¹Zvino Dhavhidhi akasvika Nobhi kuna Ahimereki mupristi; Ahimereki akasangana naDhavhidhi achidedera; akati kwaari, Uri woga neiko, usino mumwe newe?

¹And David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech trembled at meeting David, and said to him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

²Dhavhidhi akati kuna Ahimereki mupristi, Mambo wakandiraira basa, akati kwandiri, Ngakurege kuva nomunhu unoziva chinhu chebasa randinokutuma naro, nerandinokuraira. Majaya ndakaaraira kusangana neni pane imwe nzvimbo.

²And David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has commanded me a business, and has said to me, Let no man know anything of the business whereon I send thee, and what I have commanded thee; and I have directed the young men to such and such a place.

³Naizvozvo zvino, muneiko pano? Ndipei zvingwa zvishanu muruoko rwangu, kunyange zvipi nezvipi zviripo.

³And now what is under thy hand? give me five loaves in my hand, or what may be found.

⁴mupristi akapindura Dhavhidhi, akati, Hapana chingwa chinosidyiwa muruoko rwangu, asi chingwa chitsvene ndicho chiripo; koga kana majaya akazvidzora kuvakadzi.

⁴And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

⁵Dhavhidhi akapindura mupristi, akati kwaari, Zvirokwazvo, vakadzi vakadziviswa kwatiri sapanguva dzose kana ndichifamba rwendo; nhumbi dzamajaya dzakanga dziri tsvene, kunyange rwaiva rwendo rwamazuva ose harwo, ndoda nhasi nhumbi dzavo dzichava tsvene.

⁵And David answered the priest and said to him, Yes indeed, women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the [bread] is in a manner common, and the more so, because to-day [new] is hallowed in the vessels.

⁶Naizvozvo mupristi akamupa chingwa chitsvene, nekuti kwakanga kusina chingwapo, asi chingwa chokuratidza, chakanga chabviswa pamberi paJehovha, kuti chingwa chinopisa chiiswepo pazuva rokubviswa kwacho.

⁶And the priest gave him holy [bread]; for there was no bread there but the shew-loaves that were taken from before Jehovah, to put on hot bread in the day when they were taken away.

⁷Zvino mumwe muranda waSauro wakange aripo nomusi iwoyo, anonoswa pamberi paJehovha, wainzi Dhoegi, muEdhomu, mutariri wavafudzi vaSauro.

⁷(Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Jehovah; and his name was Doeg, the Edomite, chief of the shepherds that [belonged] to Saul.)

⁸Dhavhidhi akati kuna Ahimereki, Hapana pfumo kana munondo kwamuri here? Nekuti handina kuuya nemunondo wangu, kana nhumbi dzangu dzekurwa nadzo, nekuti basa ramambo raifanira kukurumidzirwa.

⁸And David said to Ahimelech, And is there not here under thy hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, for the king's business was urgent.

⁹Mupristi akati, Munondo waGoriati muFirisitia, wawakauraya pamupata weEra, uri pano, wakaputirwa mumucheka mberi kweefodhi; kana uchida kuutora, chitora hako, nekuti hakuna mumwe asi iwoyo. Dhavhidhi akati, Hakuna nomumwe wakafanana nawo, ndipe hoyo.

⁹And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of terebinths, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if thou wilt take that, take it; for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that: give it me.

¹⁰Dhavhidhi akasimuka akatiza musi iwoyo nokutya Sauro, akaenda kuna Akishi, mambo weGati.

¹⁰And David arose, and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

¹¹Zvino varanda vaAkishi vakati kwaari, Ko uyu haazi Dhavhidhi mambo wenyika here? Haazi iye wavakaimbira vachibvumirana pakutamba kwavo, vachiti, Sauro wakauraya zviuru zvamazana ake,

¹¹And the servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul has smitten his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

¹²Dhavhidhi akarangarira mashoko iwayo mumoyo make, akatya kwazvo Akishi mambo weGati.

¹²And David took to heart these words, and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

¹³Akashandura mugarire wake pamberi pavo, akazviita sebenzi pakati pavo, akakwara-kwara pamagonhi esuwo, akarega mate ake achisiririka pandebvu dzake.

¹³And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on his beard.

¹⁴Zvino Akishi akati kuvaranda vake, Tarirai, munhu uyu ibenzi; mauyireiko naye kuno kwandiri?

¹⁴And Achish said to his servants, Behold, ye see the man is mad: why did ye bring him to me?

¹⁵Ini ndinoshaiwa mapenzi kanhi, zvamauya nomunhu uyu kuzoratidza upenzi hwake pamberi pangu? Munhu wakadai ungapinda mumba mangu here?

¹⁵have I lack of madmen, that ye have brought this one to rave in my presence? shall this [man] come into my house?