1 Samuel 25

1 And Samuel died, and all Israel was gathered together, and they mourned for him, and buried him in his house in Ramatha. And David rose and went down into the wilderness of Pharan.

Samuel died; and all Israel gathered themselves together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Maon.

2 Now there was a certain man in the wilderness of Maon, and his possessions were in Carmel, and the man was very great: and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and it happened that he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

There was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

3 Now the name of the man was Nabal: and the name of his wife was Abigail. And she was a prudent and very comely woman, but her husband was churlish, and very bad and ill natured: and he was of the house of Caleb.

Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail. And the woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings; and the man was a Calebite.

4 And when David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep,

David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

5 He sent ten young men, and said to them: Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and salute him in my name with peace.

So David sent ten young men, and said to the young men, "Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name.

6 And you shall say: Peace be to my brethren, and to thee, and peace to thy house, and peace to all that thou hast.

Thus you are to say to my brother, 'Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.

7 I heard that thy shepherds that were with us in the desert were shearing: we never molested them, neither was there ought missing to them of the flock at any time, all the while they were with us in Carmel.

And now, look, I have heard that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us in the wilderness, and we did not hurt them, neither was there anything missing from them, all the while they were in Carmel.

8 Ask thy servants, and they will tell thee. Now therefore let thy servants find favour in thy eyes: for we are come in a good day, whatsoever thy hand shall find give to thy servants, and to thy son David.

Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let the young men find favor in your eyes; for we come in a good day. Please give whatever comes to your hand, to your servants, and to your son David.'"

9 And when David’s servants came, they spoke to Nabal all these words in David’s name: and then held their peace.

So the young men came and spoke to Nabal according to all those words on David's behalf, but he behaved arrogantly.

10 But Nabal answering the servants of David, said: Who is David? and what is the son of Isai? servants are multiplied now a days who flee from their masters.

Nabal answered David's servants, and said, "Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants who break away from their masters these days.

11 Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and the flesh of my cattle, which I have killed for my shearers, and give to men whom I know not whence they are?

Shall I then take my bread, and my wine, and my meat that I have slaughtered for the shearers of my sheep, and give it to men who I do not know where they come from?"

12 So the servants of David went back their way, and returning came and told him all the words that he said.

So David's young men turned on their way, and went back, and came and told him according to all these words.

13 Then David said to his young men: Let every man gird on his sword. And they girded on every man his sword. And David also girded on his sword: and there followed David about four hundred men: and two hundred remained with the baggage.

David said to his men, "Every man put on his sword." So every man put on his sword. David also put on his sword. About four hundred men followed David; and two hundred stayed by the baggage.

14 But one of the servants told Abigail the wife of Nabal, saying: Behold David sent messengers out of the wilderness, to salute our master: and he rejected them.

But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, "Look, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master; and he railed at them.

15 These men were very good to us, and gave us no trouble: neither did we ever lose any thing all the time that we conversed with them in the desert.

But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields.

16 They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

17 Wherefore consider, and think what thou hast to do: for evil is determined against thy husband, and against thy house, and he is a son of Belial, so that no man can speak to him.

Now therefore know and consider what you will do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house; for he is such a worthless fellow that one can't speak to him."

18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves, and two vessels of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of dry figs, and laid them upon asses:

Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two bottles of wine, five sheep ready dressed, five measures of parched grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.

19 And she said to her servants: Go before me: behold I will follow after you: but she told not her husband Nabal.

She said to her young men, "Go on before me. Look, I come after you." But she did not tell her husband.

20 And when she had gotten upon an ass, and was coming down to the foot of the mountain, David and his men came down over against her, and she met them.

It was so, as she rode on her donkey, and came down by the covert of the mountain, that look, David and his men came down toward her; and she met them.

21 And David said: Truly in vain have I kept all that belonged to this man in the wilderness, and nothing was lost of all that pertained unto him: and he hath returned me evil for good.

Now David had said, "Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained to him. He has returned me evil for good.

22 May God do so and so, and add more to the foes of David, if I leave of all that belong to him till the morning, any that pisseth against the wall.

God do so to David, and more also, if I leave of all that belongs to him by the morning light so much as one who urinates on a wall."

23 And when Abigail saw David she made haste and lighted off the ass, and fell before David, on her face, and adored upon the ground.

When Abigail saw David, she hurried, and got off from her donkey, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground at his feet.

24 And she fell at his feet, and said: Upon me let this iniquity be, my lord: let thy handmaid speak, I beseech thee, in thy ears: and hear the words of thy servant.

And she said, "On me, my lord, be the guilt; and please let your servant speak to you directly, and hear the words of your servant.

25 Let not my lord the king, I pray, regard this naughty man Nabal: for according to his name, he is a fool, and folly is with him: but I thy handmaid did not see thy servants, my lord, whom thou sentest.

Please do not let my lord regard this worthless fellow, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your servant, did not see the young men whom you sent.

26 Now therefore, my lord, the Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth, who hath withholden thee from coming to blood, and hath saved thy hand to thee: and now let thy enemies be as Nabal, and all they that seek evil to my lord.

Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, since the LORD has withheld you from blood guiltiness, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now therefore let your enemies, and those who seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.

27 Wherefore receive this blessing, which thy handmaid hath brought to thee, my lord: and give it to the young men that follow thee, my lord.

Now this present which your servant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.

28 Forgive the iniquity of thy handmaid: for the Lord will surely make for my lord a faithful house, because thou, my lord, fightest the battles of the Lord: let not evil therefore be found in thee all the days of thy life.

Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD; and evil shall not be found in you all your days.

29 For if a man at any time shall rise, and persecute thee, and seek thy life, the soul of my lord shall be kept, as in the bundle of the living, with the Lord thy God: but the souls of thy enemies shall be whirled, as with the violence and whirling of a sling.

Though men may rise up to pursue you, and to seek your soul, yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD your God. He will sling out the souls of your enemies, as from the hollow of a sling.

30 And when the Lord shall have done to thee, my lord, all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have made thee prince over Israel,

It shall come to pass, when the LORD has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and shall have appointed you prince over Israel,

31 This shall not be an occasion of grief to thee, and a scruple of heart to my lord, that thou hast shed innocent blood, or hast revenged thyself: and when the Lord shall have done well by my lord, thou shalt remember thy handmaid.

that this will have no cause of grief or a troubled conscience for my lord, that blood was shed without cause and that my lord has gained victory by his own hand. And when the LORD has done well with my lord, then remember your servant."

32 And David said to Abigail: Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me, and blessed be thy speech:

David said to Abigail, "Blessed is the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me.

33 And blessed be thou, who hast kept me today, from coming to blood, and revenging me with my own hand.

Blessed is your discretion, and blessed are you, that have kept me this day from blood guiltiness, and from avenging myself with my own hand.

34 Otherwise as the Lord liveth the God of Israel, who hath withholden me from doing thee any evil: if thou hadst not quickly come to meet me, there had not been left to Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

For indeed, as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has withheld me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there wouldn't have been left to Nabal by the morning light so much as one who urinates on a wall."

35 And David received at her hand all that she had brought him, and said to her: Go in peace into thy house, behold I have heard thy voice, and have honoured thy face.

So David received of her hand that which she had brought him: and he said to her, "Go up in peace to your house. Look, I have listened to your voice, and have granted your request."

36 And Abigail came to Nabal: and behold he had a feast in his house, like the feast of a king, and Nabal’s heart was merry: for he was very drunk: and she told him nothing less or more until morning.

Abigail came to Nabal; and look, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. Therefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.

37 But early in the morning when Nabal had digested his wine, his wife told him these words, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

It happened in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

38 And after ten days had passed, the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.

It happened about ten days after, that the LORD struck Nabal, so that he died.

39 And when David had heard that Nabal was dead, he said: Blessed be the Lord, who hath judged the cause of my reproach at the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil, and the Lord hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his head. Then David sent and treated with Abigail, that he might take her to himself for a wife.

And David heard, and he said, "Blessed is the LORD, who has taken my side in the matter of Nabal's insult, and has kept back his servant from evil. The LORD has returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head." David sent and spoke concerning Abigail, to take her to him as wife.

40 And David’s servants came to Abigail to Carmel, and spoke to her, saying: David hath sent us to thee, to take thee to himself for a wife.

When the servants of David had come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, "David has sent us to you, to take you to be his wife."

41 And she arose and bowed herself down with her face to the earth, and said: Behold, let thy servant be a handmaid, to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

She got up and bowed herself with her face to the ground, and said, "Look, your servant is a lowly servant to wash the feet of your servants."

42 And Abigail arose, and made haste, and got upon an ass, and five damsels went with her, her waiting maids, and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife.

Then Abigail got up quickly and rode on a donkey, and with five female servants following her; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife.

43 Moreover David took also Achinoam of Jezrahel: and they were both of them his wives.

David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they both became his wives.

44 But Saul gave Michol his daughter, David’s wife, to Phalti, the son of Lais, who was of Gallium.

Now Saul had given Mikal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.