1 Samuel 22
Saul kills 85 priests
David leaves Philistine city
1David slipped out of the Philistine town of Gath and hid in a cave near the town of Adullam. [1] When his brothers and other relatives heard about it, they joined him. 2Others came, too: about 400 people deep in debt, or facing a crisis, or unhappy with the state of the nation and how it hurt them. David became their leader.3David traveled over to the city of Mizpeh [2] in the nation of Moab. He asked the king of Moab, “Could my father and mother stay here safely until I see what God has in store for me?” 4David left his parents with the king. They stayed with him for as long as David remained in hiding, on the run from King Saul.
5Later, a prophet named Gad [3] told David, “It’s time for you to leave your hideaway fortress and go to Judah.” David moved to Hereth Forest. [4]
Saul accuses all his officials of disloyalty
6Saul got news that David had surfaced in Judah. So, the king called a meeting of his officers and leading servants. Holding a spear, he sat in front of them under the shade of a tamarisk tree on a Gibeah hilltop.7He said, “Let me ask you this, my fellow citizens of Benjamin’s tribe. [5] I can give every one of you fields and vineyards. I can promote you to commander of 100 men or 1,000 men. Can the son of Jesse do that? Will he ever do that? 8Do you think he will? Is that why you won’t keep me informed about what he’s doing? Where’s the intel? Why didn’t you tell me that my son became David’s secret ally. [6] Or that my own son encouraged David, my servant, to kill me—as he’s trying to do now?”
9Deog, from the nation of Edom, stood there as one of the king’s officials. He said, “I saw that son of Jesse in Nob. He met with Ahitub’s son, priest Ahimelech. 10The priest asked God some questions David wanted answered. Then he gave David food and supplies, including that sword of the Philistine, Goliath.”
Saul orders priests executed
11Saul sent for the priest and his entire family. Everyone came. 12Saul told the priest, “Listen up, son of Ahitub.” The priest said, “I am here listening, my king.”13Saul said, “Why are you helping my enemy, the son of Jesse? You gave him bread, a sword, and you took his requests to God. And now he’s leading a rebellion against me and trying to kill me. You helped him do that. Why?”
14Ahimelech said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about. What official or any other servant do you have who is more devoted to you than David? My goodness, he’s your son-in-law. When you give him a mission, he completes it quickly. Everyone in your family respects him. 15Besides, that wasn’t the first time I took one of his questions to God. So, I don’t understand why there’s a problem with this one. Please don’t think that me or my family opposes you. I don’t understand what you’re saying about us or David.”
16“You’ll understand this,” the king said. “I sentence you and your family to death.”
17Saul ordered the nearby guards, “Kill the priests. They’re with David. They knew he was a fugitive. And they didn’t bother to tell me that he came to them.” The guards refused to kill priests of the LORD. 18So the king said, “Doeg, kill the priests.” Doeg killed 85 men who were dressed in the linen that priests wore. 19Then Doeg went to their town of Nob and killed the people and their livestock. He led the slaughter of men, women, children, babies, cattle, donkeys, and sheep. He killed them all with swords.
20One of Ahimelech’s sons escaped: Abiathar. He went to David. 21Abiathar told David that the king had killed his entire family, [7] including all the priests of the LORD.
22David said, “I knew it! I saw Doeg of Edom when I was there. I knew he would tell Saul. It’s my fault your family is dead. 23Stay with me. Don’t be afraid. You’re safe here. The one who wants to kill me wants to kill you, too. We’ve each got good reason to keep the other safe.
Footnotes
Some scholars link a ruin known as Tel Adullam to the ancient city of Adullam. It’s about a half-day walk southwest of David’s hometown of Bethlehem, roughly 13 miles (21 km). And it’s about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of the ruin Tel es-Safi, linked to Gath.
Location of Mizpeh is unknown. Moab, east of the Dead Sea, was the home nation of David’s great-grandmother, Ruth. Moab was also no friend of Saul; they reportedly fought each other (1 Samuel 14:47). That gave David and the king something important in common.
Gad later served as an advisor to David after he became king (2 Samuel 24:11).
Location uncertain. Two proposed locations are both within a day’s walk southeast of Adullam: a ruin called Khirbet Koreisa and the village of Kharas.
Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. The fact that his officers and servants all seemed to have come from his own tiny tribe suggests Saul might have had only a wee bit of support. David came from Judah, one of the largest of Israel’s 12 tribes.
David and Jonathan had made a sacred covenant agreement to stay loyal to each other (1 Samuel 18:3).
This execution fulfilled the prophecy of 1 Samuel 2:33, about the doomed descendants of Eli, the priest who raised Samuel. The prophecy also said just one person would live.
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