1 Samuel 25

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
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 Then Samuel died, and all of Israel gathered together, and they mourned him. And they buried him at his house in Ramah. And David, rising up, descended to the desert of Paran.
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 Now there was a certain man in the wilderness of Maon, and his possessions were at Carmel. And this man was exceedingly great. And three thousand sheep, and one thousand goats were his. And it happened that he was shearing his sheep at 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 Now the name of this man was Nabal. And the name of his wife was Abigail. And she was a very prudent and beautiful woman. But her husband was hard-hearted, and very wicked, and malicious. And he was of the stock of Caleb.
4 When David heard in the desert that Nabal was at his sheepshearing,	4 Therefore, when David, in the desert, had heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep,
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, and he said to them: “Ascend to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name peacefully.
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 And you shall say: ‘Peace be to my brothers and to you, and peace to your house, and peace to whatever you have.
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 heard that your shepherds, who were with us in the desert, were shearing. We have never troubled them, nor was anything from the flock missing to them at any time, during the entire time that they have been with us 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 Question your servants, and they will tell you. Now therefore, may your servants find favor in your eyes. For we have arrived on a good day. Whatever your hand will find, give it to your servants and to your son David.’ ”
9 David's men went and said al this to Nabal for David, and waited.	9 And when the servants of David had arrived, they spoke to Nabal all these words in the name of David. And then they were silent.
10 Nabal retorted to the men in David's service, 'Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse?	10 But Nabal, responding to the servants of David, said: “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? Today, servants who are fleeing from their lords are increasing.
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 Therefore, shall I take my bread, and my water, and the meat of the cattle that I have slain for my shearers, and give it to men, when I do not know where they are from?”
12 David's men turned on their heels and went back, and on their arrival told him exactly what had beensaid.	12 And so the servants of David traveled back along their way. And returning, they went and reported to him all the words that he had 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 Then David said to his servants, “Let each one gird his sword.” And each one girded his sword. And David also girded his sword. And about four hundred men followed David. But two hundred remained behind with the supplies.
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 Then it was reported to Abigail, the wife of Nabal, by one of his servants, saying: “Behold, David has sent messengers from the desert, so that they might speak kindly to our lord. But he turned them away.
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 These men were good enough to us, and were not troublesome. Neither did we ever lose anything, during the entire time that we conversed with them in the desert.
16 Night and day, they were like a rampart to us, al the time we were with them, minding the sheep.	16 They were a wall to us, as much in the night as in the day, during all the days that we were with them, pasturing the sheep.
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 For this reason, consider and realize what you should do. For evil has been decided against your husband and against your house. And he is a son of Belial, so that no one is able to speak 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 And so Abigail hurried, and she took two hundred loaves, and two vessels of wine, and five cooked sheep, and five measures of cooked grain, and one hundred clusters of dried grapes, and two hundred masses of dried figs, and she set them upon donkeys.
19 She said to her servants, 'Go on ahead, I shal fol ow you' -- but she did not tel her husband Nabal.	19 And she said to her servants: “Go before me. Behold, I will follow after your back.” But she did not reveal it to 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 And when she had climbed on a donkey, and was descending to the base of the mountain, David and his men were descending to meet her. And 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 And David said: “Truly, in vain have I preserved all that was his in the wilderness, so that nothing perished out of all that belonged to him. And he has repaid evil to me for good.
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 these things, by the enemies of David, and may he add these other things, if I leave behind until morning, out of all that belongs to him, anything that urinates against a wall.”
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 Then, when Abigail had seen David, she hurried and descended from the donkey. And she fell upon her face before David, and she reverenced on the ground.
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 And she fell at his feet, and she said: “May this iniquity be upon me, my lord. I beg you, let your handmaid speak to your ears, and listen to the words of your servant.
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, the king, I beseech you, set his heart upon this iniquitous man, Nabal. For in accord with his name, he is senseless, and foolishness is with him. But I, your handmaid, did not see your servants, my lord, whom you had 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 your soul lives, and as the Lord lives, who has kept your hand to yourself, and has prevented you from coming to blood: now, let your enemies be like Nabal, and like all those who are seeking evil for my lord.
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 Because of this, accept this blessing, which your handmaid has brought to you, my lord. And give it to the young men who follow you, 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 Forgive the iniquity of your handmaid. For the Lord will surely make for you, my lord, a faithful house, because you, my lord, fight the battles of the Lord. Therefore, let no evil be found in you all the days of your life.
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 For if a man, at any time, will rise up, pursuing you and seeking your life, the life of my lord will be preserved, as if in the sheave of the living, with the Lord your God. But the lives of your enemies will be spun around, as if with the force of a whirling 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 Therefore, when the Lord will have done for you, my lord, all the good that he has spoken about you, and when he will have appointed you as leader 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 this will not be for you a regret or a scruple of the heart, my lord, that you had shed innocent blood, or had taken revenge for yourself. And when the Lord will have done well for my lord, you shall remember your handmaid.”
32 David said to Abigail, 'Blessed be Yahweh, God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today!	32 And David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me. And blessed is your eloquence.
33 Blessed be your wisdom and blessed you yourself for today having restrained me from the crime ofbloodshed and from exacting revenge!	33 And blessed are you, who prevented me today from going to blood, and from taking revenge for myself with my own hand.
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 But instead, as the Lord God of Israel lives, he has prevented me from doing evil to you. But if you had not come quickly to meet me, there would not have been left to Nabal by the morning light, anything that urinates against a wall.”
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 Then David received from her hand all that she had brought to him. And he said to her: “Go in peace to your own house. Behold, I have heeded your voice, and I have honored your face.”
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 Then Abigail went to Nabal. And behold, he was holding a feast for himself in his house, like the feast of a king. And the heart of Nabal was cheerful. For he was greatly inebriated. And she did not reveal a word to him, small or great, until 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 Then, at first light, when Nabal had digested his wine, his wife revealed to him these words, and his heart died within himself, and he became like a stone.
38 About ten days later Yahweh struck Nabal, and he died.	38 And after ten days had passed, the Lord struck Nabal, 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 And when David had heard that Nabal was dead, he said: “Blessed is the Lord, who has judged the case of my reproach at the hand of Nabal, and who has preserved his servant from evil. And the Lord has repaid the malice of Nabal upon his own head.” Then David sent and he spoke with Abigail, so that he might take her to himself as wife.
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 And David’s servants went to Abigail at Carmel, and they spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you, so that he might take you to himself as 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 And rising up, she reverenced prone on the ground, and she said, “Behold, let your servant be a handmaid, to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
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 And Abigail rose up and hurried, and she climbed upon a donkey, and five girls went with her, her attendants. And she followed the messengers of David, and she became his wife.
43 David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel and he kept them both as wives.	43 Moreover, David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel. And both of them were his wives.
44 Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Palti son of Laish, from Gal im.	44 Then Saul gave his daughter Michal, the wife of David, to Palti, the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.