1Sa 25 | ABEn | STEP | And Samuel died; and [ 3 gathered together 1 all 2 Israel], and lamented him, and entombed him in his house in Ramah. And David rose up, and went down into the wilderness of Paran.

1 Samuel 25

CHAPTER 25 Nabal and Abigail

1 And Samuel died; and [³gathered together ¹all ²Israel], and lamented him, and entombed him in his house in Ramah. And David rose up, and went down into the wilderness of Paran. 2 And there was a man in Maon, and his work was in Carmel, and the man [²great ¹was exceedingly]. And to this man were [²sheep ¹three thousand], and [²goats ¹a thousand]. And it happened during the shearing of his flock in Carmel. 3 And the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail. And his wife had good understanding, and was good to the sight, exceedingly. And the man was recalcitrant, and wicked in practices, and the man was churlish. 4 And David heard in the wilderness that [⁴was shearing ¹Nabal ²the ³Carmelite] his flock. 5 And David sent ten servants. And he said to the servants, Ascend to Carmel, and come to Nabal, and ask him in my name the things for peace! 6 And you shall say thus, For a season may it be for you being in health and your house, and all the things of yours being in health. 7 And now, behold, I hear that [²shear ³for you ⁴now ¹your shepherds], the ones who were with us in the wilderness, and we did not detain them, and we did not give charge to them in anything all the days of their being in Carmel. 8 Ask of your servants! and they will tell you. Let us [²find ¹your servants] favor in your eyes! for upon [²day ¹a good] we come. Give indeed what ever [²should find ¹your hand] to your servants, and to your son David! 9 And [⁴come ¹the ²servants ³of David], and speak to Nabal according to all these things in the name of David. 10 And Nabal jumped up and responded to the servants of David, and he said, Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? Today [³multiplying ¹there are ²servants], [²withdrawing ¹each] from the presence of his master. 11 And shall I take my bread loaves, and my wine, and my things offered in sacrifices which I have sacrificed to the ones shearing for me the sheep, and shall I give them to men whom I do not know from what place they are? 12 And [⁴turned back ¹the ²servants ³of David] unto their way. And they returned, and they came, and they announced to David according to all these words. 13 And David said to his men, Let [²tie on ¹each man] his sword! And David even himself tied on his sword. And they ascended after David, about four hundred men, and two hundred stayed by the equipment. 14 And [⁵to ⁶Abigail ⁷wife ⁸of Nabal ⁹reported ¹one ²of ³the ⁴servants], saying, Behold, David sent messengers from out of the wilderness to bless our master, and he turned aside from them. 15 And the men were good to us, exceedingly. And they did not detain us, nor charged to us anything all the days which we were by them, in our being in the field. 16 [²as ³a wall ¹They were] for us, both day and night, all the days of our being with them and tending the flocks. 17 And now perceive and see what you shall do! for [²is completed ¹evil] against our master, and against his house; and he is a son of pestilence, and there is no way to speak to him. 18 And Abigail hastened, and took two hundred bread loaves, and two receptacles of wine, and five sheep prepared, and five ephahs of toasted grains, and [²homer ¹one] of dried grapes, and two hundred dried clusters of figs; and she put them upon the donkeys. 19 And she said to her servants, You go forth in front of me! and behold, I [²after ³you ¹come]. But to her husband Nabal she did not report. 20 And it came to pass of her being mounted upon the donkey, that she went down in the protection of the mountain. And behold, David and his men went down to meet her, and she met them. 21 And David said, Perhaps it was unjust I guarded all the things of Nabal in the wilderness, and asked not to take of any of his things -- nothing. And he recompensed to me evil for good. 22 Thus God do to the enemies to David, and thus may he add, if I leave behind of all of the ones of Nabal unto the morning of ones urinating against the wall.

Abigail Intercedes

23 And Abigail saw David, and hastening she came down from the donkey, and fell before David upon her face, and did obeisance to him upon the ground. 24 And [²by ³his feet ¹she fell], and she said, On me, O my lord, be the injustice. Let [³speak ¹indeed ²your maidservant] into your ears, and you hear the words of your maidservant!

Abigail Prophesies before David

25 Let not indeed [²put ¹my master] his heart against [²man ¹this pestilent], against Nabal! For according to his name, thus is he Nabal. His name, and folly is with him. And I your maidservant did not see the servants of my master whom you sent. 26 And now, O my lord, as the lord lives, and as [²lives ¹your soul], as [²restrained ³you ¹the lord] to not come against [²blood ¹innocent], and to deliver your hand for yourself. And now may [²become ³as ⁴Nabal ¹your enemies], and the ones seeking [²against ³my lord ¹bad things]. 27 And now receive this blessing which [²has brought ¹your maidservant] to my master! and you shall give it to the servants standing beside my master. 28 Take away indeed the violation of your maidservant! for in doing, the lord shall make [³for my master ²house ¹a trustworthy], for [⁴the battle ⁵for my master ¹the ² lord ³shall wage], and evil shall not be found in you at any time. 29 And if [²should rise up ¹a man] to pursue you, and seeking your life, that [⁴will be ¹the ²life ³of my master] bound in a bond of life by the lord God; and the life of your enemies you shall sling as in the midst of the sling. 30 And it shall be whenever the lord shall do for my master, according to all [²which ³he spoke ¹good things] concerning you, that [²shall give charge ³to you ¹the lord] for taking the lead over Israel. 31 Then [⁵shall not ⁶be ⁷against your ¹this ²abomination ³and ⁴obstacle] heart, to my master, to pour out [²blood ¹innocent] without charge, and to deliver the hand of my master for himself. And the lord shall do good to my master. And you shall remember your maidservant, [²well ¹to do] to her. 32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the lord God of Israel, who sent you [³day ¹in ²this] to meet me. 33 And blessed be your manner, and blessed be you to detain me today in this, to not come for blood, and to deliver my hand from myself. 34 Only as lives the lord God of Israel, who detained me today of doing evil to you, that unless you hastened and came to meet me, not would there have been left behind to Nabal unto the light of the morning one urinating against the wall. 35 And David took from her hand all which she brought to him. And he said to her, Ascend in peace to your house. See, I hearkened to your voice, and I took up your person! 36 And Abigail came to Nabal. And behold, there was to him a banquet in his house, as the banquet of a king. And the heart of Nabal was good with him, and he was being intoxicated exceedingly. And [²did not ³report ¹Abigal] to Nabal the thing, great or small, until the light of the morning. 37 And it came to pass in the morning as [²sobered up ³from ⁴the ⁵wine ¹Nabal], [²reported ³to him ¹his wife] all these things. And [³died ²heart ¹his] in him, and he became as stone.

David Marries Abigail

38 And it came to pass after about ten days, that the lord struck Nabal and he died. 39 And David heard that Nabal died, and he said, Blessed be the lord who judged the case of my being scorned by the hand of Nabal, and [²his servant ¹protected] from out of the hand of evils. And the evil of Nabal the lord returned against his own head. And David sent and spoke concerning Abigail, to take her to himself for a wife. 40 And [⁴came ¹the ²servants ³of David] to Abigail in Carmel. And they spoke to her, saying, David sends us to you, to take you to himself for a wife. 41 And rising, she did obeisance upon her face upon the ground. And she said, Behold, your maidservant is for a girl to wash the feet of the servants of my master. 42 And [²hastened ³and ⁴rose up ¹Abigail], and mounted upon the donkey, and five of her young women followed her. And she went after the servants of David, and became to him for a wife. 43 And [³Ahinoam ²took ¹David] of Jezreel; and both were his wives. 44 And Saul gave Michal his daughter, the wife of David, to Phalti son of Laish, the one of Gallim.