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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Shemu’ĕl Aleph (1 Samuel) 25
25
1And Shemu’ĕl died, and all Yisra’ĕl gathered and mourned for him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And Dawiḏ arose and went down into the Wilderness of Paran.
2Now there was a man in Ma‛on and his work was in Karmel, and the man was very great. And he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he came to be shearing his sheep in Karmel.
3And the name of the man was Naḇal, and the name of his wife Aḇiḡayil. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful. But the man was hard and evil in his doings. And he was of Kalĕḇ.
4And Dawiḏ heard in the wilderness that Naḇal was shearing his sheep.
5And Dawiḏ sent ten young men, and Dawiḏ said to the young men, “Go up to Karmel, and you shall come to Naḇal, and greet him in my name,
6and say this, ‘Long life and peace to you! And peace to your house, and peace to all that you have!
7And now, I have heard that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us. We did not put them to shame, and not a speck of theirs was missing all the days they were in Karmel.
8Ask your young men, and let them inform you. So let my young men find favour in your eyes, for we come on a good day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son Dawiḏ.’ ”
9And the young men of Dawiḏ came and spoke to Naḇal according to all these words in the name of Dawiḏ, and waited.
10But Naḇal answered the servants of Dawiḏ and said, “Who is Dawiḏ, and who is the son of Yishai? The servants who are running away from their masters, have become many nowadays.
11“And shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?”
12And the young men of Dawiḏ turned around on their way and went back, and came and reported to him all these words.
13And Dawiḏ said to his men, “Each one gird on his sword.” So they each girded on his sword, and Dawiḏ also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went with Dawiḏ, and two hundred remained with the baggage.
14And one of the young men informed Aḇiḡayil, the wife of Naḇal, saying, “See, Dawiḏ has sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he scoffed at them.
15“But the men were very good to us, and did not put us to shame, nor did we miss any item all the days we accompanied them, when we were in the fields.
16“They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the days we were with them tending the sheep.
17“And now, know and see what you should do, for evil has been resolved against our master, and against all his household, and he is too much of a son of Beliya‛al to speak to.”
18Then Aḇiḡayil made haste and took two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and five sheep made ready, five measures of roasted grain, and one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys.
19And she said to her servants, “Pass over before me. See, I am coming after you.” But she did not inform her husband Naḇal.
20And it came to be, as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill, and there were Dawiḏ and his men, coming down toward her, and she met them.
21And Dawiḏ had said, “Only in vain have I protected all that this one has in the wilderness, so that not a speck was missing of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good.
22“Let Elohim do so, and more also, to the enemies of Dawiḏ, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light.”
23And Aḇiḡayil saw Dawiḏ, and she hastened to come down from the donkey, and fell on her face before Dawiḏ, and bowed down to the ground,
24and fell at his feet and said, “On me, my master, let this crookedness be on me! And please let your female servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your female servant.
25“Please, let not my master regard this man of Beliya‛al, Naḇal. For as his name is, so is he: Naḇal is his name, and folly is with him. But I, your female servant, did not see the young men of my master whom you sent.
26“And now my master, as יהוה lives and as your being lives, since יהוה has withheld you from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies be as Naḇal, even those seeking evil against my master.
27“And now this present which your female servant has brought to my master, let it be given to the young men who follow my master.
28“Please forgive the transgression of your female servant. For יהוה is certainly making a steadfast house for my master, because my master fights the battles of יהוה, and evil is not found in you in all your days.
29“And if a man rises to pursue you and seek your life, and the life of my master has been bound in the bundle of the living with יהוה your Elohim, then the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling.
30“And it shall be, when יהוה has done for my master according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has commanded you to be ruler over Yisra’ĕl,
31do not let this be a staggering and stumbling of heart to my master, that you have shed blood without cause, or that my master has saved himself. And when יהוה has done good to my master, then remember your female servant.”
32And Dawiḏ said to Aḇiḡayil, “Blessed be יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, who sent you to meet me today!
33“And blessed is your good taste, and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand.
34“Nevertheless, as יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl lives, who has kept me back from doing evil to you, if you had not hurried and come to meet me, not a male would have been left to Naḇal by break of day, for certain.”
35And Dawiḏ received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have listened to your voice and have accepted your face.”
36And Aḇiḡayil went to Naḇal, and see, he was at a feast in his house, like the feast of a sovereign. And Naḇal’s heart was glad within him, and he was exceedingly drunk. So she told him not a word, little or much, until morning light.
37And it came to be, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Naḇal, and his wife had told him these matters, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone.
38And it came to be in about ten days, that יהוה smote Naḇal, and he died.
39And Dawiḏ heard that Naḇal was dead, and he said, “Blessed be יהוה, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Naḇal, and has kept His servant from evil! For יהוה has returned the evil of Naḇal on his own head.” And Dawiḏ sent and spoke to Aḇiḡayil, to take her as his wife.
40And when the servants of Dawiḏ had come to Aḇiḡayil at Karmel, they spoke to her saying, “Dawiḏ sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife.”
41And she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your female servant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my master.”
42And Aḇiḡayil hurried and rose, and rode on a donkey, with five of her female attendants. And she followed the messengers of Dawiḏ, and became his wife.
43Dawiḏ had also taken Aḥino‛am of Yizre‛ĕl, and so both of them were his wives.
44But Sha’ul had given Miḵal his daughter, Dawiḏ’s wife, to Palti son of Layish, who was from Galliym.
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