1 Samuel 21 – read and compare multiple versions of the Bible

World English Bible

1 Samuel 21 (WEBP)

[1] Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no man with you?”
[2] David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has commanded me to do something, and has said to me, ‘Let no one know anything about the business about which I send you, and what I have commanded you. I have sent the young men to a certain place.’
[3] Now therefore what is under your hand? Please give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever is available.”
[4] The priest answered David, and said, “I have no common bread, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.”
[5] David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us as usual these three days. When I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was only a common journey. How much more then today shall their vessels be holy?”
[6] So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the show bread that was taken from before Yahweh, to be replaced with hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
[7] Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Yahweh; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the best of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul.
[8] David said to Ahimelech, “Isn’t there here under your hand spear or sword? For I haven’t brought my sword or my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.”
[9] The priest said, “Behold, the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you would like to take that, take it, for there is no other except that here.” David said, “There is none like that. Give it to me.”
[10] David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
[11] The servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David the king of the land? Didn’t they sing to one another about him in dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
[12] David laid up these words in his heart, and was very afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
[13] He changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on his beard.
[14] Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why then have you brought him to me?
[15] Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Should this fellow come into my house?”

Scripture quotations are taken from The World English Bible™ of eBible.org, 2020 stable text edition. It is in the public domain.

King James w/Strong’s #s

1 Samuel 21 (KJVS)

[1] Then came () David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid () at the meeting () of David, and said () unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
[2] And David said () unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded () me a business, and hath said () unto me, Let no man know () any thing of the business whereabout I send () thee, and what I have commanded () thee: and I have appointed () my servants to such and such a place.
[3] Now therefore what is under thine hand? give () me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present. ()
[4] And the priest answered () David, and said, () There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept () themselves at least from women.
[5] And David answered () the priest, and said () unto him, Of a truth women have been kept () from us about these three days, since I came out, () and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified () this day in the vessel.
[6] So the priest gave () him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken () from before the Lord, to put () hot bread in the day when it was taken away. ()
[7] Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained () before the Lord; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen () that belonged to Saul.
[8] And David said () unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought () my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required () haste. ()
[9] And the priest said, () The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest () in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped () in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take () that, take () it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, () There is none like that; give () it me.
[10] And David arose, () and fled () that day for fear of Saul, and went () to Achish the king of Gath.
[11] And the servants of Achish said () unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing () one to another of him in dances, saying, () Saul hath slain () his thousands, And David his ten thousands?
[12] And David laid up () these words in his heart, and was sore afraid () of Achish the king of Gath.
[13] And he changed () his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad () in their hands, and scrabbled () on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down () upon his beard.
[14] Then said () Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see () the man is mad: () wherefore then have ye brought () him to me?
[15] Have I need of mad men, () that ye have brought () this fellow to play the mad man () in my presence? shall this fellow come () into my house?

1 Samuel 21:3 Heb. found
1 Samuel 21:5 Or, especially when this day there is other sanctified in the vessel
1 Samuel 21:13 Or, made marks
1 Samuel 21:14 Or, playeth the mad man

Scripture quotations from The Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible, using the standardized text of 1769. It is in the public domain.

Greek Bible (LXX/BYZ)

1 Samuel 21 (BYZ)

[1] [21:2] και ερχεται δαυιδ εις νομβα προς αβιμελεχ τον ιερεα και εξεστη αβιμελεχ τη απαντησει αυτου και ειπεν αυτω τι οτι συ μονος και ουθεις μετα σου
[2] [21:3] και ειπεν δαυιδ τω ιερει ο βασιλευς εντεταλται μοι ρημα σημερον και ειπεν μοι μηδεις γνωτω το ρημα περι ου εγω αποστελλω σε και υπερ ου εντεταλμαι σοι και τοις παιδαριοις διαμεμαρτυρημαι εν τω τοπω τω λεγομενω θεου πιστις φελλανι αλεμωνι
[3] [21:4] και νυν ει εισιν υπο την χειρα σου πεντε αρτοι δος εις χειρα μου το ευρεθεν
[4] [21:5] και απεκριθη ο ιερευς τω δαυιδ και ειπεν ουκ εισιν αρτοι βεβηλοι υπο την χειρα μου οτι αλλ η αρτοι αγιοι εισιν ει πεφυλαγμενα τα παιδαρια εστιν απο γυναικος και φαγεται
[5] [21:6] και απεκριθη δαυιδ τω ιερει και ειπεν αυτω αλλα απο γυναικος απεσχημεθα εχθες και τριτην ημεραν εν τω εξελθειν με εις οδον γεγονε παντα τα παιδαρια ηγνισμενα και αυτη η οδος βεβηλος διοτι αγιασθησεται σημερον δια τα σκευη μου
[6] [21:7] και εδωκεν αυτω αβιμελεχ ο ιερευς τους αρτους της προθεσεως οτι ουκ ην εκει αρτος οτι αλλ η αρτοι του προσωπου οι αφηρημενοι εκ προσωπου κυριου παρατεθηναι αρτον θερμον η ημερα ελαβεν αυτους
[7] [21:8] και εκει ην εν των παιδαριων του σαουλ εν τη ημερα εκεινη συνεχομενος νεεσσαραν ενωπιον κυριου και ονομα αυτω δωηκ ο συρος νεμων τας ημιονους σαουλ
[8] [21:9] και ειπεν δαυιδ προς αβιμελεχ ιδε ει εστιν ενταυθα υπο την χειρα σου δορυ η ρομφαια οτι την ρομφαιαν μου και τα σκευη ουκ ειληφα εν τη χειρι μου οτι ην το ρημα του βασιλεως κατα σπουδην
[9] [21:10] και ειπεν ο ιερευς ιδου η ρομφαια γολιαθ του αλλοφυλου ον επαταξας εν τη κοιλαδι ηλα και αυτη ενειλημενη εν ιματιω ει ταυτην λημψη σεαυτω λαβε οτι ουκ εστιν ετερα παρεξ ταυτης ενταυθα και ειπεν δαυιδ ιδου ουκ εστιν ωσπερ αυτη δος μοι αυτην
[10] [21:11] και εδωκεν αυτην αυτω και ανεστη δαυιδ και εφυγεν εν τη ημερα εκεινη εκ προσωπου σαουλ και ηλθεν δαυιδ προς αγχους βασιλεα γεθ
[11] [21:12] και ειπαν οι παιδες αγχους προς αυτον ουχι ουτος δαυιδ ο βασιλευς της γης ουχι τουτω εξηρχον αι χορευουσαι λεγουσαι επαταξεν σαουλ εν χιλιασιν αυτου και δαυιδ εν μυριασιν αυτου
[12] [21:13] και εθετο δαυιδ τα ρηματα εν τη καρδια αυτου και εφοβηθη σφοδρα απο προσωπου αγχους βασιλεως γεθ
[13] [21:14] και ηλλοιωσεν το προσωπον αυτου ενωπιον αυτου και προσεποιησατο εν τη ημερα εκεινη και ετυμπανιζεν επι ταις θυραις της πολεως και παρεφερετο εν ταις χερσιν αυτου και επιπτεν επι τας θυρας της πυλης και τα σιελα αυτου κατερρει επι τον πωγωνα αυτου
[14] [21:15] και ειπεν αγχους προς τους παιδας αυτου ιδου ιδετε ανδρα επιλημπτον ινα τι εισηγαγετε αυτον προς με
[15] [21:16] η ελαττουμαι επιλημπτων εγω οτι εισαγειοχατε αυτον επιλημπτευεσθαι προς με ουτος ουκ εισελευσεται εις οικιαν

The Greek New Testament According to the Byzantine Text (Guardian Press, Inc., Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine Textform, 2026). Dedicated to the public domain by Guardian Press, Inc. and J. Jeffrey Dodson.