11. Then the king sent to call Ahimelech, the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests that were in Nob; and they all came to the king.
12. And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.
13. And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread and a sword and hast enquired of God for him that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
14. Then Ahimelech answered the king and said, And who is so faithful among all thy slaves as David, the king’s son-in-law, who goes at thy bidding and is honourable in thy house?
15. Did I begin to enquire of God for him today? Be it far from me; let not the king impute any thing unto his slave nor to all the house of my father, for thy slave knew nothing of all this, less or more.
16. And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou and all thy father’s house.
17. Then the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn and slay the priests of the Lord because their hand also is with David and because they knew when he fled and did not show it to me. But the slaves of the king would not put forth their hands to fall upon the priests of the Lord.
18. Then the king said to Doeg, Turn thou and fall upon the priests. And Doeg, the Edomite, turned and he fell upon the priests and slew on that day eighty-five men that wore a linen ephod.
19. And Nob, the city of the priests, he smote with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings and oxen and asses and sheep with the edge of the sword.
20. And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.
21. And Abiathar gave David the news that Saul had slain the Lord’s priests.