1 N ow Samuel died. All Israel gathered together and was filled with sorrow for him. They buried him at his house in Ramah. Then David got ready and went down to the desert of Paran.

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 T here was a man in Maon who worked in Carmel. The man was very rich. He had 3, 000 sheep and 1, 000 goats. He was cutting the wool from 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 man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. The woman was of good understanding and beautiful. But the man was bad and sinful in his ways. He was a Calebite.

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 D avid heard in the desert that Nabal was cutting the wool from his sheep.

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

5 S o David sent ten young men, saying to them, “Go up to Carmel. Visit Nabal and greet him for me.

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 S ay to him, ‘Have a long life. Peace be to you. Peace be to your family. And peace be to all that you have.

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

7 I have heard that you have men who cut the wool from your sheep. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we have not done them any wrong. And they have not missed anything all the time 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. So let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a special day. I ask you to give whatever you have ready 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 W hen David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in David’s name. Then they 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 B ut Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are leaving their owners.

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 hould I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my wool cutters, and give it to men when I do not know where they came 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 away and returned to David and told him all this.

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 D avid said to his men, “Every man put on his sword!” So every man put on his sword, and David put on his sword also. About 400 men went up behind David, while 200 stayed with their things.

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 B ut one of the young men told Nabal’s wife Abigail, “See, David sent men from the desert to greet our owner, and he spoke against 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 David’s men were very good to us. They did not do anything wrong to us. And we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them.

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 night and day, all the time we were with them taking care of 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 S o know this and think about what you should do. For bad plans have been made against our owner and all his family. He is such a sinful man that no one can 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 I n a hurry Abigail took 200 loaves of bread, two bottles of wine, five sheep ready to eat, five baskets of dry grain, 100 vines of dried grapes and 200 loaves 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 S he said to her young men, “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 A s she went on her donkey and came down hidden by the mountain, David and his men came 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, “It was for nothing that I have watched over all this man has in the desert, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him. He has paid me bad 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 the same to David and more, if I leave until morning as much as one male alive of all who belong to him.”

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 W hen Abigail saw David, she got off her donkey in a hurry. Then she put her face to the ground in front of David.

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 he fell at his feet and said, “Let the sin be on me alone, my lord. I beg you, let your woman servant speak to you. Listen to the words of your woman servant.

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 I beg you, do not let my lord think about this sinful man, Nabal. For he is like his name. Nabal is his name and he is foolish. But I your woman servant did not see my lord’s young men 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 S o now, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, let the Lord keep you from being guilty of blood. Let Him keep you from punishing with your own hand. And let those who hate you and those who want to hurt my lord be like 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 N ow let this gift which your woman servant has brought to my lord 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 I beg you, forgive the sin of your woman servant. For the Lord will be sure to make my lord a family that will last. Because my lord is fighting the Lord’s battles. Sin will not be found in you as long as you live.

`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 I f men rise up to come after you and try to kill you, then the life of my lord will be taken care of by the Lord your God. But He will throw away the lives of those who hate you, as a rock is thrown from 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 T he Lord will do to my lord all the good that He has promised you. He will make 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 hen my lord will have no reason to feel sorry or guilty because of killing without cause or punishing by my lord’s own hand. When the Lord does good things for my lord, remember your woman servant.”

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, “Thanks be to 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 M ay thanks be given for your wisdom, and thanks be to you. You have kept me this day from being guilty of blood, and from punishing 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 T he Lord God of Israel has kept me from hurting you. And as the Lord lives, if you had not been quick to come to meet me, for sure not one male would have been left to Nabal until the morning.”

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 what she had brought him. He said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and have done what you asked.”

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 A bigail came to Nabal and saw that he was having a special supper in his house, like the special supper of a king. Nabal’s heart was full of joy, because he was very drunk. So she did not tell him anything until the morning.

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 B ut in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things. And his heart died within him so that 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 he Lord made Nabal die about ten days later.

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

39 W hen David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Thanks be to the Lord, Who has punished Nabal for putting me to shame. He has kept His servant from sin. And the Lord has turned the sin of Nabal upon himself.” Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to be 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 David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you, to take you as 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 S he stood up and then put her face to the ground, and said, “See, your woman servant will serve you by washing the feet of my lord’s servants.”

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 T hen she got ready in a hurry and traveled on a donkey, with her five young women who followed her. She followed the men David had sent, 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 had taken Ahinoam of Jezreel also. They both became his wives.

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

44 S aul had given his daughter Michal, 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.