1 Samuel 25

1 And Samuel died, and all Israel were gathered together, and made lamentation for him, and buried him within his own house, in Ramah, —and David arose and went down into the wilderness of Maon.

Then Samuel dyed, and all Israel assembled, and mourned for him, and buried him in his owne house at Ramah. And Dauid arose and went downe to the wildernes of Paran.

2 Now there was, a man, in Maon, whose cattle were in Carmel, and, the man, was exceeding great, and, he, had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats, —and so it was, that he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

Now in Maon was a man, who had his possessio in Carmel, and the man was exceeding mightie and had three thousand sheepe, and a thousand goates: and he was shering his sheepe in Carmel.

3 Now, the name of the man, was Nabal, and, the name of his wife, Abigail, —and, the woman, was of good understanding, and of beautiful figure, —but, the man, was unfeeling and of evil practices, and he was a Calebite.

The name also of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail, and she was a woman of singular wisdome, and beautifull, but the man was churlish, and euil conditioned, and was of the familie of Caleb.

4 So then David heard in the wilderness, —that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

And Dauid heard in the wildernesse, that Nabal did shere his sheepe.

5 David, therefore, sent ten young men, —and David said unto the young men, —Go up to Carmel, and enter in unto Nabal, and ye shall ask him, in my name, of his welfare;

Therefore Dauid sent tenne yong men, and Dauid said vnto the yong men, Go vp to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and aske him in my name how he doeth.

6 and say thus—Long life to thee! Mayest, thou, prosper, And, thy household, prosper, And, all that thou hast, prosper!

And thus shall ye say for salutation, Both thou, and thine house, and all that thou hast, be in peace, wealth and prosperitie.

7 Now, therefore, have I heard that thou hast shearers, —Well, the shepherds that thou hast, have been with us, we reproached them not, neither missed they, anything, all the days they were in Carmel.

Behold, I haue heard, that thou hast sherers: now thy shepherds were with vs, and we did the no hurt, neyther did they misse any thing all the while they were in Carmel.

8 Ask thy young men, that they may tell thee, that so my young men may find favour in thine eyes, for, on a good day, have we come! Give, I pray thee, what thy hand findeth, to thy servants, and to thy son, to David!

Aske thy seruants and they wil shew thee. Wherefore let these yong men finde fauour in thine eyes: (for we come in a good season) giue, I pray thee, whatsoeuer commeth to thine hand vnto thy seruants, and to thy sonne Dauid.

9 So David’s young men came, and spake unto Nabal, according to all these words, in the name of David, —and waited.

And when Dauids yong men came, they tolde Nabal all those wordes in the name of Dauid, and helde their peace.

10 Then Nabal answered the servants of David, and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? Nowadays, many are the servants that have broken away, every one from the presence of his lord:

Then Nabal answered Dauids seruantes, and sayd, Who is Dauid? and who is the sonne of Ishai? there be many seruantes nowe a dayes, that breake away euery man from his master.

11 Shall I, then, take my bread, and my wine, and my slain beasts, that I have slaughtered for my shearers, —and give unto men of whom I know not whence they are?

Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I haue killed for my sherers, and giue it vnto men, whom I know not whence they be?

12 So the young men of David turned away for their journey, —and came back, and drew near, and told him, according to all these words.

So Dauids seruants turned their way, and went againe, and came, and tolde him all those things.

13 Then said David unto his men—Gird on you every man his sword. And they girded on them, every man his sword, and, David also, girded on his sword, —and there went up after David—about four hundred men, and, two hundred, abode by the stores.

And Dauid said vnto his men, Girde euery man his sword about him. And they girded euery man his sworde: Dauid also girded his sworde. And about foure hundreth men went vp after Dauid, and two hundreth abode by the cariage.

14 But a certain one of her young men told, Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, —Lo! David sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless our lord, and he treated them with contempt.

Nowe one of the seruantes tolde Abigail Nabals wife, saying, Beholde, Dauid sent messengers out of the wildernesse to salute our master, and he rayled on them.

15 But, the men, were exceeding good to us, —and we were not harmed, neither missed we, anything, all the days we went to and fro with them, while we were in the fields:

Notwithstanding the men were very good vnto vs, and we had no displeasure, neither missed we any thing as long as we were conuersant with them, when we were in the fieldes.

16 A wall, became they unto us, both by night and by day, all the days we were with them, tending the flock.

They were as a wall vnto vs both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping sheepe.

17 Now, therefore, know thou, and see, what thou canst do, for mischief is determined against our lord, and against all his household, —but, he, is such an abandoned man, that one cannot speak unto him.

Nowe therefore take heede, and see what thou shalt doe: for euill will surely come vpon our master, and vpon all his familie: for he is so wicked that a man can not speake to him.

18 Then Abigail hastened—and took two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and five sheep made ready, and five measures of parched corn, and a hundred cakes of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, —and put them on the asses.

Then Abigail made haste, and tooke two hundreth cakes, and two bottels of wine, and fiue sheepe ready dressed, and fiue measures of parched corne, and an hundreth frailes of raisins, and two hundreth of figs, and laded them on asses.

19 And she said to her young men—Pass on before me, behold me coming after you; but, to her husband, Nabal, told she nothing.

Then she said vnto her seruants, Go ye before me: beholde, I will come after you: yet she tolde not her husband Nabal.

20 And so it was, as she was riding on her ass, and descending within the covert of the hill, lo! David and his men, descending over against her, —so she met them.

And as shee rode on her asse, shee came downe by a secret place of the mountaine, and beholde, Dauid and his men came downe against her, and she met them.

21 Now, David, had said—Surely, in vain, did I guard all that pertained to this man in the wilderness, so that there was, nothing, missed of all that he had, —seeing he hath returned to me evil for good.

And Dauid said, In deede I haue kept all in vaine that this fellow had in the wildernesse, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained vnto him: for he hath requited me euill for good.

22 So may God do to David and so may he add, if I leave remaining, of all that he hath, until the morning, —so much as a little boy.

So and more also doe God vnto the enemies of Dauid: for surely I will not leaue of all that he hath, by the dawning of the day, any that pisseth against the wall.

23 And, when Abigail saw David, she hastened, and alighted from off her ass, —and fell down before David upon her face, and prostrated herself on the ground;

And when Abigail sawe Dauid, she hasted and lighted off her asse, and fell before Dauid on her face, and bowed her selfe to the ground,

24 yea she fell at his feet, and said—On me, even me, my lord, be the transgression, —But, I pray thee, let thy handmaid speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy handmaid.

And fel at his feete, and sayd, Oh, my lord, I haue committed the iniquitie, and I pray thee, let thine handmayde speake to thee, and heare thou the wordes of thine handmayde.

25 Let it not be, I pray thee, that my lord regard this abandoned man—Nabal ["Base"]; For, as his name is, so, is he. Nabal, is his name, and, baseness, is with him, —But, I, thy handmaid, saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

Let not my lorde, I pray thee, regard this wicked man Nabal: for as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and follie is with him: but I thine handmayde sawe not the yong men of my lord whom thou sentest.

26 Now, therefore, my lord—By the life of Yahweh, and by the life of thine own soul, —seeing Yahweh hath withholden thee from coming in with bloodshed, and from saving thyself, with thine own hand, now, therefore, like Nabal, be thine enemies, and they who are making search for my lord, wrongfully.

Now therefore my lord, as the Lord liueth, and as thy soule liueth (the Lord, I say, that hath withholden thee from comming to shedde blood, and that thine hand should not saue thee) so now thine enemies shall be as Nabal, and they that intend to doe my lord euill.

27 Now, therefore, this blessing which thy maid-servant hath brought to my lord, let it even be given unto the young men who are going to and fro at the feet of my lord.

And now, this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought vnto my lorde, let it be giuen vnto the yong men, that follow my lord.

28 Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy handmaid, —for Yahweh, will certainly make, for my lord an assured house, for, the battles of Yahweh, is my lord fighting, and, wrong, shall not be found in thee, all thy days;

I pray thee, forgiue the trespasse of thine handmaide: for the Lord will make my lorde a sure house, because my lord fighteth the battels of the Lord, and none euill hath bene found in thee in all thy life.

29 yea, though there hath arisen a sun of earth to pursue thee, and to seek thy life, yet shall the life of my lord be bound up in the bundle of the living, with Yahweh thy God, but, as for the life of thine enemies, he shall sling it out with the middle of the hollow of the sling.

Yet a man hath risen vp to persecute thee, and to seeke thy soule, but the soule of my lorde shall be bounde in the bundel of life with the Lord thy God: and the soule of thine enemies shall God cast out, as out of the middle of a sling.

30 And it shall be, when Yahweh shall do for my lord, according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, —and shall put thee in charge as leader over Israel,

And when the Lord shall haue done to my lord al the good that he hath promised thee, and shall haue made thee ruler ouer Israel,

31 then shall this not become to thee a staggering and stumbling of heart, unto my lord—that thou didst either shed blood without need, or that the hand of my lord saved himself. And, when Yahweh hath dealt well with my lord, then remember thou thy handmaid.

Then shall it be no griefe vnto thee, nor offence of minde vnto my lord, that he hath not shed blood causelesse, nor that my lorde hath not preserued him selfe: and when the Lord shall haue dealt well with my lorde, remember thine handmaide.

32 Then said David unto Abigail, —Blessed, be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who hath sent thee this day, to meet me;

Then Dauid said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meete me.

33 and, blessed, be thy discreet judgment, and, blessed, be thou thyself, —who hast kept me, this day, from coming in with bloodshed, and from saving myself, with mine own hand.

And blessed be thy counsel, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from comming to shed blood, and that mine hand hath not saued me.

34 Nevertheless, by the life of Yahweh, God of Israel, who hath restrained me from harming, thee, surely, except thou hadst hastened and come to meet me, there had not been left unto Nabal, by the light of the morning, so much as a little boy.

For in deede, as the Lord God of Israel liueth, who hath kept me backe from hurting thee, except thou haddest hasted and met mee, surely there had not bene left vnto Nabal by the dawning of the day, any that pisseth against the wall.

35 So David received at her hand, that which she had brought him, —and, unto herself, he said—Go up, in peace, unto thy house, see! I have hearkened unto thy voice, and accepted thy person.

Then Dauid receiued of her hande that which she had brought him, and said to her, Goe vp in peace to thine house: beholde, I haue heard thy voyce, and haue graunted thy petition.

36 And, when Abigail came unto Nabal, lo! he, had a banquet in his house, like the banquet of a king, and, the heart of Nabal, was glad accordingly, he having drunk deeply, —so she told him nothing—less or more, until the light of the morning.

So Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he made a feast in his house, like the feast of a King, and Nabals heart was merie within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore shee tolde him nothing, neither lesse nor more, vntil the morning arose.

37 And it came to pass, in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, and his wife told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone.

Then in the morning when the wine was gone out of Nabal, his wife tolde him those wordes, and his heart died within him, and he was like a stone.

38 And it came to pass, in about ten days, that Yahweh smote Nabal, that he died.

And about ten dayes after, the Lord smote Nabal, that he dyed.

39 And, when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said—Blessed, be Yahweh, who hath maintained the plea of my reproach, at the hand of Nabal, and hath restrained, his servant, from wrong, yea, the wrong of Nabal, hath Yahweh turned back on his own head. Then sent David, and spake with Abigail, to take her to himself wife.

Now when Dauid heard, that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord that hath iudged the cause of my rebuke of ye hand of Nabal, and hath kept his seruant from euil: for the Lord hath recompensed the wickednesse of Nabal vpon his owne head. Also Dauid sent to commune with Abigail to take her to his wife.

40 And the servants of David came unto Abigail the Carmelitess, —and spake unto her, saying, David, hath sent us unto thee, to take thee to himself to wife.

And whe the seruants of Dauid were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake vnto her, saying, Dauid sent vs to thee, to take thee to his wife.

41 And she arose, and bowed herself down with her face to the earth, —and said—Lo! thy handmaid, as serving-woman to bathe the feet of the servants of my lord.

And she arose, and bowed her selfe on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmayde be a seruant to wash the feete of the seruants of my lord.

42 And Abigail hastened, and mounted, and rode upon her ass, with her five damsels that used to journey at her feet, —and she went her way after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode vpon an asse, and her fiue maides folowed her, and she went after the messengers of Dauid, and was his wife.

43 David took, Ahinoam also, out of Jezreel, —and, they two, became his wives.

Dauid also tooke Ahinoam of Izreel, and they were both his wiues.

44 Saul, indeed, had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, —to Palti, sun of Laish, who was of Gallim.

Now Saul had giuen Michal his daughter Dauids wife to Phalti the sonne of Laish, which was of Gallim.