1 And Samuel died; and all Israel gathered together and mourned for him, and buried him at his home at Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

2 And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very great. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

3 The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings. And he was of the house of Caleb.

4 When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep,

5 David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, Go up to Carmel, and when you have come to Nabal, and asked after his welfare in my name,

6 you shall say to him: Long life and peace to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have!

7 Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we have not hurt them, nor has there been anything missing from them all the days 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 on a pleasant day. Please give whatever your hand finds to your servants and to your son David.

9 And when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and waited.

10 And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days breaking away each one from his master.

11 Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?

12 So David’s young men turned around on their way, returned and came and reported to him all these words.

13 And David said to his men, Every man gird on his sword. So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, and two hundred stayed with the supplies.

14 Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, Behold, David had sent messengers from the wilderness to bless our master; and he yelled at them.

15 But the men were very good to us, and we have not been shamed, nor have we missed anything all the days we have traversed with them, when we were in the fields.

16 They have been a wall to us both by night and day, all the days we were with them keeping the sheep.

17 Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is a son of worthlessness, that no one can speak to him.

18 Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already done, five measures of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys.

19 And she said to her servants, Go on before me; behold, I am coming after you. But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

20 And so it was, as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill; and behold, David and his men were coming down toward her; and she met them.

21 Now David had thought to himself, Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing has been missing of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good.

22 God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave to him by morning light any of those who urinate against a wall.

23 Now when Abigail saw David, she hastened to dismount from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and prostrated to the ground.

24 And she fell at his feet and said: On me, my lord, on me be this iniquity! And please let your handmaid speak in your ears, and hear the words of your handmaid.

25 Please, let not my lord set his heart on this man of worthlessness, Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I, your handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.

26 Now therefore, my lord, as Jehovah lives and as your soul lives, since Jehovah has held you back from coming to blood and from delivering yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek evil upon my lord be as Nabal.

27 And now this blessing which your handmaid has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who travel on foot with my lord.

28 Please forgive the trespass of your handmaid; for Jehovah will bring about to prepare an established house for my lord, because my lord is fighting the battles of Jehovah, and evil is not found in you all your days.

29 If a man arises to pursue you and seek your soul, the soul of my lord shall be bound up in the bundle of life with Jehovah your God; and the souls of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling.

30 And it shall come to pass, when Jehovah has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel,

31 that this will not be a matter of conscience, nor stumbling of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has delivered himself. But when Jehovah has dealt well with my lord, then remember your handmaid.

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

33 And blessed is your discernment and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to blood and from delivering myself with my own hand.

34 For indeed, as Jehovah the God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hastened and come to meet me, surely by morning light there would not have been left to Nabal any who urinate against a wall!

35 So David received from her hand what she had brought to him, and said to her, Go up to your house in peace. Behold, I have heeded your voice and respected your face.

36 And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was exceedingly drunk; therefore she did not tell him a word, little or much, until morning light.

37 And it came to pass in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, and his wife had informed him of these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone.

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

39 And when David heard that Nabal had died, he said, Blessed is Jehovah, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach at the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil! For Jehovah has returned the evil of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife.

40 And when the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, David has sent us to you to take you to him for a wife.

41 And she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, Behold, your handmaid, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

42 And Abigail hurried and rose up and rode on a donkey, with five of her maidens going on foot; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; both of them were his wives.

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

1 Samuel morreu, e todo o Israel se reuniu e o pranteou; e o sepultaram onde vivia, em Ramá. Depois Davi foi para o deserto de Maom.

2 Certo homem de Maom, que tinha seus bens na cidade de Carmelo, era muito rico. Possuía mil cabras e três mil ovelhas, as quais estavam sendo tosquiadas em Carmelo.

3 Seu nome era Nabal e o nome de sua mulher era Abigail, mulher inteligente e bonita; mas seu marido, descendente de Calebe, era rude e mau.

4 No deserto, Davi ficou sabendo que Nabal estava tosquiando as ovelhas.

5 Por isso, enviou dez rapazes e lhes disse: "Levem minha mensagem a Nabal, em Carmelo, e o cumprimentem em meu nome.

6 Digam-lhe: ‘Longa vida para o senhor! Muita paz para o senhor e sua família! E muita prosperidade para tudo que é teu! ’

7 ‘Sei que estás tosquiando tuas ovelhas. Quando os teus pastores estavam conosco, nós não os maltratamos, e durante todo o tempo em que estiveram em Carmelo não se perdeu nada que fosse deles.

8 Pergunte a eles, e eles lhe dirão. Por isso, seja favorável, pois estamos vindo em época de festa. Por favor, dá a nós teus servos e a teu filho Davi o que puderes’ ".

9 Os rapazes foram e deram a Nabal essa mensagem, em nome de Davi. E ficaram esperando.

10 Nabal respondeu então aos servos de Davi: "Quem é Davi? Quem é esse filho de Jessé? Hoje em dia, muitos servos estão fugindo de seus senhores.

11 Por que deveria eu pegar meu pão e minha água, e a carne do gado que abati para meus tosquiadores, e dá-los a homens que vêm não se sabe de onde? "

12 Então, os mensageiros de Davi voltaram, e ao chegarem, relataram a ele cada uma dessas palavras.

13 Davi ordenou a seus homens: "Ponham suas espadas na cintura! " Assim eles fizeram e também Davi. Cerca de quatrocentos homens acompanharam Davi, enquanto duzentos permaneceram com a bagagem.

14 Um dos servos disse a Abigail, mulher de Nabal: "Do deserto, Davi enviou mensageiros para saudar o nosso senhor, mas ele os insultou.

15 No entanto, aqueles homens foram muito bons para conosco. Não nos maltrataram, e, durante todo o tempo em que estivemos com eles nos campos, nada perdemos.

16 Dia e noite eles eram como um muro ao nosso redor, durante todo o tempo em que estivemos com eles cuidando de nossas ovelhas.

17 Agora, leve isso em consideração e veja o que a senhora pode fazer, pois a destruição paira sobre o nosso senhor e sobre toda a sua família. Ele é um homem tão mau que ninguém consegue conversar com ele".

18 Imediatamente, Abigail pegou duzentos pães, duas vasilhas de couro cheias de vinho, cinco ovelhas preparadas, cinco medidas de grãos torrados, cem bolos de uvas passas e duzentos bolos de figos prensados, e os carregou em jumentos.

19 E disse a seus servos: "Vocês vão na frente; eu os seguirei". Ela, porém, nada disse a Nabal, seu marido.

20 Enquanto ela ia montada num jumento, encoberta pela montanha, Davi e seus soldados estavam descendo em sua direção, e ela os encontrou.

21 Davi tinha dito: "De nada adiantou proteger os bens daquele homem no deserto, para que nada se perdesse. Ele me pagou o bem com o mal.

22 Que Deus castigue a Davi, e o faça com muita severidade, caso até de manhã eu deixe vivo um só do sexo masculino de todos os que pertencem a Nabal! "

23 Quando Abigail viu Davi, desceu depressa do jumento e prostrou-se perante Davi, rosto em terra.

24 Ela caiu a seus pés e disse: "Meu senhor, a culpa é toda minha. Por favor, deixa a tua serva lhe falar; ouve o que ela tem a dizer.

25 Meu senhor, não dês atenção àquele homem mau, Nabal. Ele é insensato, conforme o seu nome significa; e a insensatez o acompanha. Contudo, eu, tua serva, não vi os rapazes que meu senhor enviou.

26 "Agora, meu senhor, juro pelo nome do Senhor e por tua vida que foi o Senhor que o impediu de derramar sangue e de vingar-se com tuas próprias mãos. Que teus inimigos e todos os que pretendem fazer-te mal sejam castigados como Nabal.

27 E que este presente que esta tua serva trouxe ao meu senhor seja dado aos homens que o seguem.

28 Esqueça, eu te suplico, a ofensa de tua serva, pois o Senhor certamente fará um reino duradouro para ti, que travas os combates do Senhor. E em toda a tua vida, nenhuma culpa se ache em ti.

29 Mesmo que alguém te persiga para tirar-te a vida, a vida de meu senhor estará firmemente segura como a dos que são protegidos pelo Senhor teu Deus. Mas a vida de teus inimigos será atirada para longe como por uma atiradeira.

30 Quando o Senhor tiver feito a meu senhor todo o bem que prometeu e te tiver nomeado líder sobre Israel,

31 meu senhor não terá no coração o peso de ter derramado sangue desnecessariamente nem de ter feito justiça com as próprias mãos. E, quando o Senhor tiver abençoado a ti, lembra-te de tua serva".

32 Davi disse a Abigail: "Bendito seja o Senhor, o Deus de Israel, que hoje a enviou ao meu encontro.

33 Seja você abençoada pelo seu bom senso e por evitar que eu hoje derrame sangue e me vingue com minhas próprias mãos.

34 De outro modo, juro pelo nome do Senhor, o Deus de Israel, que evitou que eu lhe fizesse mal, se você não tivesse vindo depressa encontrar-me, nem um só do sexo masculino pertencente a Nabal teria sido deixado vivo ao romper do dia".

35 Então Davi aceitou o que ela havia lhe trazido e disse: "Vá para sua casa em paz. Ouvi o que você disse e atenderei o seu pedido".

36 Quando Abigail retornou a Nabal, ele estava dando um banquete em casa, como um banquete de rei. Ele estava alegre e bastante bêbado, e ela nada lhe falou até o amanhecer.

37 De manhã, quando Nabal estava sóbrio, sua mulher lhe contou todas essas coisas; ele sofreu um ataque e ficou paralisado como uma pedra.

38 Cerca de dez dias depois, o Senhor feriu a Nabal, e ele morreu.

39 Quando Davi soube que Nabal estava morto, disse: "Bendito seja o Senhor, que defendeu a minha causa contra Nabal, por ter me tratado com desprezo. O Senhor impediu seu servo de praticar o mal e fez com que a maldade de Nabal caísse sobre sua própria cabeça". Então Davi enviou uma mensagem a Abigail, pedindo-lhe que se tornasse sua mulher.

40 Seus servos foram a Carmelo e disseram a Abigail: "Davi nos enviou a você para levá-la para tornar-se mulher dele".

41 Ela se levantou, depois inclinou-se rosto em terra e disse: "Aqui está a sua serva, pronta para servi-los e lavar os pés dos servos de meu senhor".

42 Abigail logo montou num jumento e, acompanhada por suas cinco servas, foi com os mensageiros de Davi e tornou-se sua mulher.

43 Davi também casou-se com Ainoã de Jezreel; e as duas foram suas mulheres.

44 Saul, porém, tinha dado sua filha Mical, mulher de Davi, a Paltiel, filho de Laís, de Galim.