1 Kingdoms 21

Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel

1 Kingdoms 21

1And David comes to Nomba to Abimelech the priest: and Abimelech was amazed at meeting him, and said to him, Why are you alone, and nobody with you?καὶ ἀνέστη Δαυὶδ καὶ ἀπῆλθε, καὶ Ἰωνάθαν εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν.

2And David said to the priest, The king gave me a command today, and said to me, Let no one know the matter on which I send you, and concerning which I have charged you: and I have charged my servants to be in the place that is called, * The faithfulness of God, † Phellani Maemoni.Καὶ ἔρχεται Δαυὶδ εἰς Νομβᾶ πρὸς Ἀβιμέλεχ τὸν ἱερέα· καὶ ἐξέστη Ἀβιμέλεχ τῇ ἀπαντήσει αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, τί ὅτι σὺ μόνος, καὶ οὐθεὶς μετὰ σοῦ;

3And now if there are under your hand five loaves, give into my hand what is ready.Καὶ εἶπε Δαυὶδ τῷ ἱερεῖ, ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐντέταλταί μοι ῥῆμα σήμερον, καὶ εἶπέ μοι, μηδεὶς γνώτω τὸ ῥῆμα περὶ οὗ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω σε, καὶ ὑπὲρ οὗ ἐγὼ ἐντέταλμαί σοι· καὶ τοῖς παιδαρίοις διαμεμαρτύρημαι ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τῷ λεγομένῳ, Θεοῦ πίστις φελλανὶ μαεμωνί.

4And the priest answered David, and said, There are no common loaves under my hand, for I have none but holy loaves: if the young men have been kept at least from women, then they shall eat them.Καὶ νῦν εἰ εἰσὶν ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρά σου πέντε ἄρτοι, δὸς εἰς χεῖρά μου τὸ εὑρεθέν.

5And David answered the priest, and said to him, Yes, we have been kept from women for three days: when I came forth for the journey all the young men were purified; but this expedition is unclean, therefore it shall be sanctified this day because of my weapons.Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ ἱερεὺς τῷ Δαυὶδ, καὶ εἶπεν, οὔκ εἰσιν ἄρτοι βέβηλοι ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρά μου, ὅτι ἀλλʼ ἢ ἄρτοι ἅγιοί εἰσιν· εἰ πεφυλαγμένα τὰ παιδάριά ἐστι πλὴν ἀπὸ γυναικὸς, καὶ φάγεται.

6So Abimelech the priest gave him the show bread; for there were no loaves there, but only the presence loaves which had been removed from the presence of the Lord, in order that hot bread should be set on, on the day on which he took them.Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη Δαυὶδ τῷ ἱερεῖ, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ γυναικὸς ἀπεσχήμεθα ἐχθὲς καὶ τρίτην ἡμέραν· ἐν τῷ ἐξελθεῖν με εἰς ὁδὸν γέγονε πάντα τὰ παιδία ἡγνισμένα, καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ ὁδὸς βέβηλος, διότι ἁγιασθήσεται σήμερον διὰ τὰ σκεύη μου.

7And there was there on that day one of Saul's servants ‡ detained before the Lord, and his name was Doec the Syrian, tending the mules of Saul.Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ Ἀβιμέλεχ ὁ ἱερεὺς τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως, ὅτι ἐκεῖ οὐκ ἦν ἄρτοι, ἀλλʼ ἢ ἄρτοι τοῦ προσώπου οἱ ἀφῃρημένοι ἐκ προσώπου Κυρίου, τοῦ παρατεθῆναι ἄρτον θερμὸν ᾗ ἡμέρᾳ ἔλαβεν αὐτούς.

8And David said to Abimelech, See if there is here under your hand spear or sword, for I have not § brought in my hand my sword or my weapons, for the word of the king was urgent.Καὶ ἐκεῖ ἦν ἓν τῶν παιδαρίων τοῦ Σαοὺλ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ συνεχόμενος Νεεσσαρὰν ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ ὄνομα αὐτῷ Δωὴκ Σύρος, νέμων τὰς ἡμιόνους Σαούλ.

9And the priest said, Behold the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck in the valley of Ela; and it is wrapped in a ** cloth: if you will take it, take it for yourself, for there is no other except it here. And David said, Behold, there is none like it; give it me.Καὶ εἶπε Δαυὶδ πρὸς Ἀβιμέλεχ, ἴδε εἰ ἔστιν ἐνταῦθα ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρά σου δόρυ ἢ ῥομφαία, ὅτι τὴν ῥομφαίαν μου καὶ τὰ σκεύη οὐκ εἴληφα ἐν τῇ χειρί μου, ὅτι ἦν τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦ βασιλέως κατὰ σπουδήν.

10And he gave it him; and David arose, and fled in that day from he presence of Saul: and David came to Anchus king of Geth.Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἱερεὺς, ἰδοὺ ἡ ῥομφαία Γολιὰθ τὸυ ἀλλοφύλου, ὃν ἐπάταξας ἐν τῇ κοιλάδι Ἠλᾶ· καὶ αὕτη ἐνειλημένη ἦν ἐν ἱματίῳ· εἰ ταύτην λήψῃ, σεαυτῷ λάβε, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἑτέρα πάρεξ ταύτης ἐνταῦθα· καὶ εἶπε Δαυὶδ, ἰδοὺ οὐκ ἔστιν ὥσπερ αὐτή· δός μοι αὐτήν.

11And the servants of Anchus said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? Did not the dancing women begin the song to him, saying, Saul has struck his thousand, and David his ten thousands?Καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν αὐτῷ· καὶ ἀνέστη Δαυὶδ, καὶ ἔφυγεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἐκ προσώπου Σαούλ· καὶ ἦλθε Δαυὶδ πρὸς Ἀγχοῦς βασιλέα Γέθ.

12And David †† laid up the words in his heart, and was greatly afraid of Anchus king of Geth.Καὶ εἶπον οἱ παῖδες Ἀγχοῦς πρὸς αὐτὸν, οὐχὶ οὗτος Δαυὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς γῆς; οὐχὶ τούτῳ ἐξῆρχον αἱ χορεύουσαι, λέγουσαι, ἐπάταξε Σαοὺλ ἐν χιλιάσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ Δαυὶδ ἐν μυριάσιν αὐτοῦ;

13And he changed his appearance before him, and feigned himself a false character in that day; and drummed upon the doors of the city, and used extravagant gestures with his hands, and fell against the doors of the gate, and his spittle ran down upon his beard.Καὶ ἔθετο Δαυὶδ τὰ ῥήματα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐφοβήθη σφόδρα ἀπὸ προσώπου Ἀγχοῦς βασιλέως Γέθ.

14And Anchus said to his servants, Behold! you see the man is ‡‡ mad: why have you brought him in to me?Καὶ ἠλλοίωσε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ προσεποιήσατο ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ ἐτυμπάνιζεν ἐπὶ ταῖς θύραις τῆς πόλεως, καὶ παρεφέρετο ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔπιπτεν ἐπὶ τὰς θύρας τῆς πύλης, καὶ τὰ σίελα αὐτοῦ κατέῤῥει ἐπὶ τὸν πώγωνα αὐτοῦ.

15Am I in lack of madmen, that you have brought him in to me to play the madman? He shall not come into the house.Καὶ εἶπεν Ἀγχοῦς πρὸς τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ, ἰδοὺ ἴδετε ἄνδρα ἐπίληπτον, ἱνατί εἰσηγάγετε αὐτὸν πρὸς μέ;

16Μὴ ἐλαττοῦμαι ἐπιλήπτων ἐγὼ, ὅτι εἰσαγηόχατε αὐτὸν ἐπιληπτεύεσθαι πρὸς μέ; οὗτος οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς οἰκίαν.

Translator's Notes

These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.

• v. 2*This is another instance of double translation, מקוצ suggesting probably both the idea of place and faithfulness.
• v. 2†Phellani maemoni, a corruption of פלכי אלמבי.
• v. 7‡The word Νεεσσαρὰν is another repitition. Heb. בעצר.
• v. 8§Gr. taken.
• v. 9**Alex.+ behind the ephod (or shoulder-piece) —so the Heb.
• v. 12††Gr. put.
• v. 14‡‡Gr. or man epileptic.