1 Samuel 25

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Samuel died and all Israel assembled to mourn for him. They buried him at his home in Ramah. Davidthen set off and went down to the desert of Maon.	1 Samuel died, and all Israel gathered to mourn him; they buried him at his home in Ramah.Then David went down to the desert of Maon.
2 Now, there was a man in Maon whose business was at Carmel; the man was very rich: he ownedthree thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was then at Carmel, having his sheep shorn.	2 There was a man of Maon who had property in Carmel; he was very wealthy, owning three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. At this time he was present for the shearing of his flock in Carmel.
3 The man's name was Nabal and his wife's Abigail. She was a woman of intel igence and beauty, butthe man was miserly and churlish. He was a Calebite.	3 The man was named Nabal, his wife, Abigail. The woman was intelligent and attractive, but Nabal himself, a Calebite, was harsh and ungenerous in his behavior.
4 When David heard in the desert that Nabal was at his sheepshearing,	4 When David heard in the desert that Nabal was shearing his flock,
5 he sent ten men off, having said to them, 'Go up to Carmel, visit Nabal and greet him from me.	5 he sent ten young men, instructing them: "Go up to Carmel. Pay Nabal a visit and greet him in my name.
6 And this is what you are to say to my brother, "Peace to you, peace to your family, peace to al that isyours!	6 Say to him, 'Peace be with you, my brother, and with your family, and with all who belong to you.
7 I hear that you now have the shearers; your shepherds were with us recently: we did not molest them,nor did they lose anything al the while they were at Carmel.	7 I have just heard that shearers are with you. Now, when your shepherds were with us, we did them no injury, neither did they miss anything all the while they were in Carmel.
8 Ask your young men and they wil tel you. I hope that you will give the men a welcome, coming as wedo on a festival. Whatever you have to hand please give to your servants and to your son David." '	8 Ask your servants and they will tell you so. Look kindly on these young men, since we come at a festival time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can manage.'"
9 David's men went and said al this to Nabal for David, and waited.	9 When David's young men arrived, they delivered this message fully to Nabal in David's name, and then waited.
10 Nabal retorted to the men in David's service, 'Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse?	10 But Nabal answered the servants of David: "Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? Nowadays there are many servants who run away from their masters.
11 There are many servants nowadays who run away from their masters. Am I to take my bread and mywine and the meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men who come from I know not where?'	11 Must I take my bread, my wine, my meat that I have slaughtered for my own shearers, and give them to men who come from I know not where?"
12 David's men turned on their heels and went back, and on their arrival told him exactly what had beensaid.	12 So David's young men retraced their steps and on their return reported to him all that had been said.
13 David then said to his men, 'Every man buckle on his sword!' And they buckled on their swords, andDavid buckled on his too; about four hundred fol owed David while two hundred stayed with the baggage.	13 Thereupon David said to his men, "Let everyone gird on his sword." And so everyone, David included, girded on his sword. About four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.
14 Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife. He said, 'David sent messengers from thedesert to greet our master, but he flared up at them.	14 But Nabal's wife Abigail was informed of this by one of the servants, who said: "David sent messengers from the desert to greet our master, but he flew at them screaming.
15 Now, these men were very good to us; they did not molest us and we lost nothing al the time we hadanything to do with them while we were out in the country.	15 Yet these men were very good to us. We were done no injury, neither did we miss anything all the while we were living among them during our stay in the open country.
16 Night and day, they were like a rampart to us, al the time we were with them, minding the sheep.	16 For us they were like a rampart night and day the whole time we were pasturing the sheep near them.
17 So now make up your mind what you should do, for the ruin of our master and his whole family is acertainty, and he is such a brute that no one can say a word to him.'	17 Now, see what you can do, for you must realize that otherwise evil is in store for our master and for his whole family. He is so mean that no one can talk to him."
18 Abigail hastily took two hundred loaves, two skins of wine, five sheep ready prepared, five measuresof roasted grain, a hundred bunches of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs and loaded them on donkeys.	18 Abigail quickly got together two hundred loaves, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of pressed raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on asses.
19 She said to her servants, 'Go on ahead, I shal fol ow you' -- but she did not tel her husband Nabal.	19 She then said to her servants, "Go on ahead; I will follow you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20 As she was riding her donkey down behind a fold in the mountain, David and his men happened tobe coming down in her direction; and she met them.	20 As she came down through a mountain defile riding on an ass, David and his men were also coming down from the opposite direction. When she met them,
21 Now, David had decided, 'It was a waste of time my guarding al this man's property in the desert sothat he lost nothing at all! He has repaid me bad for good.	21 David had just been saying: "Indeed, it was in vain that I guarded all this man's possessions in the desert, so that he missed nothing. He has repaid good with evil.
22 May God bring unnameable il s on David and worse ones, too, if by morning I leave a single manjackalive of all who belong to him!'	22 May God do thus and so to David, if by morning I leave a single male alive among all those who belong to him."
23 As soon as Abigail saw David, she quickly dismounted from the donkey and, falling on her face infront of David, prostrated herself on the ground.	23 As soon as Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the ass and, falling prostrate on the ground before David, did him homage.
24 She fell at his feet and said, 'Let me take the blame, my lord. Let your servant speak in your ear;listen to what your servant has to say!	24 As she fell at his feet she said: "My lord, let the blame be mine. Please let your handmaid speak to you, and listen to the words of your handmaid.
25 My lord, please pay no attention to this brute Nabal for his nature is like his name; "Brute" is hisname and brutal he is. But I, your servant, did not see the men whom my lord sent.	25 Let not my lord pay attention to that worthless man Nabal, for he is just like his name. Fool is his name, and he acts the fool. I, your handmaid, did not see the young men whom my lord sent.
26 And now, my lord, as Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, by Yahweh who kept you from the crimeof bloodshed and from taking vengeance with your own hand, may your enemies and al those ill-disposedtowards you become like Nabal.	26 Now, therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as you live, it is the LORD who has kept you from shedding blood and from avenging yourself personally. May your enemies and those who seek to harm my lord become as Nabal!
27 As for the present which your servant has brought my lord, I should like this to be given to the men inyour service.	27 Accept this present, then, which your maidservant has brought for my lord, and let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.
28 Please forgive your servant for any offence I have given you, for Yahweh wil certainly assure you ofa lasting dynasty, since you are fighting Yahweh's battles and no fault has been found in you throughout yourlife.	28 Please forgive the transgression of your handmaid, for the LORD shall certainly establish a lasting dynasty for my lord, because your lordship is fighting the battles of the LORD, and there is no evil to be found in you your whole life long.
29 Should anyone set out to hunt you down and try to kil you, your life wil be kept close in the wal et oflife with Yahweh your God, while your enemies' lives he wil fling out of the pouch of the sling.	29 If anyone rises to pursue you and to seek your life, may the life of my lord be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the LORD your God; but may he hurl out the lives of your enemies as from the hollow of a sling.
30 Once Yahweh has done for you al the good things which he has said he will do for you, and madeyou ruler of Israel,	30 And when the LORD carries out for my lord the promise of success he has made concerning you, and appoints you as commander over Israel,
31 you must have no anxiety, my lord, no remorse, over having wantonly shed blood, over having takena revenge. When Yahweh has done wel by you, then remember your servant.'	31 you shall not have this as a qualm or burden on your conscience, my lord, for having shed innocent blood or for having avenged yourself personally. When the LORD confers this benefit on your lordship, remember your handmaid."
32 David said to Abigail, 'Blessed be Yahweh, God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today!	32 David said to Abigail: "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today.
33 Blessed be your wisdom and blessed you yourself for today having restrained me from the crime ofbloodshed and from exacting revenge!	33 Blessed be your good judgment and blessed be you yourself, who this day have prevented me from shedding blood and from avenging myself personally.
34 But as Yahweh, God of Israel, lives, who prevented me from harming you, had you not hurried out tomeet me, I swear Nabal would not have had a single manjack left alive by morning!'	34 Otherwise, as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from harming you, if you had not come so promptly to meet me, by dawn Nabal would not have had a single man or boy left alive."
35 David then accepted what she had brought him and said, 'Go home in peace; yes, I have listened toyou and have pardoned you.'	35 David then took from her what she had brought him and said to her: "Go up to your home in peace! See, I have granted your request as a personal favor."
36 Abigail returned to Nabal. He was holding a feast, a princely feast, in his house; Nabal was in highspirits, and as he was very drunk she told him nothing at al til it was daylight.	36 When Abigail came to Nabal, there was a drinking party in his house like that of a king, and Nabal was merry because he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all before daybreak the next morning.
37 In the morning, when Nabal's wine had left him and his wife told him everything that had happened,his heart died within him and he became like a stone.	37 But then, when Nabal had become sober, his wife told him what had happened. At this his courage died within him, and he became like a stone.
38 About ten days later Yahweh struck Nabal, and he died.	38 About ten days later the LORD struck him and he died.
39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, 'Blessed be Yahweh for having defended my causeover the insult which I received from Nabal, and for having restrained his servant from doing wrong! Yahweh hasmade Nabal's wickedness rebound on his own head!'	39 On hearing that Nabal was dead, David said: "Blessed be the LORD, who has requited the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and who restrained his servant from doing evil, but has punished Nabal for his own evil deeds." David then sent a proposal of marriage to Abigail.
40 David then sent Abigail an offer of marriage. When the men in David's service came to Abigail atCarmel, they said, 'David has sent us to take you to him, to be his wife.'	40 When David's servants came to Abigail in Carmel, they said to her, "David has sent us to you that he may take you as his wife."
41 She stood up, then prostrated herself on the ground. 'Consider your servant a slave', she said, 'towash the feet of my lord's servants.'	41 Rising and bowing to the ground, she answered, "Your handmaid would become a slave to wash the feet of my lord's servants."
42 Quickly Abigail stood up again and mounted a donkey; fol owed by five of her servant-girls, shefol owed David's messengers and became his wife.	42 She got up immediately, mounted an ass, and followed David's messengers, with her five maids following in attendance upon her. She became his wife,
43 David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel and he kept them both as wives.	43 and David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel. Thus both of them were his wives; but Saul gave David's wife Michal, Saul's own daughter, to Palti, son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
44 Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Palti son of Laish, from Gal im.