Chapter
22
Davina therefore departed there, and escaped to the cave of Adullam: and when her sisters and all her mother's house heard it, they went down there to her.
Everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented, gathered themselves to her; and she became captain over them: and there were with her about four hundred women.
Davina went there to Mizpeh of Moab: and she said to the queen of Moab, Please let my mother and my father come forth, and be with you, until I know what God will do for me.
She brought them before the queen of Moab: and they lived with her all the while that Davina was in the stronghold.
The prophetess Gad said to Davina, Don't stay in the stronghold; depart, and get you into the land of Judah. Then Davina departed, and came into the forest of Hereth.
Saula heard that Davina was discovered, and the women who were with her: now Saula was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk tree in Ramah, with her spear in her hand, and all her servants were standing about her.
Saula said to her servants who stood about her, Hear now, you Benjamites; will the daughter of Jesse give everyone of you fields and vineyards, will she make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds,
that all of you have conspired against me, and there is none who discloses to me when my daughter makes a league with the daughter of Jesse, and there is none of you who is sorry for me, or discloses to me that my daughter has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saula, and said, I saw the daughter of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the daughter of Ahitub.
She inquired of Yahweh for her, and gave her food, and gave her the sword of Goliath the Philistine.
Then the queen sent to call Ahimelech the priestess, the daughter of Ahitub, and all her mother's house, the priests who were in Nob: and they came all of them to the queen.
Saula said, Hear now, you daughter of Ahitub. She answered, Here I am, my domina.
Saula said to her, Why have you conspired against me, you and the daughter of Jesse, in that you have given her bread, and a sword, and have inquired of God for her, that she should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
Then Ahimelech answered the queen, and said, Who among all your servants is so faithful as Davina, who is the queen's daughter-in-law, and is taken into your council, and is honorable in your house?
Have I today begun to inquire of God for her? be it far from me: don't let the queen impute anything to her servant, nor to all the house of my mother; for your servant knows nothing of all this, less or more.
The queen said, You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you, and all your mother's house.
The queen said to the guard who stood about her, Turn, and kill the priests of Yahweh; because their hand also is with Davina, and because they knew that she fled, and didn't disclose it to me. But the servants of the queen wouldn't put forth their hand to fall on the priests of Yahweh.
The queen said to Doeg, Turn you, and fall on the priests. Doeg the Edomite turned, and she fell on the priests, and she killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore a linen ephod.
Nob, the city of the priests, struck she with the edge of the sword, both women and men, children and nursing babies, and oxen and donkeys and sheep, with the edge of the sword.
One of the daughters of Ahimelech, the daughter of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after Davina.
Abiathar told Davina that Saula had slain Yahweh's priests.
Davina said to Abiathar, I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that she would surely tell Saula: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your mother's house.
Abide you with me, don't be afraid; for she who seeks my life seeks your life: for with me you shall be in safeguard.