1 Samuel 25

1 Now Samuel died. All Israel gathered together and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah. Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

2 There was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel. The man was very wealthy. He had three thousand sheep and one thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

And 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 The man's name was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance. But the man was harsh and evil in his dealings. He was a descendant of the house of Caleb.

Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

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

And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.

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

And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:

6 You will say to him, 'Live in prosperity. Peace to you and peace to your house, and peace be to all that you have.

And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.

7 I hear that you have shearers. Your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing the whole time they were in Carmel.

And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel.

8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Now let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a festive day. Please give whatever you have on hand to your servants and to your son David.'”

Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.

9 When David's young men arrived, they said all of this to Nabal on David's behalf and then waited.

And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.

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

And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.

11 Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men who come from I do not know where?”

Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?

12 So David's young men turned away and came back, and told him everything that was said.

So David's young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.

13 David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword.” So every man strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. About four hundred men followed after David, and two hundred stayed by the baggage.

And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on 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 stuff.

14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife; he said, “David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he insulted them.

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

15 Yet the men were very good to us. We were not harmed and did not miss anything as long as we went with them when we were in the fields.

But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:

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

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

17 Therefore know this and consider what you will do, for evil is plotted against our master, and against his whole house. He is such a worthless fellow that one cannot reason with him.”

Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.

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

Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.

19 She said to her young men, “Go on before me, and I will come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.

20 As she rode on her donkey and came down by the cover of the mountain, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them.

And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.

21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good.

Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.

22 May God do so to me, David, and more also, if by the morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”

So and more also do Elohim unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from her donkey and lay before David facedown and bowed herself to the ground.

And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,

24 She lay at his feet and said, “On me alone, my master, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak to you, and listen to the words of your servant.

And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, mymaster, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.

25 Let not my master regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, 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 of my master, whom you sent.

Let not mymaster, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of mymaster, whom thou didst send.

26 Now then, my master, as Yahweh lives, and as you live, since Yahweh has restrained you from bloodshed, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies, and those who seek to do evil to my master, be like Nabal.

Now therefore, mymaster, as YHWH liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing YHWH hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to mymaster, be as Nabal.

27 Now let this present that your servant has brought to my master be given to the young men who follow my master.

And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto mymaster, let it even be given unto the young men that follow mymaster.

28 Please forgive the trespass of your servant, for Yahweh will certainly make my master a sure house, because my master is fighting the battles of Yahweh; and evil will not be found in you so long as you live.

I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for YHWH will certainly make mymaster a sure house; because mymaster fighteth the battles of YHWH, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.

29 Though men rise up to pursue you to take your life, yet the life of my master will be bound in the bundle of the living by Yahweh your God; and he will sling away the lives of your enemies, as from the pocket of a sling.

Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of mymaster shall be bound in the bundle of life with YHWH thy Elohim; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.

30 Yahweh will have done for my master everything he promised you, and has appointed you leader over Israel.

And it shall come to pass, when YHWH shall have done to mymaster according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel;

31 This will not be a staggering burden for you—that you have poured out innocent blood, or because my master attempted to rescue himself. For when Yahweh will do good for my master, remember your servant.”

That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto mymaster, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that mymaster hath avenged himself: but when YHWH shall have dealt well with mymaster, then remember thine handmaid.

32 David said to Abigail, “May Yahweh, the God of Israel, be blessed, he who sent you to meet me today.

And David said to Abigail, Blessed be YHWH Elohim of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:

33 Your wisdom is blessed and you are blessed, because you have kept me today from bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand!

And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.

34 For in truth, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives, he who has kept me from hurting you, unless you had hurried to come meet me, there would certainly have not been left to Nabal so much as one male baby by morning.”

For in very deed, as YHWH Elohim of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

35 So David received from her hand what she had brought him; he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house; see, I have listened to your voice and have accepted you.”

So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.

36 Abigail went back to Nabal; behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light.

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

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

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

38 It came about ten days later that Yahweh attacked Nabal so that he died.

And it came to pass about ten days after, that YHWH smote Nabal, that he died.

39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “May Yahweh be blessed, who has taken up the cause of my insult from the hand of Nabal and has kept back his servant from evil. He has turned Nabal's evil action back on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her to himself as wife.

And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be YHWH, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for YHWH hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head, And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.

40 When David's servants had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her and said, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.”

And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee to take thee to him to wife.

41 She arose, bowed herself with her face to the ground, and said, “See, your female servant is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my master.”

And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of mymaster.

42 Abigail hurried and arose, and rode on a donkey with five servant girls of hers who followed her; and she followed David's messengers and became his wife.

And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

43 Now David had also taken Ahinoam of Jezreel as a wife; both of them became his wives.

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

44 Also, Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.