1 Samuel 21:2-7
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
The Holy Bread. 2 David went to Ahimelech, the priest of Nob, who came trembling to meet him. He asked, “Why are you alone? Is there no one with you?”[a](A) 3 David answered the priest: “The king gave me a commission and told me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I have sent you or the commission I have given you.’ For that reason I have arranged a particular meeting place with my men. 4 (B)Now what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves, or whatever you can find.” 5 [b]But the priest replied to David, “I have no ordinary bread on hand, only holy bread; if the men have abstained from women, you may eat some of that.” 6 David answered the priest: “We have indeed stayed away from women. In the past whenever I went out on a campaign, all the young men were consecrated—even for an ordinary campaign. All the more so are they consecrated with their weapons today!” 7 So the priest gave him holy bread, for no other bread was on hand except the showbread which had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by fresh bread when it was taken away.(C)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 21:2 Ahimelech realizes that he risks incurring Saul’s anger if David has come to Nob as a fugitive.
- 21:5–6 According to Lv 24:5–9, the showbread consisted of twelve loaves that were replaced each sabbath. Since the old bread was to be consumed by the priests, Ahimelech questions David regarding the ritual purity of his men (see 2 Sm 11:11). David’s answer supposes the discipline of a military campaign under the conditions of “holy war” (Dt 23:10–15).
Leviticus 24:5-9
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
5 You shall take bran flour and bake it into twelve cakes,(A) using two tenths of an ephah of flour for each cake. 6 These you shall place in two piles, six in each pile, on the pure gold table before the Lord. 7 With each pile put some pure frankincense, which shall serve as an oblation to the Lord, a token of the bread offering. 8 Regularly on each sabbath day the bread(B) shall be set out before the Lord on behalf of the Israelites by an everlasting covenant. 9 It shall belong to Aaron and his sons, who must eat it in a sacred place, since it is most sacred,(C) his as a perpetual due from the oblations to the Lord.
Punishment of Blasphemy.[a]
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