, The Philistines are now fighting against Keilah and robbing the threshing floors.

2 And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go and strike these Philistines? And Jehovah said to David, Go and strike the Philistines, and save Keilah.

3 And David’s men said to him, Here we are, afraid here in Judah; how much more if we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines!

4 So David inquired yet again of Jehovah. And Jehovah answered him and said, Rise up; go down to Keilah, for I am delivering the Philistines into your hand.

5 Then David and his men went to Keilah and fought against the Philistines and carried off their cattle and struck them down with a great slaughter. And David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

6 Now it so happened that when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.

7 Then it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, God has delivered him into my hand; for he is shut in, because he has entered a city with gates and bars.

8 And Saul summoned all the people to battle, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

9 But when David learned that Saul was planning evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring the ephod here.

10 And David said, O Jehovah the God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah in order to destroy the city on my account.

11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O Jehovah the God of Israel, do tell Your servant. And Jehovah said, He will come down.

12 And David said, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And Jehovah said, They will deliver you.

13 So David and his men, about six hundred men, rose up and went forth from Keilah; and they went about wherever they could. And when it was told Saul that David had slipped away from Keilah, he ceased his going forth.

14 And David remained in the wilderness in strongholds, and he remained in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.

15 And David saw that Saul went forth to seek his life, and David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.

16 Then Jonathan the son of Saul rose up and went to David at Horesh, and he strengthened his hand in God.

17 And he said to him, Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you; and you will become king over Israel, and I will be second to you; and even Saul my father knows that.

18 And the two of them made a covenant before Jehovah. And David remained in Horesh, and Jonathan went to his house.

19 Then some Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, David is indeed hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of the desert!

20 Now then, O king, come down, according to all your soul’s desire to come down; and we will deliver him into the hand of the king.

21 And Saul said, Blessed are you of Jehovah, for you have had compassion on me.

22 Go now, and make sure once more; and find out and look into his place, where he sets foot, who has seen him there; for I am told that he is very cunning.

23 And look about and learn of all his hiding places where he lurks, and come back to me with sure information; then I will go with you, and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.

24 And they rose up and went to Ziph before Saul. And David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of the desert.

25 And Saul and his men went to seek him. And when some told David this, he went down to the rock and remained in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard of it, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

26 And Saul went on one side of the mountain, while David and his men went on the other side of the mountain. And David hurried to get away from Saul, while Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men in order to capture them.

27 Then a messenger came to Saul, saying, Hurry and come, for the Philistines have raided the land.

28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David, and he went to meet the Philistines; therefore they call that place the Rock of Escape.

37 Now during the day He was in the temple teaching, but during the night He went out and stayed on the mountain called Olivet.

38 And all the people would come early in the morning to Him in the temple to hear Him.

1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was drawing near.

2 And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to do away with Him, for they feared the people.

3 And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot and was of the number of the twelve.

4 And he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers as to how he might deliver Him up to them.

5 And they rejoiced and promised to give him money.

6 And he consented and sought opportunity to deliver Him up to them apart from the crowd.

7 And the day of Unleavened Bread came, on which the passover had to be sacrificed.

8 And He sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare the passover for us, so that we may eat it.

9 And they said to Him, Where do You want us to prepare it?

10 And He told them, Behold, as you are entering into the city, a man carrying an earthen jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house which he enters.

11 And you shall say to the master of the house, The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room where I may eat the passover with My disciples?

12 And that one will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare there.

13 And they left and found it even as He had told them, and they prepared the passover.

14 And when the hour came, He reclined at table, and the apostles with Him.

15 And He said to them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer,

16 For I tell you that I shall by no means eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.

17 And He received a cup and gave thanks and said, Take this and divide it among yourselves;

18 For I tell you, I shall by no means drink from now on of the product of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.

19 And He took a loaf and gave thanks, and He broke it and gave it to them, saying, This is My body which is being given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.

20 And similarly the cup after they had dined, saying, This cup is the new covenant established in My blood, which is being poured out for you.

21 But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Me at the table.

22 For the Son of Man is going according to what has been determined, but woe to that man through whom He is betrayed!

23 And they began to discuss among themselves who then of them it was who was about to do this.