¹Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech came to meet David trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no man with you?”

¹¶ Katahi ka tae a Rawiri ki Nopo ki te tohunga ki a Ahimereke. A wiri ana a Ahimereke i te tutakitanga ki a Rawiri, a ka mea ki a ia, He aha koe i haere mai ai, tou kotahi, kahore na hoki ou hoa?

²David 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 about which I send you, and what I have commanded you; and I have appointed the young men to such and such a place.’

²Na ka mea a Rawiri ki te tohunga, ki a Ahimereke, He mea i whakahaua ai ahau e te kingi; i mea mai hoki ia ki ahau, Kei mohiotia e tetahi he kupu o te take ka tonoa atu nei koe e ahau, i whakahaua atu nei koe e ahau. Na, ko nga tangata, kei te wa hi i kiia e ahau mo ratou.

³Now therefore what is under your hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever there is present.”

³Na, he aha kei raro i tou ringa? homai etahi taro ki toku ringa, kia rima: etahi atu mea ranei kei konei.

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

⁴Na ka utu te tohunga ki a Rawiri, ka mea, Kahore he taro noa i toku ringa: engari tenei te taro tapu; ki te mea raia kahore i tata nga tangata ki te wahine.

⁵David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about these three days. When I came out, the vessels of the young men were holy, though it was but a common journey. How much more then today shall their vessels be holy?”

⁵Na ka whakahoki a Rawiri ki te tohunga, ka mea ki a ia, He pono kihai tetahi wahine i tukua kia tata ki a matou i enei ra e toru; noku i haere mai nei e tapu ana ano nga mea o nga tamariki, ahakoa ra he haere noa tenei; tera noa atu ia te tapu in aianei o o ratou mea.

⁶So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the show bread, that was taken from before Yahweh, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

⁶Na ka hoatu te mea tapu e te tohunga ki a ia: kahore hoki o reira taro, heoi ano ko te taro aroaro i tangohia nei i te aroaro o Ihowa, kia whakatakotoria ai he taro mahana i te ra i tangohia ai.

⁷Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Yahweh; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the best of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul.

⁷Na, i reira tetahi o nga tangata a Haora i taua ra, e whakawarea ana ki te aroaro o Ihowa, ko tona ingoa ko Roeke Eromi, ko te mea tino nui o nga kaitiaki hipi a Haora.

⁸David said to Ahimelech, “Isn’t there here under your hand spear or sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.”

⁸Na ka mea a Rawiri ki a Ahimereke, Kahore ianei i konei i raro i tou ringa tetahi tao, hoari ranei: kihai hoki i maua mai e ahau taku hoari me aku patu, he mea whakapotatutatu hoki te take a te kingi.

⁹The priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it; for there is no other except that here.” David said, “There is none like that. Give it to me.”

⁹Ano ra ko te tohunga, Ko te hoari a Koriata, a te Pirihitini, i patua na e koe ki te raorao o Eraha; nana, koia tenei he mea takai ki te kakahu i muri o te epora. Ki te tangohia tena e koe mau, tangohia; kahore atu hoki, ko tena anake. Na ka mea a Rawiri, Kahore ona rite, homai ki ahau.

¹⁰David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

¹⁰¶ Katahi a Rawiri ka whakatika, a rere ana i taua ra ano i te wehi i a Haora, a tae tonu atu ki a Akihi kingi o Kata.

¹¹The servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David the king of the land? Didn’t they sing one to another about him in dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, David his ten thousands?’”

¹¹Na ka mea nga tangata a Akihi ki a ia, Ehara ianei tenei i a Rawiri, i te kingi o te whenua? kihai ianei ratou i waiata mona, tetahi ki tetahi i roto i nga kanikani, i mea, Na Haora ana mano i patu, na Rawiri ko ana tekau mano?

¹²David laid up these words in his heart, and was very afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

¹²Na mau tonu iho enei kupu i te ngakau o Rawiri, a nui atu tona wehi i a Akihi kingi a Kata.

¹³He changed his behavior before them, and pretended to be mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on his beard.

¹³Na ka whakaahua ke ia ki to ratou aroaro, a ka whakahaurangi i a ia i roto i a ratou; ka haehae hoki i nga tatau o te kuwaha, a ka tuku i tona huhare kia tarere iho ki tona kimikumi.

¹⁴Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me?

¹⁴Katahi a Akihi ka mea ki ana tangata, Nana, kua kite koutou i te tangata nei e haurangi ana; he aha i kawea mai ai ki ahau?

¹⁵Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

¹⁵He onge no aku tangata haurangi i kawea mai ai tenei e koutou hei mahi i nga mahi a te haurangi ki ahau? me uru mai koia tenei tahake ki toku whare?