1 And Samuel died, and all Israel was gathered together, and they mourned for him, and buried him in his house in Ramatha. And David rising went down into the desert of Pharan.
1 And Samuel died. ¹And all Israel was gathered together, and they mourned for him, and buried him in his house in Ramatha. And David rose, and went down into the wilderness of Pharan.
2 And there was a certain man in the wilderness of Maon, & his possession in Carmel, & that man was exceeding great: and he had three thousand sheep, & a thousand goats: and it chanced that his flock was shorn in Carmel.
2 Now there was a certain man in the wilderness of Maon, and his possessions were in Carmel, and the man was very great: and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and it happened that he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
3 And the name of the man was Nabal: & the name of his wife Abigail. And that woman was very wise and beautiful: moreover her husband hard, and very ill, and malicious: and he was of the kindred of Caleb.
3 Now the name of the man was Nabal: and the name of his wife was Abigail. And she was a prudent and very comely woman: but her husband was churlish, and very bad and ill natured: and he was of the house of Caleb.
4 When David therefore heard in the desert, that Nabal sheared his flock,
4 And when David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep,
5 he sent ten young men, and said to them: Go up into Carmel, & you shall come to Nabal, and shall salute him in my name peaceably.
5 He sent ten young men, and said to them: Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and salute him in my name with peace.
6 And you shall say: Peace be to my brethren, and to thee, and peace to thy house, and to all whatsoever thou hast be peace.
6 And you shall say: Peace be to my brethren, and to thee, and peace to thy house, and peace to all that thou hast.
7 I have heard, that thy shepherds which were with us in the desert did shear: we have never molested them, neither hath ought been wanting to them at any time of the flock, all the time that they were with us in Carmel.
7 I have heard that thy shepherds that were with us in the desert were shearing: we never molested them, neither was there ought missing to them of the flock at any time, all the while they were with us in Carmel.
8 Ask thy servants, and they will tell thee. Now therefore let thy servants find grace in thine eyes: for we are come in a good day, whatsoever thy hand shall find, give thy servants, and thy son David.
8 Ask thy servants, and they will tell thee. Now therefore let thy servants find favor in thy eyes: for we are come in a good day, whatsoever thy hand shall find give to thy servants, and to thy son David.
9 And when David's servants were come, they spake to Nabal all these words in David's name: and so held their peace.
9 And when David’s servants came, they spoke to Nabal all these words in David’s name, and then held their peace.
10 But Nabal answering the servants of David, said: Who is David? And what is the son of Isai? There are servants multiplied now a days which fly from their masters.
10 But Nabal answering the servants of David, said: Who is David? And what is the son of Isai? Servants are multiplied now a days who flee from their masters.
11 Shall I then take my breads, and my waters, and the flesh of my cattle, which I have killed for my shearers, and give to men whom I know not whence they are?
11 Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and the flesh of my cattle, which I have killed for my shearers, and give to men whom I know not whence they are?
12 Therefore the servants of David returned by their way, and returning came & told him all the words that he had said.
12 So the servants of David went back their way, and returning came and told him all the words that he said.
13 Then said David to his servants: Every man gird him with his sword. And they were every one girded with their swords. And David also was girded with his sword: and there followed David about four hundred men: moreover two hundred remained at the baggage.
13 Then David said to his young men: Let every man gird on his sword. And they girded on every man his sword. And David also girded on his sword: and there followed David about four hundred men, and two hundred remained with the baggage.
14 But to Abigail the wife of Nabal one of their servants told, saying: Behold David hath sent messengers from the desert, to bless our master, and he disdained them:
14 But one of the servants told Abigail the wife of Nabal, saying: Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness, to salute our master: and he rejected them.
15 these men were good enough to us, & not troublesome: neither did ever any thing perish all the time, that we have converst with them in the desert:
15 These men were very good to us, and gave us no trouble: Neither did we ever lose anything all the time that we conversed with them in the desert.
16 they were in stead of a wall to us both in the day and in the night, all the days that we fed the flocks with them.
16 They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.
17 Wherefore consider, and think what thou hast to do, for malice is accomplished against thy husband, & against thy house, and he is the son of Belial, so that no man can speak to him.
17 Wherefore consider, and think what thou hast to do: for evil is determined against thy husband, and against thy house, and he is a son of Belial, so that no man can speak to him.
18 Abigail therefore made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five muttons ready dresst, and five measures of polent, and an hundred branches of raisins, and two hundred masses of dry figs, and laid them upon asses,
18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves, and two vessels of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of dry figs, and laid them upon asses:
19 and said to her servants: Go before me; lo, I will follow you at your back: but she told not her husband Nabal.
19 And she said to her servants: Go before me: behold, I will follow after you: but she told not her husband Nabal.
20 When she therefore had gotten upon an ass, and came down to the foot of the mountain, David and his men came down meeting her, whom she also met.
20 And when she had gotten upon an ass, and was coming down to the foot of the mountain, David and his men came down over against her, and she met them.
21 And David said: In vain verily have I preserved all things that were this man's in the desert, and there perished nothing of all that pertained to him, & he hath rendered me evil for good.
21 And David said: Truly in vain have I kept all that belonged to this man in the wilderness, and nothing was lost of all that pertained unto him: and he hath returned me evil for good.
22 These things do God to the enemies of David, & these things add he, if I shall leave of all things that pertain to him until morning, any thing pissing against the wall.
22 May God do so and so, and add more to the foes of David, if I leave of all that belong to him till the morning, any that pisseth against the wall.
23 And when Abigail had seen David, she made haste, & light from her ass, & fell down before David upon her face, & adored upon the earth,
23 And when Abigail saw David, she made haste and lighted off the ass, and fell before David, on her face, and adored upon the ground.
24 and fell at his feet, & said: In me my lord be this iniquity: let thy handmaid speak I beseech thee in thine ears: and hear the words of thy servant.
24 And she fell at his feet, and said: Upon me let this iniquity be, my lord: let thy handmaid speak, I beseech thee, in thy ears, and hear the words of thy servant.
25 Let not my lord the king I pray thee, set his heart upon this naughty man Nabal: because according to his name, he is a fool, and folly is with him: but I thy handmaid saw not thy servants my lord, whom thou didst send.
25 Let not my lord the king, I pray thee, regard this naughty man Nabal: for according to his name, he is a fool, and folly is with him: but I thy handmaid did not see thy servants, my lord, whom thou sentest.
26 Now therefore my lord, our Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth, who hath stayed thee that thou shouldst not come unto blood, and hath saved thy hand to thee: and now be thine enemies as Nabal, & they that seek evil to my lord.
26 Now therefore, my lord, the Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth, who hath withholden thee from coming to blood, and hath saved thy hand to thee: and now let thy enemies be as Nabal, and all they that seek evil to my lord.
27 Wherefore receive this benediction, which thy handmaid hath brought to thee my lord: and give to thy servants that follow thee my lord.
27 Wherefore receive this blessing, which thy handmaid hath brought to thee, my lord: and give it to the young men that follow thee, my lord.
28 Take away the iniquity of thy handmaid: for our Lord making will make to my lord a faithful house, because thou my lord dost fight the battles of our Lord: let not malice therefore be found in thee all the days of thy life.
28 Forgive the iniquity of thy handmaid: for the Lord will surely make for my lord a faithful house, ²because thou, my lord, fightest the battles of the Lord: let not evil therefore be found in thee all the days of thy life.
29 For if a man shall rise, persecuting thee, & seeking thy life, the life of my lord shall be kept, as in the bundle of the living, with our Lord thy God: Moreover the life of thine enemies shall be whurled, as in the violence, and whurl of a sling.
29 For if a man at any time shall rise, and persecute thee, and seek thy life, the soul of my lord shall be kept, as in the bundle of the living, with the Lord thy God: but the souls of thy enemies shall be whirled, as with the violence and whirling of a sling.
30 When our Lord therefore shall do to thee, my lord, all good things, which he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall constitute thee Prince over Israel,
30 And when the Lord shall have done to thee, my lord, all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have made thee prince over Israel,
31 this shall not be an occasion of sobbing to thee, and a scruple of heart to my lord, that thou hast shed innocent blood, or thyself hast revenged thyself: and when our Lord hath bestowed these benefits upon my lord, thou shalt remember thy handmaid.
31 This shall not be an occasion of grief to thee, and a scruple of heart to my lord, that thou hast shed innocent blood, or hast revenged thyself: and when the Lord shall have done well by my lord, thou shalt remember thy handmaid.
32 And David said to Abigail: Blessed be our Lord the God of Israel, who hath sent thee this day to meet me, and blessed be thy speech,
32 And David said to Abigail: Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me, and blessed be thy speech:
33 and blessed be thou, which hast stayed me today, that I might not go to blood, and revenge me with mine own hand.
33 And blessed be thou, who hast kept me today from coming to blood, and revenging me with my own hand.
34 Otherwise our Lord liveth, the God of Israel, who hath stayed me that I should not do thee any evil, unless thou hadst quickly come to meet me, there had not remained to Nabal until morning light, any pissing against a wall.
34 Otherwise, as the Lord liveth the God of Israel, who hath withholden me from doing thee any evil if thou hadst not quickly come to meet me, there had not been left to Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.
35 And David took of her hand all things which she had brought him, and said to her: Go peaceably into thy house, behold I have heard thy voice, and have honoured thy face.
35 And David received at her hand all that she had brought him, and said to her: Go in peace into thy house, behold I have heard thy voice, and have honored thy face.
36 And Abigail came to Nabal: and behold he had a feast in his house, as it were the feast of a king, and Nabal's heart was pleasant: for he was drunk exceedingly: and she told him not a word little or great until morning.
36 And Abigail came to Nabal: and behold he had a feast in his house, like the feast of a king: and Nabal’s heart was merry, for he was very drunk: and she told him nothing less or more until morning.
37 But early when Nabal had digested his wine, his wife told him these words, & his heart was dead inwardly, & he became as a stone.
37 But early in the morning, when Nabal had digested his wine, his wife told him these words, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
38 And when ten days had passed, our Lord struck Nabal, & he died.
38 And after ten days had passed, the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.
39 Which when David had heard that Nabal was dead, he said: Blessed be our Lord, who hath judged the cause of my reproach at the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil, and the malice of Nabal hath our Lord rendered upon his head. David therefore sent, and spake to Abigail, that he might take her to himself to wife.
39 And when David had heard that Nabal was dead, he said: Blessed be the Lord, who hath judged the cause of my reproach, at the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil, and the Lord hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his head. Then David sent and treated with Abigail, that he might take her to himself for a wife.
40 And David's servants came to Abigail into Carmel, and spake to her, saying: David hath sent us unto thee, to take thee to his wife.
40 And David’s servants came to Abigail, to Carmel, and spoke to her, saying: David hath sent us to thee, to take thee to himself for a wife.
41 Who arising adored flat toward the earth, and said: Lo let thy servant be as an handmaid, to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.
41 And she arose, and bowed herself down with her face to the earth, and said: Behold, let thy servant be a handmaid, to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.
42 And Abigail arose, and made haste, and gat upon an ass, and five women went with her, waiting maids, and followed the messengers of David, and became his wife.
42 And Abigail arose, and made haste, and got upon an ass, and five damsels went with her, her waiting maids, and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife.
43 Yea and Achinoam also did David take of Jezrahel: and both were his wives.
43 Moreover David took also Achinoam of Jezrahel: and they were both of them his wives.
44 But Saul gave Michol his daughter David's wife to Phalti, the son of Lais, who was of Gallim.
44 But Saul gave Michol his daughter, David’s wife, to Phalti, the son of Lais, who was of Gallim.