1. David went to see Ahimelech, a priest who lived in the town of Nob. Ahimelech was trembling with fear as he came out to meet David. “Why are you alone?” Ahimelech asked. “Why isn't anyone else with you?”
2. “I'm on a mission for King Saul,” David answered. “He ordered me not to tell anyone what the mission is all about, so I told my soldiers to stay somewhere else.
3. Do you have any food you can give me? Could you spare five loaves of bread?”
4. “The only bread I have is the sacred bread,” the priest told David. “You can have it if your soldiers didn't sleep with women last night.”
5. “Of course we didn't sleep with women,” David answered. “I never let my men do that when we're on a mission. They have to be acceptable to worship God even when we're on an ordinary mission, and today we're on a special mission.”
6. The only bread the priest had was the sacred bread that he had taken from the place of worship after putting out the fresh loaves. So he gave it to David.
7. It so happened that one of Saul's officers was there, worshipping the Lord that day. His name was Doeg the Edomite, and he was the strongest of Saul's shepherds.