14. Then Ahimelech answered the king, And who is so faithful among all your servants as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and is taken into your council and honored in your house?
15. Have I only today begun inquiring of God for him? No! Let not the king impute any wrong to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, little or much.
16. [Saul] said, You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house.
17. And the king said to the guard that stood about him, Turn and slay the Lord's priests, because their hand also is with David and because they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hands against the Lord's priests.
18. The king said to Doeg, You turn and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests and slew that day eighty-five persons who wore the priest's linen ephod.
19. And Nob, the city of the priests, he smote with the sword; both men and women, children and sucklings, oxen and donkeys and sheep, he put to the sword.
20. And one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub named Abiathar escaped and fled after David.
21. And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the Lord's priests.
22. David said to Abiathar, I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all your father's house.
23. Stay with me, fear not; for he who seeks my life seeks your life. But with me you shall be safeguarded.