1 Samuel morreu, e todos os israelitas se juntaram e choraram a morte dele. Então o sepultaram na sua casa, em Ramá.

Depois disso Davi saiu e foi para o deserto de Parã. 2,3 Havia um descendente de Calebe, chamado Nabal, da cidade de Maom, que ganhava a vida na cidade de Carmelo. Ele era muito rico. Tinha três mil ovelhas e mil cabras. A sua mulher se chamava Abigail. Ela era bonita e inteligente, mas ele era mau e grosseiro.

Nabal estava em Carmelo, cortando a lã das suas ovelhas. 4 Davi estava no deserto e soube disso. 5 Então enviou dez rapazes a Carmelo, com ordem de encontrarem Nabal e o cumprimentarem em nome dele. 6 Mandou que dissessem o seguinte: "Meu caro amigo, Davi lhe manda saudações, desejando tudo de bom para o senhor, a sua família e tudo o que é seu. 7 Ele soube que o senhor está cortando a lã das suas ovelhas e mandou lhe contar que os seus pastores estiveram com a gente, e nós não lhes fizemos nenhum mal. Durante o tempo em que estiveram em Carmelo, não roubamos nada do que era deles. 8 Pergunte, e eles lhe contarão. Davi pede para o senhor nos receber com amizade porque viemos aqui num dia de festa. Assim, por favor, dê o que puder a nós, os seus criados, e ao seu querido amigo Davi."

9 Os homens de Davi foram e deram o recado a Nabal, em nome de Davi. Então ficaram esperando, 10 e Nabal respondeu:

— Davi? Filho de Jessé? Quem é ele? Nunca ouvi falar nele! Hoje em dia há muitos escravos que fogem dos seus donos! 11 O meu pão, a minha água e os animais que matei para dar aos meus empregados eu não darei a homens que eu nem sei de onde vieram!

12 Os homens de Davi voltaram e contaram o que Nabal tinha dito.

13 Então Davi disse:

— Ponham as suas espadas nos cintos!

E todos obedeceram. Davi também pegou a sua espada e saiu com mais ou menos quatrocentos dos seus homens enquanto duzentos ficaram atrás com a bagagem.

14 Um dos empregados de Nabal disse a Abigail, a mulher de Nabal:

— A senhora soube? Davi enviou do deserto uns mensageiros com saudações para o nosso patrão, mas ele os tratou mal. 15 No entanto, eles têm sido muito bons para a gente: nunca nos incomodaram e, durante todo o tempo em que estivemos com eles nos campos, eles não roubaram nada que era nosso. 16 Eles nos protegeram dia e noite todo o tempo em que estivemos com eles tomando conta dos nossos rebanhos. 17 Pense nisso e resolva o que fazer. Isso poderá vir a ser um desastre para o nosso patrão e toda a sua família. Ele é tão mau, que ninguém pode falar com ele.

18 Então Abigail pegou depressa duzentos pães, dois odres cheios de vinho, cinco ovelhas assadas, uns dezessete quilos de trigo torrado, cem cachos de passas e duzentas pastas de figos secos e pôs tudo sobre jumentos. 19 Então disse aos empregados:

— Vão na frente, que eu vou atrás.

Porém não contou nada ao seu marido.

20 Abigail ia montada no seu jumento e, de repente, numa curva, na descida, encontrou Davi e os seus homens, que vinham na sua direção. 21 Davi tinha pensado assim: "De que me adiantou proteger a propriedade desse homem aqui no deserto? Nós não roubamos nada que era dele, e é assim que ele me paga a ajuda que lhe dei? 22 Que Deus me castigue se eu não matar até o último daqueles homens antes do amanhecer!"

23 Quando Abigail viu Davi, desmontou depressa, ajoelhou-se diante dele e encostou o rosto no chão, 24 aos seus pés, dizendo:

— Por favor, senhor! Escute-me! Eu sou a culpada! 25 Por favor, não dê atenção a Nabal, pois ele não vale nada! Ele é exatamente o que seu nome quer dizer: um tolo ! Eu mesma não vi os rapazes que o senhor mandou. 26 Foi o Senhor Deus quem impediu que o senhor se vingasse e matasse os seus inimigos. Agora eu juro, pela sua vida e pela vida do Senhor, que todos os seus inimigos e todos os que querem prejudicá-lo serão castigados como Nabal. 27 Senhor, faça o favor de aceitar este presente que eu lhe trouxe e o entregue aos seus homens. 28 Perdoe, por favor, qualquer coisa errada que eu tenha feito. O Senhor Deus fará com que o senhor seja rei e também os seus descendentes, pois o senhor está combatendo o combate dele e o senhor não vai fazer nenhum mal enquanto viver. 29 Se alguém o atacar e tentar matá-lo, o Senhor, seu Deus, o protegerá como um homem que guarda um tesouro precioso. Mas ele vai jogar longe os seus inimigos, como um homem que atira pedras com a sua funda. 30 O Senhor Deus cumprirá todas as coisas boas que lhe prometeu e o fará rei de Israel. 31 E, quando isso acontecer, o senhor não terá motivo para se arrepender, ou sentir remorso por haver matado sem razão, ou por ter se vingado por si mesmo. E, quando o Senhor Deus o abençoar, não esqueça de mim.

32 Davi respondeu:

— Louvado seja o Senhor, o Deus de Israel, que mandou você hoje para me encontrar! 33 Graças ao que você fez hoje e ao seu juízo, eu deixei de cometer um crime de morte e fui impedido de me vingar por mim mesmo. 34 Que o Senhor Deus me livre de fazer algum mal a você! Eu juro pelo Senhor, o Deus de Israel, o Deus vivo, que, se você não tivesse se apressado e não tivesse vindo me encontrar, amanhã cedo todos os homens de Nabal estariam mortos, até os meninos!

35 Então Davi aceitou o que ela havia trazido e disse:

— Volte para casa e não se preocupe. Eu farei o que você quiser.

36 Abigail voltou para o seu marido Nabal, que estava em casa, festejando como um rei. Ele estava bêbado e alegre. Então ela não lhe contou nada. Na manhã seguinte, 37 quando ele não estava mais bêbado, ela lhe contou tudo. Aí ele teve um ataque e ficou completamente paralisado. 38 Uns dez dias depois, a ira de Deus feriu Nabal, e ele morreu.

39 Quando Davi soube que Nabal havia morrido, disse:

— Louvem a Deus, o Senhor! Ele me vingou de Nabal, que me insultou. E assim livrou este seu servo de fazer o mal. O Senhor castigou Nabal por sua maldade.

Então Davi mandou a Abigail uma proposta de casamento. 40 Os empregados dele foram até Carmelo e disseram:

— Davi nos mandou buscá-la para que a senhora seja sua esposa.

41 Então Abigail ajoelhou-se, encostou o rosto no chão e disse:

— Eu sou escrava de Davi e estou pronta para lavar os pés dos empregados dele.

42 Aí ela se levantou depressa e montou o seu jumento. E, acompanhada por suas cinco empregadas, partiu na companhia dos empregados de Davi e se tornou esposa dele.

43 Davi tinha casado com Ainoã, de Jezreel, e agora Abigail também se tornou sua esposa. 44 Nesse meio tempo Saul tinha dado a sua filha Mical, que tinha sido esposa de Davi, a Palti, filho de Laís, da cidade de Galim.

1 And Samuel died; and all Israel gathered themselves 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 the woman was of good understanding and beautiful: but the man was harsh and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

5 And David sent 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 you{+} will say to him, To life! Peace be 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: your shepherds have now been with us, and we did not hurt them, neither was there anything missing to them, all the while they were in Carmel.

8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you: therefore 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 slaves, and to your son David.

9 And when David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.

10 And Nabal answered David's slaves, and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many slaves nowadays 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 of whom I don't know from where they are?

12 So David's young men turned on their way, and went back, and came and told him according to all these words.

13 And David said to his men, Gird{+} 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 remained by the baggage.

14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Look, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master; and he railed at them.

15 But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, neither did we miss anything, as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields:

16 they were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them shepherding the sheep.

17 Now therefore know and consider what you will do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house: for he is such a worthless fellow, that one can't speak to him.

18 Then Abigail hurried, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five seahs of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.

19 And she said to her young men, Go on before me; look, I come after you{+}. But she didn't tell her husband Nabal.

20 And it was so, as she rode on her donkey, and came down by the covert of the mountain, that, look, David and his men came down toward her; and she met them.

21 Now David had said, Surely in vain I have kept all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained to him: and he has returned me evil for good.

22 God do so to David, and more also, if I leave of all who pertain to him by the morning light so much as one urinating against a wall.

23 And when Abigail saw David, she hurried, and dismounted from her donkey, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground.

24 And she fell at his feet, and said, On me, my lord, on me be the iniquity; and let your slave, I pray you, speak in your ears, and you hear the words of your slave.

25 Don't let my lord, I pray you, regard this worthless fellow, even Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I your slave didn't see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.

26 Now therefore, my lord, as Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, seeing Yahweh has withheld you from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now therefore let your enemies, and those who seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.

27 And now this present which your slave has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.

28 Forgive, I pray you, the trespass of your slave: for Yahweh will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fights the battles of Yahweh; and evil will not be found in you all your days.

29 And though man rises up to pursue you, and to seek your soul, yet the soul of my lord will be bound in the bundle of life with Yahweh your God; and the souls of your enemies, he will sling them out, as from the hollow of a sling.

30 And it will come to pass, when Yahweh will have done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and will have appointed you leader over Israel,

31 that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. And when Yahweh will have dealt well with my lord, then remember your slave.

32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me:

33 and blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, that have kept me this day from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging myself with my own hand.

34 For in very deed, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives, who has withheld me from hurting you, except you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal by the morning light so much as one urinating against a wall.

35 So David received of her hand that which she had brought him: and he 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, look, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry inside him, for he was very drunk: therefore 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 inside him, and he became as a stone.

38 And it came to pass about ten days after, that Yahweh struck Nabal, so that he died.

39 And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be Yahweh, that has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his slave from evil: and the evildoing of Nabal Yahweh has returned on his own head. And David sent and spoke concerning Abigail, to take her to him as wife.

40 And when the slaves of David had come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, David has sent us to you, to take you to him as wife.

41 And she arose, and bowed herself with her face to the earth, and said, Look, your slave is a slave to wash the feet of my lord's slaves.

42 And Abigail hurried, and arose, and rode on a donkey, with five damsels of hers that followed her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they became both of them his wives.

44 Now Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.