1 Samuel 25
Smith's Literal Translation Par ▾ 

The Death of Samuel

1And Samuel will die; and all Israel will assemble together and lament for him, and bury him in his house in Ramah. And David will rise and go down to the desert of Paran.

David, Nabal, and Abigail

2And a man in Maon and his work in Carmel; and the man very great, and to him three thousand sheep and a thousand goats: and he will be in shearing his sheep in Carmel. 3And the name of the man Nabal; and his wife's name Abigail: and the woman good of understanding, and beautiful of form: and the man hard and evil of works; and he as his dog. 4And David will hear in the desert that Nabal sheared his sheep. 5And David will send ten boys, and David will say to the boys, Go up to Carmel and come to Nabal, and ask to him in my name for peace. 6And say thus to him living, And peace with thee, and to thy house peace, and all which is to thee, peace. 7And now I heard that shearers were to thee: now the shepherds which are to thee were with us, we harmed them not, and not anything was missing to them all the days of their being in Carmel. 8Ask thy boys and they will announce to thee. And the boys will find favor in thine eyes, for upon a good day we come: wilt thou give now what thy hand shall find to thy servants, and to thy son David?

9And David's boys will come and will speak to Nabal according to all these words in David's name, and they will rest. 10And Nabal will answer David's servants, and say, Who is David? and who the son of Jesse? this day there were many servants breaking away a man from the face of his lord. 11And took I my bread and my water, and my slaughter which I slaughtered for my shearers, and gave to men whom I knew not from whence they are? 12And David's boys will turn about into their way, and turn back and come and announce to him according to all these words. 13And David will say to his men, Gird ye on, each his sword; and they will gird on each his sword, and also David will gird on his sword: and there will go up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred will sit down by the vessels.

14And one boy of the boys announced to Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers from the desert to bless my lord; and he will fly upon them. 15And the men were good to us exceedingly, and they harmed us not, and we missed not any thing all the days we went with them in our being in the field. 16They were a wall to us, also the night, also the day, all the days we were with them feeding the sheep. 17And now know and see what thou wilt do; for evil was finished against our lord and upon all his house: and he a son of Belial, from speaking to him.

Abigail Intercedes for Nabal

18And Abigail will hasten and take two hundred of bread, and two flasks of wine, and five sheep done, and five measures of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of dried grapes, and two hundred cakes of figs, and put upon asses. 19And she will say to her boys, Pass over before me; behold me coming after you. And she announced not to her husband Nabal. 20And it was she rode upon the ass, and came down in the hiding of the mountain, and behold, David and his men coming down to meet her; and she will meet them. 21(And David said, Surely in vain did I watch all which was to this one in the desert, and not any thing was missed from all which was to him; and he will turn back to me evil for good. 22Thus will God do the enemies of David and thus will he add if I shall leave from all which is to him till the light of the morning, him pissing against the wall.)

23And Abigail will see David, and will hasten, and will come down from the ass, and fall before David upon her face, and will worship him to the earth. 24And she will fall at his feet and say, In me, my lord, me the iniquity; and thy servant now will speak in thine ears, and hear the words of thy servant. 25Now my lord shall not set his heart to this man of Belial upon Nebel: for as his name, so is he: Nabal his name, and folly with him: and I thy servant saw not the boys of my lord which thou sentest.

26And now my lord, Jehovah lives and thy soul lives, for Jehovah withheld thee from coming by blood, and saving thy hand to thyself, and now thine enemies shall be as Nabal, they seeking out evil to my lord. 27And now this blessing which thy servant brought to my give it to the boys going at the feet of my lord. 28Lift up now, to the trespass of thy servant: for making, Jehovah will make to my lord a faithful house; for Jehovah fought the battles of my lord, and evil shall not be found in thee thy days. 29And a man will rise to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: and the soul of my lord was bound up in the bundle of lives with Jehovah thy God; and the soul of thine enemies he will sling out in the midst of the hand of the sling. 30And it was that Jehovah will do to my lord according to all the good which he spake concerning thee, and he commanded thee for leader over Israel; 31And this shall not be to thee for an obstacle and for a stumbling-block of heart to my lord, and to pour out blood gratuitously, and for my lord saving for himself: and the doing good of Jehovah to my lord, and remember thy servant.

32And David will say to Abigail, Blessed Jehovah the God of Israel who sent thee this day to meet me. 33And blessed thy discernment, and blessed thou who finished me this day from coming for bloods, and my hand saving for me. 34But yet Jehovah the God of Israel lives who withheld me from doing thee evil, for unless thou hastenedst and came to meet me, for if there was left to Nabal by the light of the morning him pissing against the wall. 35And David will take from her hand what she brought to him, and he said to her, Go up for peace to thy house; see, I heard to thy voice, and I will lift up thy face.

36And Abigail will go to Nabal; and behold, to him a drinking in his house as the drinking of a king; and Nabal's heart good with him, and he was intoxicated even greatly; and she announced not to him a word small and great till the light of the morning. 37And it will be in the morning in the wine coming forth from Nabal, and his wife will announce to him these words, and his heart will die in the midst of him, and he was for a stone. 38And it will be about ten days, and Jehovah will strike Nabal, and he will die.

David Marries Abigail

39And David will hear that Nabal died, and he will say, Blessed Jehovah who plead the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and held back his servant from evil: and the evil of Nabal Jehovah turned back upon his head. And David will send and will speak with Abigail to take her to him for wife. 40And David's servants will come to Abigail to Carmel and will speak to her, saying, David sent us to thee to take thee to him for a wife. 41And she will rise and worship with the face to the earth, and say, Behold, thy servant for a servant to wash the feet of my lord's servants. 42And Abigail will hasten and rise, and ride upon the ass with five of her girls going at her feet; and she will go after David's messengers and she will be to him for a wife.

43And David took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also, they two, to him for wives.

44And Saul gave Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti, son of Laish, who was of Gallim.


The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments; Translated Literally From The Original Tongues by Julia E. Smith

Section Headings Courtesy Berean Bible

1 Samuel 24
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