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.
Forsothe Samuel was deed; and al Israel was gaderid to gidere, and thei biweiliden hym greetly, and birieden hym in his hows in Ramatha. And Dauid roos, and yede doun in to deseert of Faran.
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.
Forsothe a `man was in Maon, and his possessioun was in Carmele, and thilke man was ful greet, and thre thousynde scheep and a thousynde geet `weren to hym; and it bifelde that his flocke was clippid in Carmele.
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.
Forsothe the name of that man was Nabal, and the name of his wijf was Abigail; and thilke womman was moost prudent and fair; forsothe hir hosebond was hard and ful wickid and malicious; sotheli he was of the kyn of Caleph.
4 So then David heard in the wilderness, —that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
Therfor whanne Dauid hadde herde in deseert, that Nabal clippide his floc,
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;
he sente ten yonge men, and seide to hem, Stie ye in to Carmele, and ye schulen come to Nabal, and ye schulen grete hym of my name pesibli;
6 and say thus—Long life to thee! Mayest, thou, prosper, And, thy household, prosper, And, all that thou hast, prosper!
and ye schulen seie thus, Pees be to my britheren and to thee, and pees be to thin hows, and pees be to alle thingis, `what euer thingis thou hast.
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.
Y herde that thi scheepherdis, that weren with vs in deseert, clippiden thi flockis; we weren neuere diseseful to hem, nether ony tyme ony thing of the floc failide to hem, in al time in which thei weren with vs in Carmele;
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!
axe thi children, and thei schulen schewe to thee. Now therfor thi children fynde grace in thin iyen; for in a good dai we camen to thee; what euer thing thin hond fyndith, yyue to thi seruauntis, and to thi sone Dauid.
9 So David’s young men came, and spake unto Nabal, according to all these words, in the name of David, —and waited.
And whanne the children of Dauid hadden come, thei spaken to Nabal alle these wordis in the name of Dauid, and helden pees.
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:
Forsoth Nabal answeride to the children of Dauid, and seide, Who is Dauith? and who is the sone of Isai? To dai seruauntis encreesiden that fleen her lords.
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?
Therfor schal Y take my looues and my watris, and the fleischis of beestis, whiche Y haue slayn to my schereris, and schal Y yyue to men, whiche Y knowe not of whennus thei ben?
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.
Therfor the children of Dauid yeden ayen bi her weie; and thei turneden ayen, and camen, and telden to hym alle wordis whiche Nabal hadde seid.
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.
Thanne Dauid seide to hise children, Ech man be gird with his swerd. And alle men weren gird with her swerdis, and Dauid also was gird with his swerd; and as foure hundrid men sueden Dauid, forsothe two hundrid leften at the fardels.
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.
Forsothe oon of hise children telde to Abigail, wijf of Nabal, and seide, Lo! Dauid sente messangeris fro deseert, that thei schulden blesse oure lord, and he turnede hem awey;
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:
these men weren good ynow, and not diseseful to vs, and no thing perischide `in ony tyme in al the tyme in which we lyueden with hem in deseert;
16 A wall, became they unto us, both by night and by day, all the days we were with them, tending the flock.
thei weren to vs for a wal, bothe in niyt and in dai, in alle daies in whiche we lesewiden flockis at hem.
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.
Wherfor biholde thou, and thenke, what thou schalt do; for malice is fillid ayens thin hosebonde, and ayens `thin hows; and he is the sone of Belial, so that no man may speke 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.
Therfor Abigail hastide, and took two hundrid looues, and two vessels of wyn, and fyue whetheris sodun, and seuene buyschelis and an half of flour, and an hundrid bundles of dried grape, and two hundrid gobetis of dried figus; and puttide on assis,
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 seide to hir children, Go ye bifor me; lo! Y schal sue you `aftir the bak. Forsothe sche schewide not to hir hosebonde Nabal.
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.
Therfor whanne sche hadde stied on the asse, and cam doun `at the roote of the hil, and Dauid and hise men camen doun in to the comyng `of hir; whiche also sche mette.
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 Dauid seide, Verili in veyn Y haue kept alle thingis that weren of this Nabal in the deseert, and no thing perischide of alle thingis that perteyneden to hym, and he hath yolde to me yuel 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.
The Lord do these thingis, and adde these thingis to the enemyes of Dauid, if Y schal leeue of alle thingis that perteynen to him til the morewe a pisser to the wal.
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;
Sotheli whanne Abigail siy Dauid, sche hastide, and yede doun of the asse; and sche fel doun bifor Dauid on hir face, and worschipide on the erthe.
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.
And sche felde doun to hise feet, and seide, My lord the kyng, this wickydnesse be in me; Y biseche, speke thin handmayden in thin eeris, and here thou the wordis of thi seruauntesse;
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.
Y preie, my lord the kyng, sette not his herte on this wickid man Nabal, for bi his name he is a fool, and foli is with hym; but, my lord, Y thin handmayde siy not thi children, whiche thou sentist.
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.
Now therfor, my lord, the Lord lyueth, and thi soule lyueth, which Lord forbeed thee, lest thou schuldist come in to blood, and he sauede thi soule to thee; and now thin enemyes, and thei that seken yuel to my lord, be maad 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.
Wherfor resseyue thou this blessyng, which thin handmaide brouyte to thee, my lord, and yyue thou to the children that suen thee, 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;
Do thou awey the wickidnesse of thi seruauntesse; for the Lord makynge schal make a feithful hows to thee, my lord, for thou, my lord, fiytist the batels of the Lord; therfor malice be not foundun in thee in alle dais of thi lijf.
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.
For if a man risith ony tyme, and pursueth thee, and sekith thi lijf, the lijf of my lord schal be kept as in a bundel of lyuynge trees, at thi Lord God; forsothe the soule of thin enemyes schal be hurlid round aboute as in feersnesse, and sercle of a slynge.
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,
Therfor whanne the Lord hath do to thee, my lord, alle these goode thingis, whiche he spak of thee, and hath ordeyned thee duyk on 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.
this schal not be in to siyyng and in to doute of herte to thee, my lord, that thou hast sched out giltles blood, ether that thou hast vengid thee. And whanne the Lord hath do wel to thee, my lord, thou schalt haue mynde on thin handmaide, and thou schalt do wel to hir.
32 Then said David unto Abigail, —Blessed, be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who hath sent thee this day, to meet me;
And Dauid seide to Abigail, Blessid be the Lord God of Israel, that sente thee to dai in to my comyng, and blessid be thi speche;
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 blessid be thou, that hast forbede me, lest Y yede to blood, and vengide me with myn hond;
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.
ellis the Lord God of Israel lyueth, which forbeed me, `lest Y dide yuel to thee, if thou haddist not soone come in to `metyng to me, a pissere to the wal schulde not haue left to Nabal til to the morewe liyt.
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.
Therfor Dauid resseyuede of hir hond alle thingis whiche sche hadde brouyt to hym; and he seide to hir, Go thou in pees in to thin hows; lo! Y herde thi vois, and Y onouride thi face.
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.
Forsothe Abigail cam to Nabal; and, lo! a feeste was to him in his hows, as the feeste of a kyng; and the herte of Nabal was iocounde, for he was `drunkun greetli; and sche schewide not to hym a word litil ether greet til the morewe.
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.
Forsothe in the morewtid, whanne Nabal hadde defied the wiyn, his wijf schewide to hym alle these wordis; and his herte was almest deed with ynne, and he was maad as a stoon.
38 And it came to pass, in about ten days, that Yahweh smote Nabal, that he died.
And whanne ten daies hadden passid, the Lord smoot Nabal, and he was deed.
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.
Which thing whanne Dauid hadde herd, Nabal deed, he seide, Blessid be the Lord God, that vengide the cause of my schenschip of the hond of Nabal, and kepte his seruaunt fro yuel, and the Lord yeldide the malice of Nabal in to the heed of hym. Therfor Dauid sente, and spak to Abigail, that he wolde take hir wijf to hym.
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.
And the children of Dauid camen to Abigail in to Carmele, and spaken to hir, and seiden, Dauid sente vs to thee, that he take thee in to wijf to hym.
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 sche roos, and worschipide lowe to erthe, and seide, Lo! thi seruauntesse be in to an handmayde, that sche waische the feet of the seruauntis of my lord.
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 Abigail hastide, and roos, and stiede on an asse; and fyue damesels, sueris of hir feet, yeden with hir, and sche suede the messangeris of Dauid, and was maad wijf to hym.
43 David took, Ahinoam also, out of Jezreel, —and, they two, became his wives.
But also Dauid took Achynoem of Jezrael, and euer eithir was wijf to hym;
44 Saul, indeed, had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, —to Palti, sun of Laish, who was of Gallim.
forsothe Saul yaf Mycol his douytir, wijf of Dauid, to Phalti, the sone of Lais, that was of Gallym.
