1 Samuel 25

1 And Samuel died, and all Israel were gathered together, and made lamentation for him, and buried him within his own house, in Ramah, —and David arose and went down into the wilderness of Maon.

And Samuel died, and all Israel assembled, and bewailed him, and they bury him in his house in Armathaim: and David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Maon.

2 Now there was, a man, in Maon, whose cattle were in Carmel, and, the man, was exceeding great, and, he, had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats, —and so it was, that he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

And there was a man in Maon, and his flocks were in Carmel, and [he was] a very great man; and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand she-goats: and he happened to be shearing his flock in Carmel.

3 Now, the name of the man, was Nabal, and, the name of his wife, Abigail, —and, the woman, was of good understanding, and of beautiful figure, —but, the man, was unfeeling and of evil practices, and he was a Calebite.

And the man's name [was] Nabal, and his wife's name [was] Abigaia: and his wife [was] of good understanding and very beautiful in person: but the man [was] harsh, and evil in his doings, and the man [was] churlish.

4 So then David heard in the wilderness, —that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

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

5 David, therefore, sent ten young men, —and David said unto the young men, —Go up to Carmel, and enter in unto Nabal, and ye shall ask him, in my name, of his welfare;

And David sent ten young men, and he said to the young men, Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and ask him in my name how he is.

6 and say thus—Long life to thee! Mayest, thou, prosper, And, thy household, prosper, And, all that thou hast, prosper!

And thus shall you say, May you and your house seasonably prosper, and all your be in prosperity.

7 Now, therefore, have I heard that thou hast shearers, —Well, the shepherds that thou hast, have been with us, we reproached them not, neither missed they, anything, all the days they were in Carmel.

And now, behold, I have heard that your shepherds who were with is in the wilderness are shearing your sheep, and we hindered them not, neither did we demand any thing from them all the time they were in Carmel.

8 Ask thy young men, that they may tell thee, that so my young men may find favour in thine eyes, for, on a good day, have we come! Give, I pray thee, what thy hand findeth, to thy servants, and to thy son, to David!

Ask your servants, and they will tell you. Let then your servants find grace in your eyes, for we are come on a good day; give we pray you, whatever your hand may find, to your son David.

9 So David’s young men came, and spake unto Nabal, according to all these words, in the name of David, —and waited.

So the servants come and speak these words to Nabal, according to all these words in the name of David.

10 Then Nabal answered the servants of David, and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? Nowadays, many are the servants that have broken away, every one from the presence of his lord:

And Nabal sprang up, and answered the servants of David, and said, Who [is] David? and who [is] the son of Jessae? Now-a-days there is abundance of servants who depart every one from his master.

11 Shall I, then, take my bread, and my wine, and my slain beasts, that I have slaughtered for my shearers, —and give unto men of whom I know not whence they are?

And shall I take my bread, and my wine, and my beasts that I have slain for my shearers, and shall I give them to men of whom I know not whence they are?

12 So the young men of David turned away for their journey, —and came back, and drew near, and told him, according to all these words.

So the servants of David turned back, and returned, and came and reported to David according to these words.

13 Then said David unto his men—Gird on you every man his sword. And they girded on them, every man his sword, and, David also, girded on his sword, —and there went up after David—about four hundred men, and, two hundred, abode by the stores.

And David said to his men, Gird on every man his sword. And they went up after David, about four hundred men: and two hundred abode with the stuff.

14 But a certain one of her young men told, Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, —Lo! David sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless our lord, and he treated them with contempt.

And one of the servants reported to Abigaia the wife of Nabal, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our lord; but he turned away from them.

15 But, the men, were exceeding good to us, —and we were not harmed, neither missed we, anything, all the days we went to and fro with them, while we were in the fields:

And the men were very good to us; they did not hinder us, neither did they demand from us any thing all the days that we were with them.

16 A wall, became they unto us, both by night and by day, all the days we were with them, tending the flock.

And when we were in the field, they were as a wall round about us, both by night and by day, all the days that we were with them feeding the flock.

17 Now, therefore, know thou, and see, what thou canst do, for mischief is determined against our lord, and against all his household, —but, he, is such an abandoned man, that one cannot speak unto him.

And now do you consider, and see what you will do; for mischief is determined against our lord and against his house; and he [is] a vile character, and one can’t speak to him.

18 Then Abigail hastened—and took two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and five sheep made ready, and five measures of parched corn, and a hundred cakes of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, —and put them on the asses.

And Abigaia hasted, and took two hundred loaves, and two vessels of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five ephahs of fine flour, and one homer of dried grapes, and two hundred cakes of figs, and put them upon asses.

19 And she said to her young men—Pass on before me, behold me coming after you; but, to her husband, Nabal, told she nothing.

And she said to her servants, Go on before me, and behold I come after you: but she told not her husband.

20 And so it was, as she was riding on her ass, and descending within the covert of the hill, lo! David and his men, descending over against her, —so she met them.

And it came to pass when she had mounted her ass and was going down by the covert of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down to meet her, and she met them.

21 Now, David, had said—Surely, in vain, did I guard all that pertained to this man in the wilderness, so that there was, nothing, missed of all that he had, —seeing he hath returned to me evil for good.

And David said, Perhaps I have kept all his possessions in the wilderness that he should wrong me, and we did not order the taking anything of all his goods; yet he has rewarded me evil for good.

22 So may God do to David and so may he add, if I leave remaining, of all that he hath, until the morning, —so much as a little boy.

So God do to David and more also, if I leave one male of all that belong to Nabal until the morning.

23 And, when Abigail saw David, she hastened, and alighted from off her ass, —and fell down before David upon her face, and prostrated herself on the ground;

And Abigaia saw David, and she hasted and alighted from her ass; and she felt before David on her face, and did obeisance to him, [bowing] to the ground

24 yea she fell at his feet, and said—On me, even me, my lord, be the transgression, —But, I pray thee, let thy handmaid speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy handmaid.

[even] to his feet, and said, On me, my lord, be my wrong: let, I pray you, your servant speak in your ears, and hear you the words of your servant.

25 Let it not be, I pray thee, that my lord regard this abandoned man—Nabal ["Base"]; For, as his name is, so, is he. Nabal, is his name, and, baseness, is with him, —But, I, thy handmaid, saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

Let not my lord, I pray you, take to heart this pestilent man, for according to his name, so is he; Nabal [is] his name, and folly [is] with him: but I your handmaid saw not the servants of my lord whom you did send.

26 Now, therefore, my lord—By the life of Yahweh, and by the life of thine own soul, —seeing Yahweh hath withholden thee from coming in with bloodshed, and from saving thyself, with thine own hand, now, therefore, like Nabal, be thine enemies, and they who are making search for my lord, wrongfully.

And now, my lord, [as] the Lord lives, and your soul lives, as the Lord has kept you from coming against innocent blood, and from executing vengeance for yourself, now therefore let your enemies, and those that seek evil against my lord, become as Nabal.

27 Now, therefore, this blessing which thy maid-servant hath brought to my lord, let it even be given unto the young men who are going to and fro at the feet of my lord.

And now accept this token of goodwill, which your servant has brought to my lord, and you shall give it to the servants that wait on my lord.

28 Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy handmaid, —for Yahweh, will certainly make, for my lord an assured house, for, the battles of Yahweh, is my lord fighting, and, wrong, shall not be found in thee, all thy days;

Remove, I pray you, the trespass of your servant; for the Lord will surely make for my lord a sure house, for the Lord fights the battles of my lord, and there shall no evil be ever found in you.

29 yea, though there hath arisen a sun of earth to pursue thee, and to seek thy life, yet shall the life of my lord be bound up in the bundle of the living, with Yahweh thy God, but, as for the life of thine enemies, he shall sling it out with the middle of the hollow of the sling.

And [if] a man shall rise up persecuting you and seeking your life, yet shall the life of my lord be bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord God, and you shall whirl the life of your enemies [as] in the midst of a sling.

30 And it shall be, when Yahweh shall do for my lord, according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, —and shall put thee in charge as leader over Israel,

And it shall be when the Lord shall have wrought for my lord all the good things he has spoken concerning you, and shall appoint you to be ruler over Israel;

31 then shall this not become to thee a staggering and stumbling of heart, unto my lord—that thou didst either shed blood without need, or that the hand of my lord saved himself. And, when Yahweh hath dealt well with my lord, then remember thou thy handmaid.

then this shall not be an abomination and offence to my lord, to have shed innocent blood without cause, and for my lord to have avenged himself: and so may the Lord do good to my lord, and you shall remember your handmaid to do her good.

32 Then said David unto Abigail, —Blessed, be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who hath sent thee this day, to meet me;

And David said to Abigaia, Blessed [be] the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this very day to meet me:

33 and, blessed, be thy discreet judgment, and, blessed, be thou thyself, —who hast kept me, this day, from coming in with bloodshed, and from saving myself, with mine own hand.

and blessed [be] your conduct, and blessed [be] you, who have hindered me this very day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself.

34 Nevertheless, by the life of Yahweh, God of Israel, who hath restrained me from harming, thee, surely, except thou hadst hastened and come to meet me, there had not been left unto Nabal, by the light of the morning, so much as a little boy.

But surely as the Lord God of Israel lives, who hindered me this day from doing you harm, if you had not hasted and come to meet me, then I said, There shall [surely] not be left to Nabal till the morning one male.

35 So David received at her hand, that which she had brought him, —and, unto herself, he said—Go up, in peace, unto thy house, see! I have hearkened unto thy voice, and accepted thy person.

And David took of her hand all that she brought to him, and said to her, Go in peace to your house: see, I have listened to your voice, and accepted your petition.

36 And, when Abigail came unto Nabal, lo! he, had a banquet in his house, like the banquet of a king, and, the heart of Nabal, was glad accordingly, he having drunk deeply, —so she told him nothing—less or more, until the light of the morning.

And Abigaia came to Nabal: and, behold, he had a banquet in this house, as the banquet of a king, and the heart of Nabal [was] merry within him, and he [was] very drunken: and she told him nothing great or small till the morning light.

37 And it came to pass, in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, and his wife told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone.

And it came to pass in the morning, when Nabal recovered from his wine, his wife told him these words; and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

38 And it came to pass, in about ten days, that Yahweh smote Nabal, that he died.

And it came to pass after about ten days, that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.

39 And, when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said—Blessed, be Yahweh, who hath maintained the plea of my reproach, at the hand of Nabal, and hath restrained, his servant, from wrong, yea, the wrong of Nabal, hath Yahweh turned back on his own head. Then sent David, and spake with Abigail, to take her to himself wife.

And David heard it and said, Blessed [be] the Lord, who has judged the cause of my reproach at the hand of Nabal, and has delivered his servant from the power of evil; and the Lord has returned the mischief of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and spoke concerning Abigaia, to take her to himself for a wife.

40 And the servants of David came unto Abigail the Carmelitess, —and spake unto her, saying, David, hath sent us unto thee, to take thee to himself to wife.

So the servants of David came to Abigaia to Carmel, and spoke to her, saying, David has sent us to you, to take you to himself for a wife.

41 And she arose, and bowed herself down with her face to the earth, —and said—Lo! thy handmaid, as serving-woman to bathe the feet of the servants of my lord.

And she arose, and did reverence with her face to the earth, and said, Behold, your servant [is] for an handmaid to wash the feet of your servants.

42 And Abigail hastened, and mounted, and rode upon her ass, with her five damsels that used to journey at her feet, —and she went her way after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

And Abigaia arose, and mounted her ass, and five damsels followed her: and she went after the servants of David, and became his wife.

43 David took, Ahinoam also, out of Jezreel, —and, they two, became his wives.

And David took Achinaam out of Jezrael, and they were both his wives.

44 Saul, indeed, had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, —to Palti, sun of Laish, who was of Gallim.

And Saul gave Melchol his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the son of Amis who was of Romma.