1 ومات صموئيل فاجتمع جميع اسرائيل وندبوه ودفنوه في بيته في الرامة. وقام داود ونزل الى برية فاران2 وكان رجل في معون واملاكه في الكرمل وكان الرجل عظيما جدا وله ثلاثة آلاف من الغنم والف من المعز وكان يجزّ غنمه في الكرمل.3 واسم الرجل نابال واسم امرأته ابيجايل. وكانت المرأة جيدة الفهم وجميلة الصورة. واما الرجل فكان قاسيا وردي الاعمال. وهو كالبي.4 فسمع داود في البرية ان نابال يجزّ غنمه.5 فارسل داود عشرة غلمان وقال داود للغلمان اصعدوا الى الكرمل وادخلوا الى نابال واسألوا باسمي عن سلامته6 وقولوا هكذا. حييت وانت سالم وبيتك سالم وكل ما لك سالم.7 والآن قد سمعت ان عندك جزّازين. حين كان رعاتك معنا لم نؤذهم ولم يفقد لهم شيء كل الايام التي كانوا فيها في الكرمل.8 اسأل غلمانك فيخبروك. فليجد الغلمان نعمة في عينيك لاننا قد جئنا في يوم طيب. فاعط ما وجدته يدك لعبيدك ولابنك داود.9 فجاء الغلمان وكلموا نابال حسب كل هذا الكلام باسم داود وكفّوا.10 فاجاب نابال عبيد داود وقال من هو داود ومن هو ابن يسّى. قد كثر اليوم العبيد الذين يقحصون كل واحد من امام سيده.11 أآخذ خبزي ومائي وذبيحي الذي ذبحت لجازّي واعطيه لقوم لا اعلم من اين هم.12 فتحول غلمان داود الى طريقهم ورجعوا وجاءوا واخبروه حسب كل هذا الكلام.13 فقال داود لرجاله ليتقلد كل واحد منكم سيفه. فتقلد كل واحد سيفه. وتقلد داود ايضا سيفه. وصعد وراء داود نحو اربع مئة رجل ومكث مئتان مع الامتعة.14 فاخبر ابيجايل امرأة نابال غلام من الغلمان قائلا هوذا داود ارسل رسلا من البرية ليباركوا سيدنا فثار عليهم.15 والرجال محسنون الينا جدا فلم نؤذ ولا فقد منا شيء كل ايام ترددنا معهم ونحن في الحقل.16 كانوا سورا لنا ليلا ونهارا كل الايام التي كنا فيها معهم نرعى الغنم.17 والآن اعلمي وانظري ماذا تعملين لان الشر قد اعد على سيدنا وعلى بيته وهو ابن لئيم لا يمكن الكلام معه18 فبادرت ابيجايل واخذت مئتي رغيف خبز وزقّي خمر وخمسة خرفان مهيّأة وخمس كيلات من الفريك ومئتي عنقود من الزبيب ومئتي قرص من التين ووضعتها على الحمير19 وقالت لغلمانها اعبروا قدامي هانذا جائية وراءكم. ولم تخبر رجلها نابال.20 وفيما هي راكبة على الحمار ونازلة في سترة الجبل اذا بداود ورجاله منحدرون لاستقبالها فصادفتهم.21 وقال داود انما باطلا حفظت كل ما لهذا في البرية فلم يفقد من كل ما له شيء فكافاني شرا بدل خير.22 هكذا يصنع الله لاعداء داود وهكذا يزيد ان ابقيت من كل ما له الى ضوء الصباح بائلا بحائط.23 ولما رأت ابيجايل داود اسرعت ونزلت عن الحمار وسقطت امام داود على وجهها وسجدت الى الارض24 وسقطت على رجليه وقالت عليّ انا يا سيدي هذا الذنب ودع امتك تتكلم في اذنيك واسمع كلام امتك.25 لا يضعنّ سيدي قلبه على الرجل اللئيم هذا على نابال لان كاسمه هكذا هو. نابال اسمه والحماقة عنده. وانا امتك لم أر غلمان سيدي الذين ارسلتهم.26 والآن يا سيدي حيّ هو الرب وحية هي نفسك ان الرب قد منعك عن أتيان الدماء وانتقام يدك لنفسك. والآن فليكن كنابال اعداؤك والذين يطلبون الشر لسيدي.27 والآن هذه البركة التي أتت بها جاريتك الى سيدي فلتعط للغلمان السائرين وراء سيدي.28 واصفح عن ذنب امتك لان الرب يصنع لسيدي بيتا امينا لان سيدي يحارب حروب الرب ولم يوجد فيك شر كل ايامك.29 وقد قام رجل ليطاردك ويطلب نفسك ولكن نفس سيدي لتكن محزومة في حزمة الحياة مع الرب الهك واما انفس اعدائك فليرم بها كما من وسط كفّة المقلاع.30 ويكون عندما يصنع الرب لسيدي حسب كل ما تكلم به من الخير من اجلك ويقيمك رئيسا على اسرائيل31 انه لا تكون لك هذه مصدمة ومعثرة قلب لسيدي انك قد سفكت دما عفوا او ان سيدي قد انتقم لنفسه. واذا احسن الرب الى سيدي فاذكر امتك32 فقال داود لابيجايل. مبارك الرب اله اسرائيل الذي ارسلك هذا اليوم لاستقبالي33 ومبارك عقلك ومباركة انت لانك منعتني اليوم من أتيان الدماء وانتقام يدي لنفسي.34 ولكن حيّ هو الرب اله اسرائيل الذي منعني عن اذيتك انك لو لم تبادري وتأتي لاستقبالي لما ابقي لنابال الى ضوء الصباح بائل بحائط.35 فاخذ داود من يدها ما اتت به اليه وقال لها اصعدي بسلام الى بيتك. انظري. قد سمعت لصوتك ورفعت وجهك36 فجاءت ابيجايل الى نابال واذا وليمة عنده في بيته كوليمة ملك. وكان نابال قد طاب قلبه وكان سكران جدا. فلم تخبره بشيء صغير او كبير الى ضوء الصباح.37 وفي الصباح عند خروج الخمر من نابال اخبرته امرأته بهذا الكلام فمات قلبه داخله وصار كحجر.38 وبعد نحو عشرة ايام ضرب الرب نابال فمات.39 فلما سمع داود ان نابال قد مات قال. مبارك الرب الذي انتقم نقمة تعييري من يد نابال وامسك عبده عن الشر ورد الرب شر نابال على راسه. وارسل داود وتكلم مع ابيجايل ليتخذها له امرأة.40 فجاء عبيد داود الى ابيجايل الى الكرمل وكلموها قائلين ان داود قد ارسلنا اليك لكي نتخذك له امرأة.41 فقامت وسجدت على وجهها الى الارض وقالت هوذا امتك جارية لغسل ارجل عبيد سيدي.42 ثم بادرت وقامت ابيجايل وركبت الحمار مع خمس فتيات لها ذاهبات وراءها وسارت وراء رسل داود وصارت له امرأة.43 ثم اخذ داود اخينوعم من يزرعيل فكانتا له كلتاهما امرأتين.44 فاعطى شاول ميكال ابنته امرأة داود لفلطي بن لايش الذي من جلّيم

1 And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.2 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 shearing his sheep in Carmel.3 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.4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.5 And David sent out ten young men, and David said to the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:6 And thus shall you say to him that lives in prosperity, Peace be both to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.7 And now I have heard that you have shearers: now your shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing to them, all the while they were in Carmel.8 Ask your young men, and they will show you. Why let the young men find favor in your eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray you, whatever comes to your hand to your servants, and to your son David.9 And when David' young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.10 And Nabal answered David' servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.11 Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men, whom I know not from where they be?12 So David' young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.13 And David said to his men, Gird you on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred stayed by the stuff.14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal' wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them.15 But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:16 They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.17 Now therefore know and consider what you will do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.18 Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.19 And she said to her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.20 And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert on the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.21 Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained to him: and he has requited me evil for good.22 So and more also do God to the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that urinates against the wall.23 And when Abigail saw David, she hurried, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,24 And fell at his feet, and said, On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be: and let your handmaid, I pray you, speak in your audience, and hear the words of your handmaid.25 Let not my lord, I pray you, 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 your handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom you did send.26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, seeing the LORD has withheld you from coming to shed blood, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.27 And now this blessing which your handmaid has brought to my lord, let it even be given to the young men that follow my lord.28 I pray you, forgive the trespass of your handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil has not been found in you all your days.29 Yet a man is risen to pursue you, and to seek your soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD your God; and the souls of your enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.30 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and shall have appointed you ruler over Israel;31 That this shall be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood causeless, or that my lord has avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember your handmaid.32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent you this day to meet me:33 And blessed be your advice, and blessed be you, which have kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with my own hand.34 For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, which has kept me back from hurting you, except you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there had not been left to Nabal by the morning light any that urinates against the wall.35 So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said to her, Go up in peace to your house; see, I have listened to your voice, and have accepted your person.36 And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal' heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: why she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.37 But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.38 And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.39 And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept his servant from evil: for the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.40 And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, David sent us to you, to take you to him to wife.41 And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let your handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.42 And Abigail hurried, and arose and rode on an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives.44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David' wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.