1 Samuel 21:1–6
21 David went to Ahimelech d the priest at Nob. e Ahimelech was afraid to meet David, so he said to him, “Why are you alone and no one is with you?”
2 David answered Ahimelech the priest, “The king gave me a mission, but he told me, ‘Don’t let anyone know anything about the mission I’m sending you on or what I have ordered you to do.’ I have stationed my young men at a certain place. 3 Now what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever can be found.”
4 The priest told him, “There is no ordinary bread on hand. However, there is consecrated bread, f but the young men may eat it g only if they have kept themselves from women.” h
5 David answered him, “I swear that women are being kept from us, as always when I go out to battle. i The young men’s bodies j are consecrated k even on an ordinary mission, so of course their bodies are consecrated today.” 6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, l for there was no bread there except the * bread of the Presence m that had been removed from the presence of the Lord. When the bread was removed, it had been replaced with warm bread.