David Has His Men Ask Nabal for Food for Them |
1 Samuel 25:1-44 The Book of 1 Samuel [in Smaller Chunks] |
Samuel, [the priest,] died; & all the Israelites were gathered together, & [mourned] [for] him, & buried him [at] his house in Ramah. David arose, & went down to the Wilderness of Paran. |
There was a man named Nabal in Mahon, whose possessions were in Carmel. [Nabal] was very great, [a.k.a. important,] & he had 3,000 sheep, 1,000 goats. And [Nabal] was shearing his sheep in Carmel, & the name of his wife [was] Abigail. |
And she was [a wise] woman & [had] a beautiful [face,] but [Nabal] was [harsh,] & his [actions] [were] evil, [a.k.a. wicked.] And [Nabal] was [from] the house of Caleb. [While] in the wilderness, David heard that Nabal [was shearing] his sheep. |
David sent out 10 young men, & [told them,] Get [yourselves] up to Carmel, & go to Nabal, & greet him, in my name, [a.k.a. on my behalf.] And you shall say to him, [who lives] in prosperity, Peace be to both you & your house, & peace be to all that you [have.] |
And I have heard that you now have shearers. Now, we [didn’t] hurt your shepherds [who] were with us, & neither was there [anything] [of theirs] missing to them, [the whole time] they were in Carmel. Ask your young men & they will [tell] you. |
[For this reason,] let the young men find [favor] in your eyes, for we have come [on] a good day. I pray [that] you give [to us,] your servants & to your son, David, [whatever comes into] your hand, [a.k.a. what you can spare.] |
And when David’s young men came, they [spoke] to Nabal, all those words, [on behalf] of David, & [finished.] And Nabal answered David’s servants, & said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? |
There [are] many servants [these] days, [who] break away from his master. Then, shall I take my: bread, water & [meat,] that I have killed for my shearers, & give it to men, whom I [don’t] know [where they’re] [from?] |
So, David’s young men [returned] [on] their way, [a.k.a. path,] & went & told [David] all [that was said.] And David said to his men, Every man [strap on] his sword & [they did.] And David also [strapped] on his sword. About 400 men went up there after David, & 200 [stayed] by the stuff, [to protect it.] |
But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, [Look,] David sent messengers [from] the wilderness to [greet] our master; & [Nabal scolded] them. But [David’s] men were very good to us, & we weren’t hurt. |
Neither [did] we [miss] anything, as long as we [were talking] with them, when we were in the fields. They [were] [like] a wall [protecting] us both [at] night & day, all the [time] we were with them keeping the sheep. |
Therefore, now know [this,] & consider what you [will] do: for evil is determined against: our master, & all his household. For he is such a [wicked man] that [no] man [can] speak to him. |
Then, Abigail [hurried,] & took 200 loaves [of bread,] 2 bottles of wine, 5 [slaughtered] sheep, 5 measures of [dried] corn, 100 clusters of raisins, & 200 [fig] cakes, & laid them on [donkeys.] |
She [told] her servants, Go on [ahead of] me; & [look,] I [will] come after you, but she [didn’t tell] her husband, Nabal. So, as she rode on the [donkey,] she came down by the [ravine] on the hill, & [saw] David & his men [come] down [toward] her; & she met [up with] them. |
Now, David had said [to his men,] Surely, I have [protected] in vain all that [Nabal] has in the wilderness, so that [he] missed nothing that [belonged] to him; & he [has repaid] me evil for good. |
[May] God also do so & more to the enemies of David, if [by daylight] I leave any [male’s] of all [Nabal’s] [family alive.] When Abigail saw David, she [hurried, & jumped] off the [donkey.] |
[Abigail] fell before David & bowed [facing] the ground, & fell at his feet, & said, Let this [sin] be upon me, my lord. And I pray [that] you, let your handmaid speak in [front of you, & listen to] [my,] [a.k.a. your handmaid's,] words. |
I pray [that] you, [don't] let my lord, regard this [wicked man,] even Nabal. For [like] his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, & folly, [a.k.a. foolishness,] is with him. But, I, your handmaid, [didn’t see] the young men, whom you [sent.] |
As the Lord [Lives,] & your soul [lives,] & seeing [that] the Lord [God kept] you from: [shedding] blood, & avenging yourself [by] your own hand, now let your enemies, & [those who] seek [harm,] to [you,] my lord, be [like] Nabal. |
And now, [may] this blessing [of food that] your handmaid [has] brought to [you,] my lord, be given to the young men, [who] follow [you.] I pray [that] you forgive the [sin] of your handmaid. |
For the Lord [God] will certainly make for [David,] my lord, a [secure] house, because [David fights] the battles of the Lord [God,] & evil [hasn’t] been found in you, all your [life.] |
[Still,] [if] a man [has] risen to pursue you, & [seeks] your soul, [a.k.a. life, then] the soul of my lord, shall be bound, [a.k.a. securely tied,] in the bundle of life, with the Lord your God. The [Lord God] shall sling out the souls of your enemies, [like stones from] the middle of a [slingshot.] |
And it shall [happen,] when the Lord [God] [has] done all the good that He [has] spoken concerning you, & [has] appointed you ruler over Israel; my lord, that this, [a.k.a. what happened with Nabal, shall [not bring] [any] grief to you, nor [displeasure to] the heart [of] my lord, either that you [haven't:] [needlessly] shed blood, or avenged [yourself.] |
But remember [me,] your handmaid, when the Lord [God] [has] dealt well with, [you,] my lord. And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, [Who] sent you [today] to meet me. And blessed [is] your advice, & belessed [are] you, [who has] kept me from coming to: shed blood, & avenging myself, [by] my own hand [today.] |
As the Lord God of Israel [Lives, Who has] kept me back from hurting you. [If] you [hadn't hurried,] & [came] to meet me, surely, there [wouldn't have] been [any male’s of Nabal’s family] left [alive] by [sunrise.] |
So, David received [from] her hand [all the food] that she had brought [to] him. [David] said to [Abigail,] Go up in peace to your house. See, I have [listened] to your voice, & have accepted [you.] |
[When,] Abigail came to Nabal, & [saw] he held a feast in his house [fit for] a king; & Nabal’s heart was very merry, [because] he was very [drunk, so] she [didn’t tell] him [anything,] until morning light. |
But it [happened] in the morning, when Nabal [was sober,] & his wife had told him [everything,] that [Nabal's] heart died within him, & he became [like] a stone. And it [happened] about 10 days [afterward,] the Lord [struck] Nabal, & he died. |
When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord, [Who has] pleaded the [case] of my [disgrace,] from the hand of Nabal, & [has ]kept [me,] His servant, from evil. For the Lord [has] returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. |
And David sent [servants to,] [talk] with Abigail, [& to propose on his behalf,] to take her, to [be]] [his] wife. When [David's] servants [came] to Abigail in Carmel, they [spoke] to her, saying, David sent us to you, to take you to [marry] him, & to [be his] wife. |
And [Abigail] arose, & bowed herself [facing] the [ground], & said, [Look,] let your handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord, [David.] And Abigail arose, & [hurried,] & rode upon a [donkey] with 5 of [her] damsels, [a.k.a. who assist Abigail, who followed] after her; & she [followed David’s] messengers, & became his wife |
David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; & they were also both his wives, [since king] Saul had given his daughter, Michal, David’s [first] wife, to Phalti, the son of Laish, [who] was [from] Gallim. |