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.

David Spares Saul at Ziph

261 And the Ziphites come in unto Saul, at Gibeah, saying, 'Is not David hiding himself in the height of Hachilah, on the front of the desert?' 2 And Saul riseth, and goeth down unto the wilderness of Ziph, and with him three thousand men, chosen ones of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3 And Saul encampeth in the height of Hachilah, which 'is' on the front of the desert, by the way, and David is abiding in the wilderness, and he seeth that Saul hath come after him in to the wilderness; 4 and David sendeth spies, and knoweth that Saul hath come unto Nachon, 5 and David riseth, and cometh in unto the place where Saul hath encamped, and David seeth the place where Saul hath lain, and Abner son of Ner, head of his host, and Saul is lying in the path, and the people are encamping round about him.

6 And David answereth and saith unto Ahimelech the Hittite, and unto Abishai son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, 'Who doth go down with me unto Saul, unto the camp?' and Abishai saith, 'I—I go down with thee.' 7 And David cometh—and Abishai—unto the people by night, and lo, Saul is lying sleeping in the path, and his spear struck into the earth at his pillow, and abner and the people are lying round about him. 8 And Abishai saith unto David, 'God hath shut up to-day thine enemy into thy hand; and, now, let me smite him, I pray thee, with a spear, even into the earth at once—and I do repeat 'it' to him.' 9 And David saith unto Abishai, 'Destroy him not; for who hath put forth his hand against the anointed of Jehovah, and been acquitted?' 10 And David saith, 'Jehovah liveth; except Jehovah doth smite him, or his day come that he hath died, or into battle he go down, and hath been consumed— 11 far be it from me, by Jehovah, from putting forth my hand against the anointed of Jehovah; and, now, take, I pray thee, the spear which 'is' at his pillow, and the cruse of water, and we go away.' 12 And David taketh the spear, and the cruse of water at the pillow of Saul, and they go away, and there is none seeing, and there is none knowing, and there is none awaking, for all of them are sleeping, for a deep sleep 'from' Jehovah hath fallen upon them.

13 And David passeth over to the other side, and standeth on the top of the hill afar off—great 'is' the place between them; 14 and David calleth unto the people, and unto Abner son of Ner, saying, 'Dost thou not answer, Abner?' and Abner answereth and saith, 'Who 'art' thou 'who' hast called unto the king?' 15 And David saith unto Abner, 'Art not thou a man? and who 'is' like thee in Israel? but why hast thou not watched over thy lord the king? for one of the people had come in to destroy the king, thy lord. 16 Not good is this thing which thou hast done; Jehovah liveth, but ye 'are' sons of death, in that ye have not watched over your lord, over the anointed of Jehovah; and now, see where the king's spear 'is', and the cruse of water which 'is' at his bolster.' 17 And Saul discerneth the voice of David, and saith, 'Is this thy voice, my son David?' and David saith, 'My voice, my lord, O king!' 18 and he saith, 'Why 'is' this—my lord is pursuing after his servant? for what have I done, and what 'is' in my hand evil? 19 And, now, let, I pray thee, my lord the king hear the words of his servant: if Jehovah hath moved thee against me, let Him accept a present; and if the sons of men—cursed 'are' they before Jehovah, for they have cast me out to-day from being admitted into the inheritance of Jehovah, saying, Go, serve other gods. 20 'And now, let not my blood fall to the earth over-against the face of Jehovah, for the king of Israel hath come out to seek one flea, as 'one' pursueth the partridge in mountains.'

21 And Saul saith, 'I have sinned; turn back, my son David, for I do evil to thee no more, because that my soul hath been precious in thine eyes this day; lo, I have acted foolishly, and do err very greatly.' 22 And David answereth and saith, 'Lo, the king's spear; and let one of the young men pass over, and receive it; 23 and Jehovah doth turn back to each his righteousness and his faithfulness, in that Jehovah hath given thee to-day into 'my' hand, and I have not been willing to put forth my hand against the anointed of Jehovah, 24 and lo, as thy soul hath been great this day in mine eyes, so is my soul great in the eyes of Jehovah, and He doth deliver me out of all distress.' 25 And Saul saith unto David, 'Blessed 'art' thou, my son David, also working thou dost work, and also prevailing thou dost prevail.' And David goeth on his way, and Saul hath turned back to his place.

David Lives among the Philistines

271 And David saith unto his heart, 'Now am I consumed one day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing for me better than that I diligently escape unto the land of the Philistines, and Saul hath been despairing of me—of seeking me any more in all the border of Israel, and I have escaped out of his hand.' 2 And David riseth, and passeth over, he and six hundred men who 'are' with him, unto Achish son of Maoch king of Gath; 3 and David dwelleth with Achish in Gath, he and his men, each one with his household, 'even' David and his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail wife of Nabal the Carmelitess. 4 And it is declared to Saul that David hath fled to Gath, and he hath not added any more to seek him. 5 And David saith unto Achish, 'If, I pray thee, I have found grace in thine eyes, they give to me a place in one of the cities of the field, and I dwell there, yea, why doth thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?' 6 And Achish giveth to him in that day Ziklag, therefore hath Ziklag been to the kings of Judah till this day. 7 And the number of the days which David hath dwelt in the field of the Philistines 'is' days and four months;

8 and David goeth up and his men, and they push unto the Geshurite, and the Gerizite, and the Amalekite, (for they are inhabitants of the land from of old), as thou comest in to Shur and unto the land of Egypt, 9 and David hath smitten the land, and doth not keep alive man and woman, and hath taken sheep, and oxen, and asses, and camels, and garments, and turneth back, and cometh in unto Achish. 10 And Achish saith, 'Whither have ye pushed to-day?' and David saith, 'Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelite, and unto the south of the Kenite.' 11 Neither man nor woman doth David keep alive, to bring in 'word' to Gath, saying, 'Lest they declare 'it' against us, saying, Thus hath David done, and thus 'is' his custom all the days that he hath dwelt in the fields of the Philistines.' 12 And Achish believeth in David, saying, 'He hath made himself utterly abhorred among his people, in Israel, and hath been to me for a servant age-during.'