1 Samuel 25

1 and to die Samuel and to gather all Israel and to mourn to/for him and to bury him in/on/with house: home his in/on/with Ramah and to arise: rise David and to go down to(wards) wilderness Paran

[Soon after that], Samuel died, and all the Israeli people gathered and mourned for him. They buried his body outside his home in Ramah. Then David and his men moved to the Maon Desert.

2 and man in/on/with Maon and deed: work his in/on/with Carmel and [the] man great: large much and to/for him flock three thousand and thousand goat and to be in/on/with to shear [obj] flock his in/on/with Carmel

In Maon [town] there was a man who owned land in Carmel, [a nearby village]. He was very rich; he owned 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats.

3 and name [the] man Nabal and name woman: wife his Abigail and [the] woman pleasant understanding and beautiful appearance and [the] man severe and bad: evil deed and he/she/it (Calebite *Q(K)*)

His name was Nabal; he was a descendant of Caleb. His wife Abigail was a wise and beautiful woman, but Nabal was very cruel and treated people very unkindly [IDM].

4 and to hear: hear David in/on/with wilderness for to shear Nabal [obj] flock his

One day while David [and his men] were in the desert, someone told him that Nabal was cutting the wool from his sheep.

5 and to send: depart David ten youth and to say David to/for youth to ascend: rise Carmel [to] and to come (in): come to(wards) Nabal and to ask to/for him in/on/with name my to/for peace: greeting

So David told ten of his men, “Go to Nabal at Carmel and greet him for me.

6 and to say thus to/for alive and you(m. s.) peace: greeting and house: household your peace: greeting and all which to/for you peace: greeting

Then tell to him this message from me, ‘I wish/desire that things will go well for you and your family and for everything that you possess.

7 and now to hear: hear for to shear to/for you now [the] to pasture which to/for you to be with us not be humiliated them and not to reckon: missing to/for them anything all day to be they in/on/with Carmel

‘heard people say that you are cutting the wool from your sheep. Previously, when your shepherds were among us, we did not harm them. All the time that your shepherds were among us at Camel, we did not steal any sheep from them.

8 to ask [obj] youth your and to tell to/for you and to find [the] youth favor in/on/with eye: appearance your for upon day pleasant to come (in): come to give: give [emph?] please [obj] which to find hand: power your to/for servant/slave your and to/for son: child your to/for David

You can ask your servants if this is true, and they will tell you [that it is true]. We have come here at a time when you are celebrating, so I ask you to please be kind to us and give these men whatever extra food you have, for me, David, and my men to eat.’”

9 and to come (in): come youth David and to speak: speak to(wards) Nabal like/as all [the] word: thing [the] these in/on/with name David and to rest

When David’s men arrived where Nabal was, they gave David’s message to him, and they waited [for him to reply]. But Nabal spoke harshly to them.

10 and to answer Nabal [obj] servant/slave David and to say who? David and who? son: child Jesse [the] day to multiply servant/slave [the] to break through man: anyone from face: before lord his

He said to them, “Who [does] this man, this son of Jesse, [think that he] is? [DOU, RHQ] There are many slaves who are running away from their masters at the present time, [and it seems to me that he is just one of them].

11 and to take: take [obj] food: bread my and [obj] water my and [obj] slaughtered my which to slaughter to/for to shear me and to give: give to/for human which not to know where? from this they(masc.)

I give bread and water to the men who are cutting the wool from my sheep, and I give them meat from animals that I have slaughtered. Why should I take some of those things and give them to a group of outlaws [RHQ]? (Who knows where they have come from?/I do not even know where they have come from.)” [RHQ]

12 and to overturn youth David to/for way: journey their and to return: return and to come (in): come and to tell to/for him like/as all [the] word: thing [the] these

Then David’s men returned and told him what Nabal had said.

13 and to say David to/for human his to gird man: anyone [obj] sword his and to gird man: anyone [obj] sword his and to gird also David [obj] sword his and to ascend: rise after David like/as four hundred man and hundred to dwell upon [the] article/utensil

When David heard that, he told his men, “[We are going to kill Nabal; ] fasten your swords!” So he fastened on his sword and about 400 men fastened on their swords and went with David. There were 200 of his men who stayed with their supplies.

14 and to/for Abigail woman: wife Nabal to tell youth one from [the] youth to/for to say behold to send: depart David messenger from [the] wilderness to/for to bless [obj] lord our and to scream in/on/with them

One of Nabal’s servants [found out what David and his men were planning to do, so he] went to Nabal’s wife Abigail and said to her, “David sent some messengers from the desert to greet our master Nabal, but Nabal only yelled at them.

15 and [the] human pleasant to/for us much and not be humiliated and not to reckon: missing anything all day to go: went with them in/on/with to be we in/on/with land: country

All the time that we were in the fields close to them, those men of David were very kind to us. They did not harm us. They did not steal anything from us.

16 wall to be upon us also night also by day all day to be we with them to pasture [the] flock

They protected us during the daytime and during the night. They were like a wall [MET] around us to protect us while we were taking care of our sheep.

17 and now to know and to see: examine what? to make: do for to end: decides [the] distress: harm to(wards) lord our and upon all house: household his and he/she/it son: descendant/people Belial from to speak: speak to(wards) him

So now you should think about it and decide what you can do. [If you do not do something, ] terrible things will happen to our master and to all his family. Nabal is an extremely wicked man, with the result that [he will not heed anyone when] that person tries to tell him anything [that he should do].”

18 and to hasten (Abigail *Q(k)*) and to take: take hundred food: bread and two bag wine and five flock (to make *Q(k)*) and five seah roasted and hundred cluster and hundred fig cake and to set: put upon [the] donkey

[When] Abigail [heard that, she] very quickly gathered 200 loaves [of bread], and also got two leather bags full of wine, the meat from five sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, 100 packs of raisins, and 200 packs of dried figs. She put all those things on donkeys.

19 and to say to/for youth her to pass to/for face: before my look! I after you to come (in): come and to/for man: husband her Nabal not to tell

Then she told her servants, “Go ahead of me. I will follow you.” But she did not tell her husband [what she was going to do].

20 and to be he/she/it to ride upon [the] donkey and to go down in/on/with secrecy [the] mountain: mount and behold David and human his to go down to/for to encounter: toward her and to meet [obj] them

David and his men [had left the place where they were staying and were on the road to Nabal’s property. They] were coming down a hill when they met Abigail.

21 and David to say surely to/for deception to keep: guard [obj] all which to/for this in/on/with wilderness and not to reckon: missing from all which to/for him anything and to return: return to/for me distress: evil underneath: instead welfare

David had been saying to his men, “It was useless for us to protect that man and all his possessions here in this desert. We did not steal anything that belonged to him, but he has done evil to me in return for our good [things we did for him].

22 thus to make: do God to/for enemy David and thus to add if: surely no to remain from all which to/for him till [the] morning to urinate in/on/with wall

I hope/desire that God will strike me and kill me [IDM] if he or even one of his men [IDM] is still alive tomorrow morning!”

23 and to see: see Abigail [obj] David and to hasten and to go down from upon [the] donkey and to fall: fall to/for face David upon face her and to bow land: soil

When Abigail saw David, she quickly got down from her donkey and bowed before him, with her face touching the ground.

24 and to fall: fall upon foot his and to say in/on/with me I lord my [the] iniquity: guilt and to speak: speak please maidservant your in/on/with ear: to ears your and to hear: hear [obj] word maidservant your

Then she prostrated herself at David’s feet and said to him, “Sir, I deserve to be punished [for what my husband has done]. Please listen to what I say to you.

25 not please to set: consider lord my [obj] heart his to(wards) man [the] Belial [the] this upon Nabal for like/as name his so he/she/it Nabal name his and folly with him and I maidservant your not to see: see [obj] youth lord my which to send: depart

Please do not pay attention to [IDM] what this worthless man Nabal has said. His name means ‘fool’, and he surely is a foolish man. But I, who am [willing to be] your servant, did not see the messengers whom you sent to him.

26 and now lord my alive LORD and alive soul your which to withhold you LORD from to come (in): come in/on/with blood and to save hand: themselves your to/for you and now to be like/as Nabal enemy your and [the] to seek to(wards) lord my distress: evil

Yahweh has prevented you from getting revenge on anyone and killing anyone. I hope/desire that as surely as Yahweh lives and as surely as you live, your enemies will be [cursed] like Nabal will be.

27 and now [the] blessing [the] this which to come (in): bring maidservant your to/for lord my and to give: give to/for youth [the] to go: follow in/on/with foot lord my

I have brought a gift for you and for the men who are with you.

28 to lift: forgive please to/for transgression maidservant your for to make to make LORD to/for lord my house: household be faithful for battle LORD lord my to fight and distress: evil not to find in/on/with you from day your

Please forgive me if I have done anything wrong to you. Yahweh will surely [reward you by] allowing many of your descendants to become kings of Israel, because you are fighting the battles that Yahweh [wants you to fight]. And [I know that] throughout all your life you have not done anything wrong.

29 and to arise: rise man to/for to pursue you and to/for to seek [obj] soul: life your and to be soul: life lord my to constrain in/on/with bundle [the] alive with LORD God your and [obj] soul: life enemy your to sling her in/on/with midst palm: dish [the] sling

Even when those who are trying to kill you pursue you, you are safe, because Yahweh your God takes care of you. You will be [protected as though you were] [MET] a bundle that he has safely tied up. But your enemies will [disappear as fast as stones] that are hurled from a sling.

30 and to be for to make: do LORD to/for lord my like/as all which to speak: speak [obj] [the] welfare upon you and to command you to/for leader upon Israel

Yahweh has promised to do good things for you, and he will do what he has promised. And he will cause you to become the ruler of the Israeli people.

31 and not to be this to/for you to/for staggering and to/for stumbling heart to/for lord my and to/for to pour: kill blood for nothing and to/for to save lord my to/for him and be good LORD to/for lord my and to remember [obj] maidservant your

When that happens, [you will be glad that you did not kill any] people in Nabal’s household. You will not think that you deserve to be punished for having taken revenge yourself and killed innocent people. And when Yahweh enables you to successfully [become the king], please do not forget [to be kind to] me.”

32 and to say David to/for Abigail to bless LORD God Israel which to send: depart you [the] day: today [the] this to/for to encounter: meet me

David replied to Abigail, “I praise Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], because he sent you to [talk with] me.

33 and to bless taste your and to bless you(f. s.) which to restrain me [the] day: today [the] this from to come (in): come in/on/with blood and to save hand: themselves my to/for me

I hope/desire that Yahweh will bless you for being very wise. You have prevented me from taking revenge myself and killing many people [MTY] today.

34 and but alive LORD God Israel which to withhold me from be evil [obj] you for unless to hasten (and to come (in): come *Q(k)*) to/for to encounter: meet me that if: except if: except to remain to/for Nabal till light [the] morning to urinate in/on/with wall

Just as surely as Yahweh the God whom we Israelis [worship] is alive, he has prevented me from harming you. If you had not come quickly to talk to me, neither Nabal nor even one of Nabal’s men [IDM] would be still alive tomorrow morning.”

35 and to take: recieve David from hand: power her [obj] which to come (in): bring to/for him and to/for her to say to ascend: rise to/for peace to/for house: home your to see: behold! to hear: obey in/on/with voice your and to lift: kindness face: kindness your

Then David accepted the gifts that Abigail had brought to him. He said to her, “I hope/desire that things will go well for you. I have heard what you said, and I will do what you have requested.”

36 and to come (in): come Abigail to(wards) Nabal and behold to/for him feast in/on/with house: home his like/as feast [the] king and heart Nabal be pleasing upon him and he/she/it drunken till much and not to tell to/for him word: thing small and great: large till light [the] morning

When Abigail returned to Nabal, he was in his house, having a big celebration like kings have. He was very drunk and feeling very happy. So Abigail did not say anything to him that night [about her meeting with David].

37 and to be in/on/with morning in/on/with to come out: come [the] wine from Nabal and to tell to/for him woman: wife his [obj] [the] word: thing [the] these and to die heart his in/on/with entrails: among his and he/she/it to be to/for stone

The next morning, when he was no longer drunk, she told him everything [that had happened when she talked with David]. [Immediately] (he had a stroke/a blood vessel burst in his brain) and he became paralyzed [MET].

38 and to be like/as ten [the] day and to strike LORD [obj] Nabal and to die

About ten days later Yahweh struck him [again] and he died.

39 and to hear: hear David for to die Nabal and to say to bless LORD which to contend [obj] strife reproach my from hand: power Nabal and [obj] servant/slave his to withhold from distress: evil and [obj] distress: evil Nabal to return: return LORD in/on/with head his and to send: depart David and to speak: speak in/on/with Abigail to/for to take: marry her to/for him to/for woman: wife

After David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praise Yahweh! Nabal insulted me, but Yahweh (vindicated me/got revenge for me). He has prevented me from [doing anything] wrong. And he has punished Nabal for the wrong that he did.” Then David sent [messengers] to Abigail, to ask her if she would become his wife.

40 and to come (in): come servant/slave David to(wards) Abigail [the] Carmel [to] and to speak: speak to(wards) her to/for to say David to send: depart us to(wards) you to/for to take: marry you to/for him to/for woman: wife

His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, “David sent us to take you to become his wife.”

41 and to arise: rise and to bow face land: soil [to] and to say behold maidservant your to/for maidservant to/for to wash: wash foot servant/slave lord my

Abigail bowed down with her face touching the ground. Then she told [the messengers to tell David], “[I am happy to become your wife]. I will be your servant. And I am willing to wash the feet of your slaves.”

42 and to hasten and to arise: rise Abigail and to ride upon [the] donkey and five maiden her [the] to go: follow to/for foot her and to go: follow after messenger David and to be to/for him to/for woman: wife

Abigail quickly got on her donkey and went with David’s messengers. Five of her maids went with her. [When she arrived where David was, ] she became his wife.

43 and [obj] Ahinoam to take: marry David from Jezreel and to be also two their to/for him to/for woman: wife

David had previously married Ahinoam, a woman from Jezreel [town near Carmel]. So both Abigail and Ahinoam were now David’s wives.

44 and Saul to give: give(marriage) [obj] Michal daughter his woman: wife David to/for Palti son: child Laish which from Gallim

King Saul’s daughter Michal was also David’s wife, but Saul had given her to Laish’s son Paltiel, who was from Gallim [town].