David and Abigail

251 And Samuel dieth, and all Israel are gathered, and mourn for him, and bury him in his house, in Ramah; and David riseth and goeth down unto the wilderness of Paran.

2 And 'there is' a man in Maon, and his work 'is' in Carmel; and the man 'is' very great, and he hath three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats; and he is shearing his flock in Carmel. 3 And the name of the man 'is' Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail, and the woman 'is' of good understanding, and of fair form, and the man 'is' hard and evil 'in' doings; and he 'is' a Calebite. 4 And David heareth in the wilderness that Nabal is shearing his flock, 5 and David sendeth ten young men, and David saith to the young men, 'Go ye up to Carmel, and ye have come in unto Nabal, and asked of him in my name of welfare, 6 and said thus: To life! and thou, peace; and thy house, peace; and all that thou hast—peace! 7 and, now, I have heard that thou hast shearers; now, the shepherds whom thou hast have been with us, we have not put them to shame, nor hath anything been looked after by them, all the days of their being in Carmel. 8 'Ask thy young men, and they declare to thee, and the young men find grace in thine eyes, for on a good day we have come; give, I pray thee, that which thy hand findeth, to thy servants, and to thy son, to David.' 9 And the young men of David come in, and speak unto Nabal according to all these words, in the name of David—and rest. 10 And Nabal answereth the servants of David and saith, 'Who 'is' David, and who the son of Jesse? to-day have servants been multiplied who are breaking away each from his master; 11 and I have taken my bread, and my water, and my flesh, which I slaughtered for my shearers, and have given 'it' to men whom I have not known whence they 'are'!'

12 And the young men of David turn on their way, and turn back, and come in, and declare to him according to all these words. 13 And David saith to his men, 'Gird ye on each his sword;' and they gird on each his sword, and David also girdeth on his sword, and there go up after David about four hundred men, and two hundred have remained by the vessels. 14 And to Abigail wife of Nabal hath one young man of the youths declared, saying, 'Lo, David hath sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless our lord, and he flieth upon them; 15 and the men 'are' very good to us, and have not put us to shame, and we have not looked after anything all the days we have gone up and down with them, in our being in the field; 16 a wall they have been unto us both by night and by day, all the days of our being with them, feeding the flock. 17 'And, now, know and consider what thou dost; for evil hath been determined against our lord, and against all his house, and he 'is' too much a son of worthlessness to be spoken to.'

18 And Abigail hasteth, and taketh two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep, prepared, and five measures of roasted corn, and a hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred bunches of figs, and setteth 'them' on the asses. 19 And she saith to her young men, 'Pass over before me; lo, after you I am coming;' and to her husband Nabal she hath not declared 'it'; 20 and it hath come to pass, she is riding on the ass and is coming down in the secret part of the hill-country, and lo, David and his men are coming down to meet her, and she meeteth them. 21 And David said, 'Only, in vain I have kept all that this 'one' hath in the wilderness, and nothing hath been looked after of all that he hath, and he turneth back to me evil for good; 22 thus doth God do to the enemies of David, and thus He doth add, if I leave of all that he hath till the light of the morning—of those sitting on the wall.' 23 And Abigail seeth David, and hasteth and cometh down from off the ass, and falleth before David on her face, and boweth herself to the earth, 24 and falleth at his feet and saith, 'On me, my lord, the iniquity; and let, I pray thee, thy handmaid speak in thine ear, and hear the words of thy handmaid. 25 'Let not, I pray thee, my lord set his heart to this man of worthlessness, on Nabal, for as his name 'is' so 'is' he; Nabal 'is' his name, and folly 'is' with him; and I, thine handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord whom thou didst send; 26 and now, my lord, Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, in that Jehovah hath withheld thee from coming in with blood, and to save thy hand to thee—now let thine enemies be as Nabal, even those seeking evil unto my lord. 27 'And, now, this blessing which thy maid-servant hath brought to my lord—it hath been given to the young men who are going up and down at the feet of my lord. 28 'Bear, I pray thee, with the transgression of thy handmaid, for Jehovah doth certainly make to my lord a stedfast house; for the battles of Jehovah hath my lord fought, and evil is not found in thee 'all' thy days. 29 And man riseth to pursue thee and to seek thy soul, and the soul of my lord hath been bound in the bundle of life with Jehovah thy God; as to the soul of thine enemies, He doth sling them out in the midst of the hollow of the sling. 30 'And it hath been, when Jehovah doth to my lord according to all the good which He hath spoken concerning thee, and appointed thee for leader over Israel, 31 that this is not to thee for a stumbling-block, and for an offence of heart to my lord—either to shed blood for nought, or my lord's restraining himself; and Jehovah hath done good to my lord, and thou hast remembered thy handmaid.'

32 And David saith to Abigail, 'Blessed 'is' Jehovah, God of Israel, who hath sent thee this day to meet me, 33 and blessed 'is' thy discretion, and blessed 'art' thou in that thou hast restrained me this day from coming in with blood, and to restrain my hand to myself. 34 And yet, Jehovah liveth, God of Israel, who hath kept me back from doing evil with thee, for unless thou hadst hasted, and dost come to meet me, surely there had not been left to Nabal till the light of the morning, of those sitting on the wall.' 35 And David receiveth from her hand that which she hath brought to him, and to her he hath said, 'Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and accept thy face.'

36 And Abigail cometh in unto Nabal, and lo, he hath a banquet in his house, like a banquet of the king, and the heart of Nabal 'is' glad within him, and he 'is' drunk unto excess, and she hath not declared to him anything, less or more, till the light of the morning. 37 And it cometh to pass in the morning, when the wine is gone out from Nabal, that his wife declareth to him these things, and his heart dieth within him, and he hath been as a stone. 38 And it cometh to pass, 'in' about ten days, that Jehovah smiteth Nabal, and he dieth, 39 and David heareth that Nabal 'is' dead, and saith, 'Blessed 'is' Jehovah who hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and His servant hath kept back from evil, and the wickedness of Nabal hath Jehovah turned back on his own head;' and David sendeth and speaketh with Abigail, to take her to him for a wife. 40 And the servants of David come in unto Abigail at Carmel, and speak unto her, saying, 'David hath sent us unto thee to take thee to him for a wife.' 41 And she riseth and boweth herself—face to the earth—and saith, 'Lo, thy handmaid 'is' for a maid-servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.' 42 And Abigail hasteth and riseth, and rideth on the ass; and five of her young women who are going at her feet; and she goeth after the messengers of David, and is to him for a wife. 43 And Ahinoam hath David taken from Jezreel, and they are—even both of them—to him for wives; 44 and Saul gave Michal his daughter, wife to David, to Phalti son of Laish, who 'is' of Gallim.

The LORD Calls Samuel

31 And the youth Samuel is serving Jehovah before Eli, and the word of Jehovah hath been precious in those days—there is no vision broken forth. 2 And it cometh to pass, at that time, that Eli is lying down in his place, and his eyes have begun to be dim—he is not able to see. 3 And the lamp of God is not yet extinguished, and Samuel is lying down in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God 'is', 4 and Jehovah calleth unto Samuel, and he saith, 'Here 'am' I.' 5 And he runneth unto Eli, and saith, 'Here 'am' I, for thou hast called for me;' and he saith, 'I called not; turn back, lie down;' and he goeth and lieth down. 6 And Jehovah addeth to call again Samuel, and Samuel riseth and goeth unto Eli, and saith, 'Here 'am' I, for thou hast called for me;' and he saith, 'I have not called, my son, turn back, lie down.' 7 And Samuel hath not yet known Jehovah, and the word of Jehovah is not yet revealed unto him. 8 And Jehovah addeth to call Samuel the third time, and he riseth and goeth unto Eli, and saith, 'Here 'am' I, for thou hast called for me;' and Eli understandeth that Jehovah is calling to the youth. 9 And Eli saith to Samuel, 'Go, lie down, and it hath been, if He doth call unto thee, that thou hast said, Speak, Jehovah, for Thy servant is hearing;' and Samuel goeth and lieth down in his place. 10 And Jehovah cometh, and stationeth Himself, and calleth as time by time, 'Samuel, Samuel;' and Samuel saith, 'Speak, for Thy servant if hearing.'

11 And Jehovah saith unto Samuel, 'Lo, I am doing a thing in Israel, at which the two ears of every one hearing it do tingle. 12 In that day I establish unto Eli all that I have spoken unto his house, beginning and completing; 13 and I have declared to him that I am judging his house—to the age, for the iniquity which he hath known, for his sons are making themselves vile, and he hath not restrained them, 14 and therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli: the iniquity of the house of Eli is not atoned for, by sacrifice, and by offering—unto the age.' 15 And Samuel lieth till the morning, and openeth the doors of the house of Jehovah, and Samuel is afraid of declaring the vision unto Eli. 16 And Eli calleth Samuel, and saith, 'Samuel, my son;' and he saith, 'Here 'am' I.' 17 And he saith, 'What 'is' the word which He hath spoken unto thee? I pray thee, hide it not from me; so doth God do to thee, and so doth He add, if thou hidest from me a word of all the words that He hath spoken unto thee.' 18 And Samuel declareth to him the whole of the words, and hath not hid from him; and he saith, 'It 'is' Jehovah; that which is good in His eyes He doth.'

19 And Samuel groweth up, and Jehovah hath been with him, and hath not let fall any of his words to the earth; 20 and all Israel know, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, that Samuel is established for a prophet to Jehovah. 21 And Jehovah addeth to appear in Shiloh, for Jehovah hath been revealed unto Samuel, in Shiloh, by the word of Jehovah.