1So David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father’s family heard about it, they went down to him there.
2Everyone who was in trouble, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was unhappy gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
3From there, David went to Mizpeh in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come and stay with you until I find out what God will do for me.”
4So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold.
5Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Don’t stay in the stronghold. Go at once to the land of Judah.” So David left and went into the forest of Hereth.
6Saul heard that David and the men with him had been discovered. Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing around him.
7Saul said to his servants who were standing around him, “Listen, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds?
8Is that why all of you have conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a treaty with the son of Jesse. None of you feel sorry for me or tell me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as he is doing today.”
9Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s servants, answered, “I saw the son of Jesse come to Nob, to Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub.
10Ahimelech consulted Yahweh for him, gave him food, and also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11Then the king sent for Ahimelech the priest, Ahitub's son, and all of Ahitub's family, the priests who lived in Nob. They all came to the king.
12Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." Ahimelech answered, "Yes, my lord."
13Saul said to him, "Why have you and Jesse's son conspired against me? You gave him bread and a sword, and you asked God for guidance for him, so that he could rise up against me and ambush me, as he is doing today."
14Then Ahimelech answered the king, "Who among all your servants is as loyal as David? He is the king's son-in-law, a member of your council, and honored in your household.
15Is this the first time I have asked God for guidance for him? Absolutely not! The king should not accuse his servant or my father's entire family, because your servant knows absolutely nothing about any of this."
16The king said, "You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's family."
17The king ordered the guards standing around him, "Turn and kill the priests of Yahweh, because they sided with David; they knew he fled and didn't tell me." But the king's servants refused to harm Yahweh's priests.
18The king then told Doeg, "You turn and attack the priests!" So Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests, killing eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod that day.
19He also destroyed Nob, the city of the priests, with his sword, killing men, women, children, and babies, as well as cattle, donkeys, and sheep.
20However, one of Ahimelech's sons, Abiathar, who was Ahitub's son, escaped and fled to David.
21Abiathar told David that Saul had killed Yahweh's priests.
22David said to Abiathar, "I knew that day when Doeg the Edomite was there that he would surely tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of everyone in your father's family.
23Stay with me. Don't be afraid, because the one who wants to kill me also wants to kill you. You will be safe with me."