"Go in peace because we have sworn, both of us, in the name of the
Lord, saying, 'The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and
thy seed for ever;' and then, with a lingering good-bye, Jonathan went
back to his home, with a heart aching, not only with loneliness for
David, but full of fear of what he would have to suffer and bear in the
coming days, and of regret for that weakness of character which he knew
his father had allowed to go beyond his own control. And David went to
Nob, a city north of Jerusalem, where there was at that time the chief
place of worship of the Israelites, and where David naturally turned
his steps for instructions and also for food. The story of his flight
had not reached the little town among the hills, and he was received
with the honour due to the King's son-in-law, although Ahimeleck, the
chief priest, was astonished that he came without an armour-bearer or a
retinue of attendants. Seeing his surprise, David pretended to have
come on urgent, secret business for Saul, and begged for food. The
priest, believing this, felt that he must treat him with all possible
honour, and as there was no other food ready, gave him the bread which
was for use on the altar. Meanwhile, David's quick eye had caught a
glimpse of a face staring at him through the cracks in the simple
forest building. It was Doeg, the Edomite, Saul's savage herdsman, who
David felt sure had recognised him. A chill of foreboding crept over
David and made him at once demand arms from the peaceful priest. There
were none to give except Goliath's sword, which David had taken from
the giant when he killed him, and which had been there at Nob, wrapped
in a cloth, ever since. With eager joy, David exclaimed:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account