1 Samuel 21:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the priest answered David, "I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread — if the young men have kept themselves from women."

NIV: But the priest answered David, "I don’t have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here—provided the men have kept themselves from women."

NASB: The priest answered David and said, 'There is no ordinary bread on hand, but there is consecrated bread, if only the young men have kept themselves from women.'

CSB: The priest told him, "There is no ordinary bread on hand. However, there is consecrated bread, but the young men may eat it only if they have kept themselves from women."

NLT: We don’t have any regular bread,' the priest replied. 'But there is the holy bread, which you can have if your young men have not slept with any women recently.'

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

NKJV: And the priest answered David and said, “ There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.”

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.