David Takes the Consecrated Bread
(Matthew 12:1–8; Mark 2:23–28; Luke 6:1–5)

1Then came Dauid to Nob to Ahimelech the priest, and Ahimelech was astonied at the meeting of Dauid, & sayd vnto him: Why art thou alone and no man with thee? 2And Dauid said to Ahimelech the priest: The king hath commaunded me a certaine thing, and hath sayd vnto me, Let no man know wher about I send thee, and what I haue commaunded thee: And I haue appoynted my seruauntes to suche and suche places. 3Nowe therfore if thou hast ought vnder thyne hand, geue me fyue loaues of bread, or what commeth to hande. 4And the priest aunswered Dauid, and sayd: There is no common bread vnder myne hand, but here is halowed bread: if the young me haue kept them selues, specially from women. 5Dauid aunswered the priest, and sayd vnto him: Of a trueth, women hath ben separated fro vs this two or three days since I came out, & the vessels of the young men were holy: Howebeit, this way is vnpure, and howe muche more shall there be holines in the vessell? 6And so the priest gaue him halowed bread: for there was none other bread there, saue the shew bread that was taken from before the Lord, to put freshe bread there the day that it was taken away.

7(And there was there the same day a certaine man, of the seruautes of Saul, abyding before ye Lord, named Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of Sauls heardmen.)

David Flees to Gath
(Psalm 34:1–22; Psalm 56:1–13)

8And Dauid sayd vnto Ahimelech: Is not here vnder thyne hand either speare or sworde? for I haue neither brought my sword nor my harnesse with me, because the kinges busines required haste. 9And the priest sayd: The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou sluest in the valley of Elah, beholde it is here wrapt in a cloth behind the Ephod: If thou wilt take that, take it: for ther is no other saue that here. And Dauid sayd: There is none to that, geue it me.

10And Dauid arose, & fled the same day from the presence of Saul, and went to Achis the king of Gath.

11And the seruauntes of Achis sayde vnto him: Is not this Dauid the king of the land? Dyd they not sing vnto him in daunses, saying: Saul hath slayne his thousand, and Dauid his ten thousand?

12And Dauid put those wordes into his heart, & was sore afrayde of Achis the king of Gath. 13And he chaunged his speache before them, and fained him selfe mad in their handes, and scrabled on the doores of the gate, and let his spettell fall downe vpon his beard. 14Then sayd Achis vnto his seruauntes: Lo, ye see that this man is besyde him selfe, wherfore then haue ye brought him to me? 15Haue I neede of mad men, that ye haue brought this felowe to play the mad man in my presence? Shall he come into my house?