1 T hen Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran. David and the Wife of Nabal

And Samuel dieth, and all Israel are gathered, and mourn for him, and bury him in his house, in Ramah; and David riseth and goeth down unto the wilderness of Paran.

2 N ow there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

And a man in Maon, and his work in Carmel; and the man very great, and he hath three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats; and he is shearing his flock in Carmel.

3 T he name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.

And the name of the man Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail, and the woman of good understanding, and of fair form, and the man hard and evil doings; and he a Calebite.

4 W hen David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep,

And David heareth in the wilderness that Nabal is shearing his flock,

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

and David sendeth ten young men, and David saith to the young men, `Go ye up to Carmel, and ye have come in unto Nabal, and asked of him in my name of welfare,

6 A nd thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: ‘Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have!

and said thus: To life! and thou, peace; and thy house, peace; and all that thou hast -- peace!

7 N ow I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel.

and, now, I have heard that thou hast shearers; now, the shepherds whom thou hast have been with us, we have not put them to shame, nor hath anything been looked after by them, all the days of their being in Carmel.

8 A sk your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David.’”

`Ask thy young men, and they declare to thee, and the young men find grace in thine eyes, for on a good day we have come; give, I pray thee, that which thy hand findeth, to thy servants, and to thy son, to David.'

9 S o when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and waited.

And the young men of David come in, and speak unto Nabal according to all these words, in the name of David -- and rest.

10 T hen Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master.

And Nabal answereth the servants of David and saith, `Who David, and who the son of Jesse? to-day have servants been multiplied who are breaking away each from his master;

11 S hall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”

and I have taken my bread, and my water, and my flesh, which I slaughtered for my shearers, and have given to men whom I have not known whence they!'

12 S o David’s young men turned on their heels and went back; and they came and told him all these words.

And the young men of David turn on their way, and turn back, and come in, and declare to him according to all these words.

13 T hen David said to his men, “Every man gird on his sword.” So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went with David, and two hundred stayed with the supplies.

And David saith to his men, `Gird ye on each his sword;' and they gird on each his sword, and David also girdeth on his sword, and there go up after David about four hundred men, and two hundred have remained by the vessels.

14 N ow one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them.

And to Abigail wife of Nabal hath one young man of the youths declared, saying, `Lo, David hath sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless our lord, and he flieth upon them;

15 B ut the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields.

and the men very good to us, and have not put us to shame, and we have not looked after anything all the days we have gone up and down with them, in our being in the field;

16 T hey were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep.

a wall they have been unto us both by night and by day, all the days of our being with them, feeding the flock.

17 N ow therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him.”

`And, now, know and consider what thou dost; for evil hath been determined against our lord, and against all his house, and he too much a son of worthlessness to be spoken to.'

18 T hen Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys.

And Abigail hasteth, and taketh two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep, prepared, and five measures of roasted corn, and a hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred bunches of figs, and setteth on the asses.

19 A nd she said to her servants, “Go on before me; see, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

And she saith to her young men, `Pass over before me; lo, after you I am coming;' and to her husband Nabal she hath not declared;

20 S o it was, as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill; and there were David and his men, coming down toward her, and she met them.

and it hath come to pass, she is riding on the ass and is coming down in the secret part of the hill-country, and lo, David and his men are coming down to meet her, and she meeteth them.

21 N ow David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good.

And David said, `Only, in vain I have kept all that this hath in the wilderness, and nothing hath been looked after of all that he hath, and he turneth back to me evil for good;

22 M ay God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light.”

thus doth God do to the enemies of David, and thus He doth add, if I leave of all that he hath till the light of the morning -- of those sitting on the wall.'

23 N ow when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground.

And Abigail seeth David, and hasteth and cometh down from off the ass, and falleth before David on her face, and boweth herself to the earth,

24 S o she fell at his feet and said: “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant.

and falleth at his feet and saith, `On me, my lord, the iniquity; and let, I pray thee, thy handmaid speak in thine ear, and hear the words of thy handmaid.

25 P lease, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.

`Let not, I pray thee, my lord set his heart to this man of worthlessness, on Nabal, for as his name so he; Nabal his name, and folly with him; and I, thine handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord whom thou didst send;

26 N ow therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, since the Lord has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal.

and now, my lord, Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, in that Jehovah hath withheld thee from coming in with blood, and to save thy hand to thee -- now let thine enemies be as Nabal, even those seeking evil unto my lord.

27 A nd now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.

`And, now, this blessing which thy maid-servant hath brought to my lord -- it hath been given to the young men who are going up and down at the feet of my lord.

28 P lease forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord, and evil is not found in you throughout your days.

`Bear, I pray thee, with the transgression of thy handmaid, for Jehovah doth certainly make to my lord a stedfast house; for the battles of Jehovah hath my lord fought, and evil is not found in thee thy days.

29 Y et a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling.

And man riseth to pursue thee and to seek thy soul, and the soul of my lord hath been bound in the bundle of life with Jehovah thy God; as to the soul of thine enemies, He doth sling them out in the midst of the hollow of the sling.

30 A nd it shall come to pass, when the Lord has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel,

`And it hath been, when Jehovah doth to my lord according to all the good which He hath spoken concerning thee, and appointed thee for leader over Israel,

31 t hat this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.”

that this is not to thee for a stumbling-block, and for an offence of heart to my lord -- either to shed blood for nought, or my lord's restraining himself; and Jehovah hath done good to my lord, and thou hast remembered thy handmaid.'

32 T hen David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!

And David saith to Abigail, `Blessed Jehovah, God of Israel, who hath sent thee this day to meet me,

33 A nd blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand.

and blessed thy discretion, and blessed thou in that thou hast restrained me this day from coming in with blood, and to restrain my hand to myself.

34 F or indeed, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!”

And yet, Jehovah liveth, God of Israel, who hath kept me back from doing evil with thee, for unless thou hadst hasted, and dost come to meet me, surely there had not been left to Nabal till the light of the morning, of those sitting on the wall.'

35 S o David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.”

And David receiveth from her hand that which she hath brought to him, and to her he hath said, `Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and accept thy face.'

36 N ow Abigail went to Nabal, and there 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; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light.

And Abigail cometh in unto Nabal, and lo, he hath a banquet in his house, like a banquet of the king, and the heart of Nabal glad within him, and he drunk unto excess, and she hath not declared to him anything, less or more, till the light of the morning.

37 S o it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone.

And it cometh to pass in the morning, when the wine is gone out from Nabal, that his wife declareth to him these things, and his heart dieth within him, and he hath been as a stone.

38 T hen it happened, after about ten days, that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.

And it cometh to pass, about ten days, that Jehovah smiteth Nabal, and he dieth,

39 S o when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil! For the Lord has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head.” And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife.

and David heareth that Nabal dead, and saith, `Blessed Jehovah who hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and His servant hath kept back from evil, and the wickedness of Nabal hath Jehovah turned back on his own head;' and David sendeth and speaketh with Abigail, to take her to him for a wife.

40 W hen the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, “David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife.”

And the servants of David come in unto Abigail at Carmel, and speak unto her, saying, `David hath sent us unto thee to take thee to him for a wife.'

41 T hen she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”

And she riseth and boweth herself -- face to the earth -- and saith, `Lo, thy handmaid for a maid-servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.'

42 S o Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife.

And Abigail hasteth and riseth, and rideth on the ass; and five of her young women who are going at her feet; and she goeth after the messengers of David, and is to him for a wife.

43 D avid also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives.

And Ahinoam hath David taken from Jezreel, and they are -- even both of them -- to him for wives;

44 B ut Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

and Saul gave Michal his daughter, wife to David, to Phalti son of Laish, who of Gallim.