1 Samuel 25
25
Samuel’s Death
1Now Samuel died; and all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him at his house in Ramah. Then David left and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.
Nabal and Abigail
2Now there was a man in Maon whose business and possessions were 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 3(now the man’s name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings; he was a #25:3 I.e. a descendant of Caleb.Calebite). 4David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5So David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel and go to Nabal, and #25:5 Lit ask him of his peace (welfare). It was customary to greet someone by asking him of his welfare (Heb shalom), like “How are you?” However, David specifies the greeting in v 6 without the actual question, so the question here (v 5) is just a way of saying, “greet him.”greet him in my name; 6and this is what you shall say, ‘#25:6 Lit To life!Have a long life! Peace be to you, and peace to your house, and peace to all that you have. 7Now I have heard that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us and we have not harmed them, nor were they missing anything all the time they were in Carmel. 8Ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your sight [and be well-treated], for we have come on a #25:8 The time of shearing was a time of celebration and generosity.good (festive) day. #25:8 David and his men had given protection to Nabal’s flocks and shepherds, and it was appropriate for David to ask for compensation for this service.Please, give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David.’ ”
9When David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David; then they waited. 10But Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? #25:10 Nabal was insulting David and his men by implying that as far as he was concerned, they could be nothing but runaway slaves.There are many servants today, each of whom is breaking away from his master. 11So should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?” 12So David’s young men made their way back and returned; and they came and told him everything that was said [to them by Nabal]. 13David said to his men, “Each man put on your sword.” So each man put on his sword. David also put on his sword, and about four hundred men went up behind David while two hundred stayed back with the provisions and supplies.
14But one of Nabal’s young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Listen, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless (greet) our master, and he shouted at them [in contempt]. 15But David’s men were very good to us, and we were not harmed or treated badly, nor did we miss anything as long as we were with them, when we were in the fields. 16They were a wall [of protection] to us both night and day, all the time that we were with them tending the sheep. 17Now then, know this and consider what you should do, for evil is [already] planned against our master and against all his household; but he is such a #25:17 Lit son of Belial.worthless and wicked man that one cannot speak [reasonably] to him.”
Abigail Intercedes
18Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two jugs of wine, five sheep already prepared [for roasting], five measures of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19She said to her young men (servants), “Go on ahead of me; behold, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20It happened that as she was riding on her donkey and coming down by [way of] the hidden part of the mountain, that suddenly David and his men were coming down toward her, and she met them. 21Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected and guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missing of all that belonged to him; and he has repaid me evil for good. 22May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave [alive] even one #25:22 Lit who urinates against a wall.male of any who belong to him.”
23When Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted from the donkey, and #25:23 Lit fell.kneeled face downward before David and bowed down to the ground [in respect]. 24#25:24 Lit Falling.Kneeling at his feet she said, “My lord, let the blame and guilt be on me alone. And please let your maidservant speak #25:24 Lit in your ears.to you, and listen to the words of your maidservant. 25Please do not let my lord #25:25 Lit set his heart to.pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal (fool) is his #25:25 Nabal means “worthless, good for nothing.”name and foolishness (stupidity) is with him; but I your maidservant did not see my lord’s young men whom you sent.
26So now, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, since the Lord has prevented you from shedding blood, and from avenging yourself by your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord, be as [self-destructive as] Nabal. 27Now this gift, which your maidservant has brought my lord, let it be given to the young men who #25:27 Lit walk at the feet of.accompany and follow my lord. 28Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant; for the Lord will certainly make my lord a secure and enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil will not be found in you all your days. 29Should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord will be bound in the [precious] bundle of the living with the Lord your God; but the lives of your enemies—those He will hurl out as from the center of a sling. 30And it will happen when the Lord does for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken (promised) concerning you, and appoints you ruler over Israel, 31that this [incident] will not cause grief or [bring] a troubled conscience to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the Lord deals well with my lord, then remember [with favor] your maidservant.”
32David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me this day. 33And blessed be your discretion and discernment, and blessed be you, who has kept me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself by my own hand. 34Nevertheless, as the Lord the God of Israel lives, who has prevented me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, most certainly by the morning light there would not have been left to Nabal so much as one male.” 35So David #25:35 Lit took from her hand.accepted what she had brought to him and said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and have #25:35 Lit lifted up your face, an idiom used in various positive ways, probably based on the idea of a superior person permitting someone to look him in the eye.granted your request.”
36Then Abigail came to Nabal, and he was holding a feast in his house [for the shearers], like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s #25:36 Lit heart.mood was joyous because he was very drunk; so she told him nothing at all until the morning light. 37But in the morning, when #25:37 Lit the wine had gone out of.Nabal was sober, and his wife told him these things, his #25:37 Nabal probably suffered a stroke.heart died within him and he became [paralyzed and helpless] like a stone. 38About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died.
David Marries Abigail
39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach [suffered] at the hand of Nabal and has kept His servant from [retaliating with] evil. For the Lord has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent word to Abigail, proposing to take her as his wife. 40When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David sent us to you to take you [to him] to be his wife.” 41And she stood and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your maidservant is [ready to be] a maid to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42Then Abigail quickly got up, and rode on a donkey, with five of her maidens who #25:42 Lit walked at her feet.attended her; and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife.
43David had also taken Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both became his wives.
44But Saul had given Michal his [younger] daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
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1 Samuel 25
25
Samuel’s Death
1Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him. They buried him at his house at Ramah. Then David got up and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
David and Abigail
2Now there was a man in Maon, whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich and owned#Literally “there were for him” three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. Now#Literally “And it happened” the shearing of his sheep was taking place in Carmel. 3The name of the man was Nabal,#The name “Nabal” means “foolish” and the name of his wife was Abigail.#The name “Abigail” means “my father delights” Now the woman was wise and beautiful, but the man was stubborn and mean,#Literally “bad of deeds” and he was as his heart.#The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) reads “as his heart,” whereas the reading tradition (Qere) reads “Calebite” 4David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5So David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel and go to Nabal; you will greet him in my name.#Literally “you will ask for him in my name as far as peace” 6Then you must say to him, ‘Long life to you, and may it go well with you, with your house, and with all that is yours.#Literally “you are peace and your house is peace and all that is yours is peace” 7Now I have heard that you have shearers.#Literally “shearing is for you” Now while your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and nothing of theirs was missing, all the days they were in Carmel. 8Ask your servants#Or “young men” and they will tell you! Let the young men#Or “the servants”; “young men” is used here to connect with v. 5 find favor in your eyes because we have come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have on hand#Literally “what your hand finds” for your servants and for your son David.”
9So David’s young men came and they spoke all these words to Nabal in the name of David. Then they waited. 10But Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? Today, there are many servants breaking away from the presence of their masters. 11Should I take my bread and my water and my meat which I have slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men whom I do not know where they are from? 12So David’s young men turned on their way and returned and came and told him according to all these words. 13Then David said to his men, “Each man strap on his sword!” So each one strapped on his sword, and David also strapped on his sword. About four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.
14But a young man of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the desert to greet#Hebrew “bless” our master, but he addressed them angrily, 15even though the men were very good to us; we were not mistreated and did not miss anything all the days we went about with them while we were#Literally “at our being” in the field. 16They were a wall to us both night and day, all the days we were#Literally “the days of our being” with them keeping the sheep. 17And so then, know and consider#Literally “see” what you should do, for evil has been decided against our master and against all his household, and he is such a wicked man,#Literally “a son of uselessness” nobody can reason with him!”#Literally “from speaking to him”
18Then Abigail quickly took#Literally “hastened and took” two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five prepared sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred raisin cakes, and two hundred fig cakes, and she put them on the donkeys. 19Then she said to her servants, “Go ahead before me; look, I am coming after you,” but she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20And then,#Literally “And it happened” as she was riding on the donkey and was going down the ravine of the mountain, David and his men were coming down to meet her, and she met them. 21Now David had said, “Surely in vain#Literally “for the vanity” I guarded all that this fellow had in the desert. And nothing was missed of all that was his, but he returned evil against me in place of good! 22May God severely punish the enemies of David#Literally “May God do so to the enemies of David”; following the LXX some English versions omit the words “the enemies of” and again do thus if I leave behind anything that is his#Literally “from all that is for him” until the morning, not even one male!”#Literally “from one urinating against a wall” 23When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell on her face before David’s anger,#Literally “the nostrils of David” and she bowed down to the ground. 24She fell at his feet and said, “On me, my lord, be the guilt! Please let your female servant speak to you personally!#Literally “in your ears” Hear the words of your female servant! 25Please do not let my lord set his heart against this worthless man,#Literally “this man of wickedness” Nabal; for as his name, so is he. Nabal is his name, and stupidity is with him! But I, your female servant, did not see the young men#Or “the servants” of my lord whom you sent. 26So then, my lord, as Yahweh lives and as your soul lives,#Literally “the life of Yahweh and the life of your soul” since Yahweh restrained you from bloodguilt by taking matters into your own hand,#Literally “saving your hand for you” so then, may your enemies be like Nabal, even those who seek to do my lord harm.#Literally “the seeking to my lord evil” 27So then, this gift which your female servant has brought to my lord, may it be given to the young men who follow my lord.#Literally “the ones going about at the feet of my lord” 28Please forgive the transgression of your female servant, because Yahweh will certainly make a lasting house#That is, a lasting dynasty for my lord, because my lord is fighting the battles of Yahweh, and evil will not be found in you as long as you live.#Literally “from your days” 29Should a man arise to pursue you and to seek your life, may the life of my lord be wrapped in the pouch#Or “bag” of the living with Yahweh your God. But as for the life of your enemy, he will sling it from within#Hebrew “in the midst of” the pocket of the sling! 30And then#Literally “And it will happen” when Yahweh has done for my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you as leader over Israel, 31then this will not be an obstacle for you or a stumbling block of conscience for my lord either by the shedding of blood without cause or by my lord taking matters into his own hands.#Literally “the saving of my lord for himself” And when Yahweh does good to my lord, then remember your female servant.”
32Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be Yahweh the God of Israel who has sent you this day to meet me! 33And blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you who have prevented me this day from bloodguilt and from delivering myself by my own hand. 34But as Yahweh lives,#Literally “the life of Yahweh” the God of Israel who has prevented me from harming you, if you had not hurried and come to meet me, surely there would not have been one male#Literally “one urinating against a wall” left alive for Nabal by the light of morning!” 35Then David took from her hand what she had brought for him, and he said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to your voice, and I have granted your request.”#Literally “lifted up your face”
36Then Abigail went to Nabal, and look, he was holding a feast#Literally “a feast was for him” in his house like the feast of the king. Nabal was enjoying himself,#Literally “the heart of Nabal was good on him” and he was very drunk, so she did not tell him a thing, nothing at all,#Literally “small or large” until the light of morning. 37And then#Literally “And it happened” in the morning when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these words. Then his heart died within him,#Literally “in his midst” and he became like a stone. 38And then,#Literally “And it happened” about ten days later, Yahweh struck Nabal and he died.
39When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, “Blessed be Yahweh who has vindicated the case of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and he has kept back his servant from evil; but Yahweh has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke with Abigail to take her for his wife. 40So the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, and they spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you to take you for his wife.” 41She got up and bowed down with her face to the ground and said, “Here is your female servant, as a slave to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” 42Then Abigail quickly got up#Literally “hastened and got up” and rode on the donkey, along with five of her maidservants who attended her,#Literally “the ones going about at her feet” and she went after the messengers of David and became his wife.
43David had also taken Ahinoam from Jezreel, and both of them became his wives. 44(Now Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.)
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