1 Samuel 22:9–19

⁹Then Doeg from Edom, standing with Saul’s officials, answered him, “I saw Jesse’s son when he came to Ahimelech, Ahitub’s son, in Nob. ¹⁰Ahimelech prayed to the Lord for David and gave him food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” 

¹¹Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech, who was Ahitub’s son, and his entire family who were the priests in Nob. All of them came to the king. ¹²Saul said, “Listen here, son of Ahitub!” 

“Yes, sir?” he responded. 

¹³Saul asked him, “Why did you and Jesse’s son plot against me? You gave him bread and a sword and prayed to God for him so that he can rise up against me and ambush me, as he’s doing now.” 

¹⁴Ahimelech asked the king, “But whom among all your officials can you trust like David? Your Majesty, he’s your son-in-law, the commander of your bodyguard. He’s honored in your own household. ¹⁵Is this the first time I have prayed to God for him? Not at all! You shouldn’t blame me or anyone in my family for this. I knew nothing at all about this.” 

¹⁶Saul said, “Ahimelech, you and your entire family are going to die.” 

¹⁷“Turn and kill the Lord’s priests because they support David,” the king said to the runners standing around him. “When they knew David was fleeing, they didn’t inform me.” But the king’s men refused to attack the Lord’s priests. 

¹⁸So the king said to Doeg, “You turn and attack the priests.” Doeg from Edom turned and attacked the priests, and that day he killed 85 men wearing the linen priestly ephod.^b19He also killed the people of Nob, the city of the priests. Using ⸤his⸥ sword, he killed men and women, children and infants, cows, donkeys, and sheep.