1 And Samuel died; and all Israel were gathered together, and lamented him; and they buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.2 And there was a man at Maon, whose business was at Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep at Carmel.3 And the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance; but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was a Calebite.4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.5 Then David sent out ten young men; and David said to the young men, Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name.6 And thus shall ye say: Long life {to thee}! and peace be to thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be to all that thou hast!7 And now I have heard that thou hast shearers; now thy shepherds who were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there aught missed by them, all the while they were in Carmel.8 Ask thy young men, and they will tell thee. Therefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes; for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, what thy hand may find to thy servants, and to thy son David.9 And David's young men came, and spoke to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.10 And Nabal answered David's servants and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there are many servants now-a-days that break away every man from his master.11 And shall I take my bread, and my water, and my flesh which I have killed for my shearers, and give {it} to men whom I know not whence they are?12 And David's young men turned their way, and went back, and came and reported to him according to all those words.13 And David said to his men, Gird ye 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 abode by the baggage.14 And one of {Nabal's} young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless our master; and he has insulted them.15 And the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we companied 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 feeding the sheep.17 And now know and consider what thou wilt do, for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household; and he is such a son of Belial, that one cannot speak to him.18 And Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two skin-bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched {corn}, and a hundred raisin-cakes, and two hundred fig-cakes, and laid them on asses.19 And she said to her young men, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she did not tell her husband Nabal.20 And as she was riding on the ass, and coming down by the covert of the hill, behold, David and his men came down opposite to her; and she met them.21 Now David had said, Surely, in vain have I kept all that this {man} had in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that was his; 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 is his by the morning light any male.23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted 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, Upon me, my lord, {upon} me let the iniquity be; but let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine ears, and hear the words of thy handmaid.25 Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, Nabal; for as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; and I thy handmaid did not see the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.26 And now, my lord, {as} Jehovah liveth, and {as} thy soul liveth, seeing Jehovah has restrained thee from coming with bloodshed, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.27 And now this blessing which thy bondmaid has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men that follow my lord.28 I pray thee, forgive the transgression of thy handmaid: for Jehovah will certainly make my lord a lasting house; because my lord fights the battles of Jehovah, and evil has not been found in thee all thy days.29 And if a man is risen up to pursue thee and to seek thy life, the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with Jehovah thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out from the hollow of the sling.30 And it shall come to pass, when Jehovah shall do to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning thee, and shall appoint thee ruler over Israel,31 that this shall be no stumbling-block to thee, nor offence of heart for my lord, either that thou hast shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. And when Jehovah shall deal well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid.32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me.33 And blessed be thy discernment, and blessed be thou, who hast kept me this day from coming with bloodshed, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.34 But indeed, as Jehovah the God of Israel liveth, who has restrained me from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, there had not been left to Nabal by the morning light any male.35 So David received of her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.36 And Abigail came to Nabal; and behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was drunken to excess; so she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.37 And it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things; and his heart died within him, and he became {as} a stone.38 And it came to pass in about ten days that Jehovah smote Nabal, and he died.39 And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be Jehovah, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from evil; but Jehovah has returned Nabal's evil upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her as his wife.40 And the servants of David came to Abigail to Carmel, and spoke to her, saying, David has sent us to thee, to take thee as his wife.41 And she arose and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thy handmaid be a bondwoman to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.42 And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that followed her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.43 David had also taken Ahinoam of Jizreel; and they became, even both of them, his wives.44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

1 En Samuel het gesterwe, en die hele Israel het saamgekom en oor hom gerouklaag en hom begrawe in sy huis in Rama. En Dawid het hom klaargemaak en afgetrek na die woestyn Paran.2 En daar was 'n man in Maon wat sy boerdery in Karmel gehad het, en die man was baie vermoënd: hy het drie duisend skape en duisend bokke gehad, en hy was besig om sy skape te skeer in Karmel.3 En die naam van die man was Nabal, en die naam van sy vrou Ab¡gail; en die vrou het 'n goeie verstand gehad en was mooi van aansien; maar die man was grof en boosaardig, en hy was 'n Kalebiet.4 Toe Dawid in die woestyn hoor dat Nabal sy skape skeer,5 stuur Dawid tien jongmanne, en Dawid sê aan die jongmanne: Trek op na Karmel en gaan by Nabal in en vra hom in my naam na die welstand;6 en so moet julle aan die welvarende sê: Mag dit goed gaan met u sowel as met u huis, en goed gaan met alles wat u besit.7 En nou, ek het gehoor dat u skeerders het; nou ja, u wagters was met ons saam; ons het hulle nie beledig nie, en hulle het ook niks vermis al die dae wat hulle in Karmel was nie.8 Vra u dienaars, en hulle sal u dit te kenne gee; laat dus die jongmanne guns vind in u oë, want ons het op 'n vrolike dag gekom; gee tog wat u byderhand het aan u dienaars en aan u seun Dawid.9 Toe het die jongmanne van Dawid gekom en met Nabal in naam van Dawid volgens al hierdie woorde gespreek en verder afgewag.10 Maar Nabal het die dienaars van Dawid geantwoord en gesê: Wie is Dawid? En wie is die seun van Isai? Daar is vandag baie dienaars wat hulle losskeur, elkeen van sy heer af.11 Sou ek dan my brood en my water en my slaggoed wat ek vir my skeerders geslag het, neem en aan manne gee van wie ek nie weet waar hulle vandaan kom nie?12 Daarop het die jongmanne van Dawid omgedraai op hulle pad, hulle het teruggekeer en aangekom en hom berig gebring volgens al hierdie woorde.13 Toe sê Dawid aan sy manne: Gord julle elkeen sy swaard aan! Hulle gord toe elkeen sy swaard aan -- Dawid het ook sy swaard aangegord -- en hulle trek agter Dawid op, omtrent vier honderd man, terwyl twee honderd by die pakgoed bly.14 Maar aan Ab¡gail, die vrou van Nabal, het een van die jongmanne berig gebring en gesê: Kyk, Dawid het boodskappers uit die woestyn gestuur om ons heer te begroet, maar hy het teen hulle uitgevaar.15 Tog was die manne vir ons baie goed; ook is ons nie beledig nie, en ons het niks vermis al die dae wat ons saam met hulle rondgetrek het toe ons in die veld was nie.16 Hulle was 'n muur om ons, snags sowel as bedags, al die dae wat ons die skape by hulle opgepas het.17 En nou moet u self ondersoek en kyk wat u moet doen; want die onheil is vas besluit oor ons heer en oor sy hele huis; maar hy self is so 'n deugniet dat jy nie met hom kan praat nie.18 Toe het Ab¡gail gou twee honderd brode geneem en twee sakke wyn en vyf toebereide skape en vyf mate gebraaide koring en honderd rosynekoeke en twee honderd vyekoeke en dit op esels gesit.19 En sy het aan haar jongmanne gesê: Trek voor my uit; kyk, ek kom dadelik agter julle aan. Maar aan haar man Nabal het sy niks te kenne gegee nie.20 En terwyl sy op die esel ry en in 'n kloof van die berg afdaal, kom Dawid en sy manne meteens af haar tegemoet, sodat sy hulle teëgekom het.21 Dawid het al gedink: Net verniet het ek alles wat aan hierdie man behoort, in die woestyn beskerm, sodat daar nooit iets van sy goed vermis is nie; en hy vergeld my kwaad vir goed.22 Mag God so aan die vyande van Dawid doen en so daaraan toedoen, as ek van almal wat aan hom behoort, tot môre een laat oorbly wat manlik is.23 Toe Ab¡gail Dawid sien, het sy gou van die esel afgeklim en voor Dawid op haar aangesig neergeval en na die aarde toe gebuig.24 En sy het voor sy voete neergeval en gesê: Op my, my heer, rus die skuld, maar laat u dienares tog voor u ore mag spreek, en luister na die woorde van u dienares.25 My heer moet hom tog nie steur aan daardie deugniet van 'n man, aan Nabal nie; want soos sy naam is, so is hy; sy naam beteken dwaas, en dwaasheid is by hom. Maar wat my betref, u dienares het my heer se jongmanne wat u gestuur het, nie gesien nie.26 En nou, my heer, so waar as die HERE leef en u siel leef, dit is die HERE wat u teruggehou het om in bloedskuld te geraak en u met eie hand te help; mag dan nou u vyande en die wat onheil soek teen my heer, soos Nabal word.27 En laat nou hierdie geskenk wat u dienares vir my heer gebring het, aan die jongmanne gegee word wat op my heer se voetspore rondtrek.28 Vergeef tog die oortreding van u dienares, want die HERE sal sekerlik vir my heer 'n bestendige huis stig, omdat my heer die oorloë van die HERE voer en in u hele lewe in u geen kwaad gevind is nie.29 As 'n mens opstaan om u te agtervolg en u lewe te soek, mag die siel van my heer dan saamgebind wees in die bondeltjie van die lewendes by die HERE u God; maar mag Hy die siel van u vyande uit die holte van die slinger wegslinger.30 En as die HERE aan my heer sal doen volgens al die goeie wat Hy aan u beloof het, en u aanstel as vors oor Israel,31 dan sal daar vir u geen struikelblok en vir my heer geen gewetenswroeging wees dat u sonder oorsaak bloed vergiet het en my heer homself hulp verskaf het nie; en as die HERE goed sal doen aan my heer, moet u aan u dienares dink.32 Toe sê Dawid vir Ab¡gail: Geseënd is die HERE, die God van Israel, wat jou vandag my tegemoet gestuur het!33 En geseënd jou verstandigheid en geseënd jy self wat my vandag teëgehou het om in bloedskuld te geraak en my met eie hand te help.34 Maar so waar as die HERE, die God van Israel, leef wat my verhinder het om aan jou kwaad te doen -- as jy my nie gou tegemoetgekom het nie, voorwaar, daar sou van Nabal niemand wat manlik is, tot die môre lig oorgebly het nie!35 En Dawid het uit haar hand aangeneem wat sy vir hom gebring het, en vir haar gesê: Gaan op in vrede na jou huis! Kyk, ek het na jou geluister en jou in guns aangeneem.36 Toe Ab¡gail by Nabal kom, het hy juis 'n maaltyd in sy huis aangerig soos die maaltyd van 'n koning; en Nabal se hart was vrolik in hom, en hy was baie dronk; daarom het sy hom niks, klein of groot, meegedeel totdat dit die môre lig word nie.37 Maar die môre vroeg toe die wyn Nabal verlaat het, deel sy vrou hom die dinge mee. Daarop het sy hart in sy binneste gesterwe en was hy soos 'n klip.38 En n omtrent tien dae het die HERE Nabal getref, sodat hy gesterf het.39 Toe Dawid hoor dat Nabal dood was, sê hy: Geseënd is die HERE wat die regsaak, in die smaad my aangedoen, teen Nabal verdedig het en sy kneg teruggehou het van die kwaad, terwyl die HERE die kwaad van Nabal op sy eie hoof laat neerkom het. En Dawid het by Ab¡gail aansoek laat doen om haar vir hom as vrou te neem.40 Toe het die dienaars van Dawid by Ab¡gail gekom in Karmel en met haar gespreek en gesê: Dawid stuur ons na u om u vir hom as vrou te neem.41 En sy het opgestaan en met haar aangesig na die aarde gebuig en gesê: Hier is u dienares as slavin om die voete van my heer se dienaars te was.42 Ab¡gail maak toe gou klaar, en sy het op die esel gery met haar vyf diensmeisies wat op haar voetspoor volg, en agter die boodskappers van Dawid aangegaan. En sy het sy vrou geword.43 Dawid het ook Ah¡noam uit J¡sreël geneem, sodat hulle altwee sy vroue geword het.44 Maar Saul het sy dogter Migal, die vrou van Dawid, gegee aan Palti, die seun van Lais, wat uit Gallim was.