Saul Kills the Priests at Nob

1 Samuel 22

6 Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under m the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. 7 And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, "Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse n give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, 8 that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me o when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you p is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, q to lie in wait, as at this day." 9 Then answered r Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, "I saw the son of Jesse s coming to Nob, to t Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, 10 u and he inquired of the Lord for him and v gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

11 Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. 12 And Saul said, "Hear now, son of Ahitub." And he answered, "Here I am, my lord." 13 And Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and u have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, w to lie in wait, as at this day?" 14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, "And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and captain over 1 your bodyguard, and honored in your house? 15 Is today the first time u that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, x much or little." 16 And the king said, "You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house." 17 And the king said to y the guard who stood about him, "Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me." But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, "You turn and strike the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, z and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. 19 And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; a both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.

20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named b Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22 And David said to Abiathar, "I knew on that day, c when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father's house. 23 d Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping."

  1. Cross References
    1 Samuel 31:13
    And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
    Genesis 21:33
    Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.
  2. Cross References
    1 Samuel 8:14
    He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants.
  3. Cross References
    1 Samuel 18:3
    Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.
  4. Cross References
    1 Samuel 23:21
    And Saul said, "May you be blessed by the Lord, for you have had compassion on me.
  5. Cross References
    1 Samuel 22:13
    And Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
  6. Cross References
    1 Samuel 21:7
    Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.
    Psalms 52:1
    Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day.
  7. Cross References
    1 Samuel 21:1
    Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David trembling and said to him, "Why are you alone, and no one with you?
  8. Cross References
    1 Samuel 14:3
    Including Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.
  9. Cross References
    1 Samuel 23:2
    Therefore David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I ...
    1 Samuel 23:4
    Then David inquired of the Lord again. And the ...
    1 Samuel 30:8
    And David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I pursue...
    2 Samuel 5:19
    And David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I go up ...
    2 Samuel 5:23
    And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, "...
    Numbers 27:21
    And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, w...
  10. Cross References
    1 Samuel 21:6
    So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
    1 Samuel 21:9
    And the priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here." And David said, "There is none like that; give it to me.
  11. Cross References
    1 Samuel 22:10
    And he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.
  12. Cross References
    1 Samuel 22:8
    That all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.
  13. Cross References
    1 Samuel 22:10
    And he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.
  14. Cross References
    1 Samuel 25:36
    And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light.
  15. Cross References
    2 Kings 10:25
    So as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guard and to the officers, "Go in and strike them down; let not a man escape." So when they put them to the sword, the guard and the officers cast them out and went into the inner room of the house of Baal.
    2 Kings 11:4
    But in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and brought the captains of the Carites and of the guards, and had them come to him in the house of the Lord. And he made a covenant with them and put them under oath in the house of the Lord, and he showed them the king's son.
    2 Kings 11:6
    ( another third being at the gate Sur and a third at the gate behind the guards) shall guard the palace.
    2 Chronicles 12:10
    And King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king's house.
  16. Cross References
    1 Samuel 2:31
    Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.
  17. Cross References
    1 Samuel 15:3
    Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'
  18. Cross References
    1 Samuel 23:6
    When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand.
    1 Samuel 23:9
    David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here.
  19. Cross References
    1 Samuel 21:7
    Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.
  20. Cross References
    1 Kings 2:26
    And to Abiathar the priest the king said, "Go to Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because you shared in all my father's affliction.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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