Chapter 25

And Samuel died;⁴ and all the Israelites were gathered together,¹¹ and lamented⁴ him, and buried⁴ him in his house at Ramah. And David arose,⁴ and went down⁴ to the wilderness of Paran.

And [there was] a man in Maon, whose possessions [were] in Carmel; and the man [was] very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing² his sheep in Carmel.

Now the name of the man [was] Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and [she was] a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man [was] churlish and evil in his doings; and he [was] of the house of Caleb.

And David heard⁴ in the wilderness that Nabal did shear⁶ his sheep.

And David sent⁴ out ten young men, and David said⁴ unto the young men, Get you up³ to Carmel, and go¹ to Nabal, and greet^{1 7965} him in my name:

And thus shall ye say¹ to him that liveth [in prosperity], Peace [be] both to thee, and peace [be] to thine house, and peace [be] unto all that thou hast.

And now I have heard¹ that thou hast shearers:⁶ now thy shepherds⁶ which were with us, we hurt⁵² them not, neither was there ought missing⁸ unto them, all the while they were in Carmel.

Ask³ thy young men, and they will shew⁵⁵ thee. Wherefore let the young men find⁴ favour in thine eyes: for we come¹ in a good day: give,³ I pray thee, whatsoever cometh⁴ to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.

And when David's young men came,⁴ they spake¹⁷ to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.⁴

And Nabal answered⁴ David's servants, and said,⁴ Who [is] David? and who [is] the son of Jesse? there be many¹ servants now a days that break away¹⁰² every man from his master.

Shall I then take¹ my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed¹ for my shearers,⁶ and give¹ [it] unto men, whom I know¹ not whence they [be]?

So David's young men turned⁴ their way, and went again,⁴ and came⁴ and told⁵⁵ him all those sayings.

And David said⁴ unto his men, Gird ye on³ every man his sword. And they girded on⁴ every man his sword; and David also girded on⁴ his sword: and there went up⁴ after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode¹ by the stuff.

But one ⁵²⁸⁸ of the young men told⁵² Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying,² Behold, David sent¹ messengers out of the wilderness to salute¹⁵ our master; and he railed⁴ on them.

But the men [were] very good unto us, and we were not hurt,⁹⁰ neither missed¹ we any thing, as long as we were conversant⁹⁸ with them, when we were in the fields:

They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping⁶ the sheep.

Now therefore know³ and consider³ what thou wilt do;⁴ for evil is determined¹ against our master, and against all his household: for he [is such] a son of Belial, that [a man] cannot speak¹⁵ to him.

Then Abigail made haste,¹⁷ and took⁴ two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed,⁷ and five measures of parched [corn], and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid⁴ [them] on asses.

And she said⁴ unto her servants, Go on³ before me; behold, I come⁶ after you. But she told⁵² not her husband Nabal.

And it was [so, as] she rode⁶ on the ass, that she came down⁶ by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down⁶ against² her; and she met⁴ them.

Now David had said,¹ Surely in vain have I kept¹ all that this [fellow] hath in the wilderness, so that nothing ³⁹⁷² was missed⁸ of all that [pertained] unto him: and he hath requited⁵⁵ me evil for good.

So and more⁵⁵ also do⁴ God unto the enemies⁶ of David, if I leave⁵⁵ of all that [pertain] to him by the morning light any that pisseth⁵⁶ against the wall.

And when Abigail saw⁴ David, she hasted,¹⁷ and lighted⁴ off the ass, and fell⁴ before David on her face, and bowed¹⁰¹ herself to the ground,

And fell⁴ at his feet, and said,⁴ Upon me, my lord, [upon] me [let this] iniquity [be]: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak¹⁷ in thine audience, and hear³ the words of thine handmaid.

Let⁴ not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, [even] Nabal: for as his name [is], so [is] he; Nabal [is] his name, and folly [is] with him: but I thine handmaid saw¹ not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.¹

Now therefore, my lord, [as] the LORD liveth, and [as] thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden¹ thee from coming² to [shed] blood, and from avenging⁵³ thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies,⁶ and they that seek¹⁸ evil to my lord, be as Nabal.

And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought⁵² unto my lord, let it even be given⁸ unto the young men that follow^{102 7272} my lord.

I pray thee, forgive³ the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly² make⁴ my lord a sure¹² house; because my lord fighteth¹² the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found¹¹ in thee [all] thy days.

Yet a man is risen⁴ to pursue² thee, and to seek¹⁵ thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound⁷ in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies,⁶ them shall he sling out,¹⁷ [as out] of the middle ³⁷⁰⁹ of a sling.

And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done⁴ to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken¹⁴ concerning thee, and shall have appointed¹⁴ thee ruler over Israel;

That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed² blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged⁵³ himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well⁵² with my lord, then remember¹ thine handmaid.

And David said⁴ to Abigail, Blessed⁷ [be] the LORD God of Israel, which sent¹ thee this day to meet² me:

And blessed⁷ [be] thy advice, and blessed⁷ [be] thou, which hast kept¹ me this day from coming² to [shed] blood, and from avenging⁵³ myself with mine own hand.

For in very deed, [as] the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back¹ from hurting⁵³ thee, except thou hadst hasted¹⁴ and come⁴ to meet² me, surely there had not been left⁸ unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth⁵⁶ against the wall.

So David received⁴ of her hand [that] which she had brought⁵² him, and said¹ unto her, Go up³ in peace to thine house; see,³ I have hearkened¹ to thy voice, and have accepted⁴ thy person.

And Abigail came⁴ to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart [was] merry within him, for he [was] very drunken: wherefore she told⁵² him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.

But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out² of Nabal, and his wife had told⁵⁵ him these things, that his heart died⁴ within him, and he became [as] a stone.

And it came to pass about ten days [after], that the LORD smote⁴ Nabal, that he died.⁴

And when David heard⁴ that Nabal was dead,¹ he said,⁴ Blessed⁷ [be] the LORD, that hath pleaded¹ the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept¹ his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned⁵² the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent⁴ and communed¹⁷ with Abigail, to take² her to him to wife.

And when the servants of David were come⁴ to Abigail to Carmel, they spake¹⁷ unto her, saying,² David sent¹ us unto thee, to take² thee to him to wife.

And she arose,⁴ and bowed¹⁰¹ herself on [her] face to the earth, and said,⁴ Behold, [let] thine handmaid [be] a servant to wash² the feet of the servants of my lord.

And Abigail hasted,¹⁷ and arose,⁴ and rode⁴ upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went⁶ after her; and she went⁴ after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

David also took¹ Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives.

But Saul had given¹ Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which [was] of Gallim.