1. Krallar (1. Samuel) 25

¹Samuel öldü; bütün İsrail toplandı, onun için yas tuttu ve onu Armathaim’daki evine gömdüler. Davut ise kalkıp Maan Çölü’ne indi.

²Maan’da bir adam vardı, sürüleri Karmel’deydi; bu adam çok nüfuzluydu; üç bin koyunu, bin keçisi vardı. Karmel’de koyunlarını kırktığı sırada,

³adamın adı Nabal, karısının adı ise Abigail’di. Kadın sağduyulu ve görünüşü çok güzeldi; ama adam işlerinde sert, kötü ve köpek mizaçlı biriydi.

⁴Davut çölde Karmelli Nabal’ın koyunlarını kırkmakta olduğunu duydu.

⁵Bunun üzerine Davut on genç gönderdi ve gençlere şöyle dedi: “Karmel’e çıkın, Nabal’ın yanına gidin ve benim adıma ona selam verip esenlik dileyin.

⁶Ona şöyle deyin: ‘Gelecek yıla kadar esenlik olsun! Hem sana, hem ailene, hem de sana ait olan her şeye sağlık ve afiyet olsun!

⁷Şimdi duydum ki koyunlarını kırkıyormuşsun. Çölde bizimle birlikte olan çobanlarına hiçbir zarar vermedik; Karmel’de bulundukları sürece kendilerinden hiçbir şey talep etmedik.

⁸Kendi gençlerine sor, sana söyleyeceklerdir. Bu yüzden gençlerimin gözünde lütuf bulmasını dilerim, çünkü şenlik gününde geldik. Lütfen eline ne geçerse kulun Davut’a ve oğluna ver.’”

⁹Davut’un gençleri gidip bu sözlerin hepsini Davut’un adına Nabal’a söylediler. Nabal ise öfkeyle yerinden sıçradı,

¹⁰Davut’un hizmetkarlarına şöyle karşılık verdi: “Davut kim? İşay oğlu kim? Bugünlerde efendisinin huzurundan kaçıp giden kölelerin sayısı çok arttı.

¹¹Kendi ekmeğimi, şarabımı ve koyunlarımı kırkanlar için kestiğim kurbanlık etlerimi alıp nereden geldiklerini bilmediğim adamlara mı vereceğim?”

¹²Davut’un gençleri yollarına geri döndüler; geri gelip bütün bu sözleri Davut’a bildirdiler.

¹³Davut adamlarına, “Herkes kılıcını kuşansın!” dedi. Herkes kılıcını kuşandı; Davut da kılıcını kuşandı. Yaklaşık dört yüz kişi Davut’un ardınca yukarı çıktı, iki yüz kişi ise eşyaların yanında kaldı.

¹⁴Nabal’ın hizmetkarlarından biri, Nabal’ın karısı Abigail’e şöyle haber verdi: “Bak, Davut çölden efendimize selam göndermek için ulaklar yolladı, ama efendimiz onlardan yüz çevirdi.

¹⁵Oysa o adamlar bize çok iyi davrandılar; onlarla birlikte kırlarda olduğumuz sürece hiçbir zarar görmedik ve hiçbir şeyimiz eksilmedi.

¹⁶Sürüyü güttüğümüz sürece, yanlarında kaldığımız her gün, gece gündüz etrafımızda bir duvar gibiydiler.

¹⁷Şimdi iyice düşün ve ne yapacağına karar ver; çünkü efendimize ve bütün ev halkına karşı bir felaket kararlaştırıldı. Kendisi öyle uğursuz bir adam ki, kimse onunla konuşamıyor.”

¹⁸Abigail hemen aceleyle iki yüz ekmek, iki tulum şarap, hazırlanmış beş koyun, beş ölçek un, bir homer kuru üzüm ve iki yüz incir pestili alıp eşeklere yükledi.

¹⁹Hizmetkarlarına, “Önümden gidin, ben arkadan geliyorum” dedi. Ama kocası Nabal’a hiçbir şey söylemedi.

²⁰Kadın eşeğine binmiş, dağın yamacındaki patikadan aşağı inerken, Davut’la adamlarının da kendisine doğru inmekte olduğunu gördü ve onlarla karşılaştı.

²¹Davut o sırada şöyle diyordu: “Bu adamın çöldeki her şeyini belki de haksız yere korumuşum; ona ait olan hiçbir şey eksilmedi. O ise bana iyiliğe karşı kötülükle karşılık verdi.

²²Eğer sabaha kadar Nabal’ın soyundan duvara işeyen tek bir erkek bile sağ bırakırsam, Tanrı Davut’a aynısını ve daha kötüsünü yapsın!”

²³Abigail Davut’u görünce hemen aceleyle eşeğinden indi; Davut’un önünde yüzüstü yere kapanıp secde etti.

²⁴Ayaklarına kapanarak şöyle dedi: “Efendim, suç sadece benim olsun! Lütfen bırak, kulun seninle konuşsun; kulunun sözlerine kulak ver.

²⁵Efendim, lütfen bu uğursuz adam Nabal’ı dikkate almasın. Çünkü o, adı gibidir; adı Nabal’dır, akılsızlık da onunla birliktedir. Ben kulun ise, efendimin gönderdiği gençleri görmedim.

²⁶Şimdi efendim, yaşayan RAB’bin adıyla ve canının sağlığı üzerine ant içerim ki, RAB seni suçsuz kan dökmekten ve kendi elinle öç almaktan alıkoydu. Düşmanların ve efendime kötülük dileyenler Nabal gibi olsun.

²⁷Şimdi kulunun efendime getirdiği bu hediyeyi kabul et ve efendimin ardınca giden gençlere verilsin.

²⁸Lütfen kulunun kusurunu bağışla; çünkü RAB efendime kesinlikle kalıcı bir soy verecektir, çünkü efendim RAB’bin savaşlarını savaşıyor ve ömrün boyunca sende hiçbir kötülük bulunmayacaktır.

²⁹Biri seni kovalamak ve canını almak için ayağa kalksa bile, efendimin canı Tanrın RAB’bin yanında yaşam bağına güvenle sarılmış olacaktır; düşmanlarının canını ise sapanın ortasından fırlatır gibi fırlatıp atacaktır.

³⁰RAB efendim hakkında söylediği bütün iyilikleri yerine getirip seni İsrail’e önder atadığında,

³¹boş yere kan dökmüş olmak ya da efendimin kendi eliyle öç alması, efendimin yüreğinde bir iğrençlik ve tökezleme yaratmayacaktır. RAB efendime iyilik ettiğinde, lütfen kulunu hatırla ve ona iyilik et.”

³²Davut Abigail’e şöyle dedi: “Bugün seni beni karşılamaya gönderen İsrail’in Tanrısı RAB’be övgüler olsun!

³³Sağduyuna övgüler olsun, bugün beni kan dökmekten ve kendi elimle öç almaktan alıkoyan sana da ne mutlu!

³⁴Çünkü sana zarar vermemi engelleyen İsrail’in Tanrısı yaşayan RAB’bin adıyla ant içerim ki, eğer acele edip beni karşılamaya gelmeseydin, sabaha kadar Nabal’ın soyundan duvara işeyen tek bir erkek bile sağ kalmayacaktı.”

³⁵Sonra Davut kadının getirdiği her şeyi onun elinden kabul etti ve ona, “Evine esenlikle dön; bak, sesini dinledim ve dileğini kabul ettim” dedi.

³⁶Abigail Nabal’ın yanına döndü. Nabal evinde kral şöleni gibi bir şölen vermişti; keyfi yerindeydi ve çok sarhoştu. Bu yüzden Abigail sabaha kadar ona az ya da çok hiçbir şey söylemedi.

³⁷Sabahleyin, Nabal’ın sarhoşluğu geçince, karısı ona olup bitenleri anlattı. Nabal’ın yüreği adeta içinde öldü ve adam taş kesildi.

³⁸Yaklaşık on gün sonra RAB Nabal’ı vurdu ve adam öldü.

³⁹Davut Nabal’ın öldüğünü duyunca şöyle dedi: “Nabal’ın bana ettiği hakaret davasını gören, kulunu kötülük yapmaktan koruyan ve Nabal’ın kötülüğünü kendi başına döndüren RAB’be övgüler olsun!” Sonra Davut haber gönderip Abigail’i kendisine eş olarak almak istediğini bildirdi.

⁴⁰Davut’un hizmetkarları Karmel’e, Abigail’in yanına gelip onunla konuştular: “Davut seni kendisine eş olarak almak için bizi sana gönderdi” dediler.

⁴¹Kadın kalkıp yüzüstü yere kapandı ve şöyle dedi: “İşte kulun, efendimin hizmetkarlarının ayaklarını yıkamaya hazır bir hizmetçidir.”

⁴²Abigail hemen kalktı, eşeğine bindi; kendisine eşlik eden beş genç kızla birlikte Davut’un ulaklarının ardınca gitti ve Davut’un karısı oldu.

⁴³Davut Yizreel’den Ahinoam’ı da almıştı; her ikisi de onun karısı oldu.

⁴⁴Saul ise Davut’un karısı olan kızı Melkhol’ü, Romma’dan Amis oğlu Phalti’ye vermişti.

¹ΚΑΙ ἀπέθανε Σαμουήλ, καὶ συναθροίζονται πᾶς ᾿Ισραὴλ καὶ κόπτονται αὐτὸν καὶ θάπτουσιν αὐτὸν ἐν οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ ἐν ᾿Αρμαθαίμ. καὶ ἀνέστη Δαυὶδ καὶ κατέβη εἰς τὴν ἔρημον Μαάν.

²καὶ ἦν ἄνθρωπος ἐν τῇ Μαάν, καὶ τὰ ποίμνια αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ Καρμήλῳ· καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος μέγας σφόδρα, καὶ τούτῳ ποίμνια τρισχίλια καὶ αἶγες χίλιαι· καὶ ἐγενήθη ἐν τῷ κείρειν τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ Καρμήλῳ.

³καὶ ὄνομα τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ Νάβαλ, καὶ ὄνομα τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ ᾿Αβιγαία· καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθὴ συνέσει καὶ καλὴ τῷ εἴδει σφόδρα, καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος σκληρὸς καὶ πονηρὸς ἐν ἐπιτηδεύμασι, καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος κυνικός.

⁴καὶ ἤκουσε Δαυὶδ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ὅτι κείρει Νάβαλ ὁ Καρμήλιος τὸ ποίμνιον αὐτοῦ,

⁵καὶ ἀπέστειλε Δαυὶδ δέκα παιδάρια καὶ εἶπε τοῖς παιδαρίοις· ἀνάβητε εἰς Κάρμηλον καὶ ἀπέλθατε πρὸς Νάβαλ καὶ ἐρωτήσατε αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου εἰς εἰρήνην

⁶καὶ ἐρεῖτε τάδε· εἰς ὥρας· καὶ σὺ ὑγιαίνων, καὶ ὁ οἶκός σου, καὶ πάντα τὰ σὰ ὑγιαίνοντα.

⁷καὶ νῦν ἰδοὺ ἀκήκοα ὅτι κείρουσί σοι νῦν οἱ ποιμένες σου, οἳ ἦσαν μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καὶ οὐκ ἀπεκωλύσαμεν αὐτοὺς καὶ οὐκ ἐνετειλάμεθα αὐτοῖς οὐθὲν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ὄντων αὐτῶν ἐν Καρμήλῳ·

⁸ἐρώτησον τὰ παιδάριά σου καὶ ἀπαγγελοῦσί σοι. καὶ εὑρέτωσαν τὰ παιδάρια χάριν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς σου, ὅτι ἐφ᾿ ἡμέραν ἀγαθὴν ἥκομεν· δὸς δὴ ὃ ἐὰν εὕρῃ ἡ χείρ σου τῷ υἱῷ σου τῷ Δαυίδ.

⁹καὶ ἔρχονται τὰ παιδάρια καὶ λαλοῦσι τοὺς λόγους τούτους πρὸς Νάβαλ κατὰ πάντα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Δαυίδ. καὶ ἀνεπήδησε

¹⁰καὶ ἀπεκρίθη Νάβαλ τοῖς παισὶ Δαυὶδ καὶ εἶπε· τίς ὁ Δαυὶδ καὶ τίς ὁ υἱὸς ᾿Ιεσσαί; σήμερον πεπληθυμμένοι εἰσὶν οἱ δοῦλοι ἀναχωροῦντες ἕκαστος ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ.

¹¹καὶ λήψομαι τοὺς ἄρτους μου καὶ τὸν οἶνόν μου καὶ τὰ θύματά μου, ἃ τέθυκα τοῖς κείρουσί μου τὰ πρόβατα, καὶ δώσω αὐτὰ ἀνδράσιν, οἷς οὐκ οἶδα πόθεν εἰσί;

¹²καὶ ἀπεστράφησαν τὰ παιδάρια Δαυὶδ εἰς ὁδὸν αὐτῶν καὶ ἀνέστρεψαν καὶ ἦλθον καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν τῷ Δαυὶδ κατὰ τὰ ρήματα ταῦτα.

¹³καὶ εἶπε Δαυὶδ τοῖς ἀνδράσιν αὐτοῦ· ζώσασθε ἕκαστος τὴν ρομφαίαν αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἀνέβησαν ὀπίσω Δαυὶδ ὡς τετρακόσιοι ἄνδρες, καὶ οἱ διακόσιοι ἐκάθισαν μετὰ τῶν σκευῶν.

¹⁴καὶ τῇ ᾿Αβιγαίᾳ γυναικὶ Νάβαλ ἀπήγγειλεν ἓν τῶν παιδαρίων λέγων· ἰδοὺ Δαυὶδ ἀπέστειλεν ἀγγέλους ἐκ τῆς ἐρήμου εὐλογῆσαι τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν, καὶ ἐξέκλινεν ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν.

¹⁵καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες ἀγαθοὶ ἡμῖν σφόδρα· οὐκ ἀπεκώλυσαν ἡμᾶς οὐδὲ ἐνετείλαντο ἡμῖν οὐδὲν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, ἃς ἦμεν παρ᾿ αὐτοῖς·

¹⁶καὶ ἐν τῷ εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἐν ἀγρῷ ὡς τεῖχος ἦσαν περὶ ἡμᾶς καὶ τὴν νύκτα καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, ἃς ἤμεθα παρ᾿ αὐτοῖς ποιμαίνοντες τὸ ποίμνιον.

¹⁷καὶ νῦν γνῶθι καὶ ἰδὲ σὺ τί ποιήσεις, ὅτι συντετέλεσται ἡ κακία εἰς τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ· καὶ οὗτος υἱὸς λοιμός, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι λαλῆσαι πρὸς αὐτόν.

¹⁸καὶ ἔσπευσεν ᾿Αβιγαία καὶ ἔλαβε διακοσίους ἄρτους καὶ δύο ἀγγεῖα οἴνου καὶ πέντε πρόβατα πεποιημένα καὶ πέντε οἰφὶ ἀλφίτου καὶ γόμορ ἓν σταφίδος καὶ διακοσίας παλάθας καὶ ἔθετο ἐπὶ τοὺς ὄνους

¹⁹καὶ εἶπε τοῖς παιδαρίοις αὐτῆς· προπορεύεσθε ἔμπροσθέν μου, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ὀπίσω ὑμῶν παραγίνομαι. καὶ τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς οὐκ ἀπήγγειλε.

²⁰καὶ ἐγενήθη αὐτῆς ἐπιβεβηκυίης ἐπὶ τὴν ὄνον καὶ καταβαινούσης ἐν σκέπῃ τοῦ ὄρους καὶ ἰδοὺ Δαυὶδ καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες αὐτοῦ κατέβαινον εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτῆς, καὶ ἀπήντησεν αὐτοῖς·

²¹καὶ Δαυὶδ εἶπεν· ἴσως εἰς ἄδικον πεφύλακα πάντα τὰ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ οὐκ ἐνετειλάμεθα λαβεῖν ἐκ πάντων τῶν αὐτοῦ οὐθέν, καὶ ἀνταπέδωκέ μοι πονηρὰ ἀντὶ ἀγαθῶν·

²²τάδε ποιήσαι ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Δαυὶδ καὶ τάδε προσθείη, εἰ ὑπολείψομαι ἐκ πάντων τῶν τοῦ Νάβαλ ἕως πρωΐ οὐροῦντα πρὸς τοῖχον.

²³καὶ εἶδεν ᾿Αβιγαία τὸν Δαυὶδ καὶ ἔσπευσε καὶ κατεπήδησεν ἀπὸ τῆς ὄνου καὶ ἔπεσεν ἐνώπιον Δαυὶδ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν

²⁴ἐπὶ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπεν· ἐν ἐμοὶ κύριέ μου ἡ ἀδικία· λαλησάτω δὴ ἡ δούλη σου εἰς τὰ ὦτά σου, καὶ ἄκουσον λόγων τῆς δούλης σου.

²⁵μὴ δὴ θέσθω ὁ κύριός μου καρδίαν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν λοιμὸν τοῦτον, ὅτι κατὰ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ οὗτός ἐστι· Νάβαλ ὄνομα αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀφροσύνη μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐγὼ ἡ δούλη σου οὐκ εἶδον τὰ παιδάρια τοῦ κυρίου μου, ἃ ἀπέστειλας.

²⁶καὶ νῦν, κύριέ μου, ζῇ Κύριος καὶ ζῇ ἡ ψυχή σου,καθὼς ἐκώλυσέ σε Κύριος τοῦ μὴ ἐλθεῖν εἰς αἷμα ἀθῷον καὶ σώζειν τὴν χεῖρά σού σοι, καὶ νῦν γένοιντο ὡς Νάβαλ οἱ ἐχθροί σου καὶ οἱ ζητοῦντες τῷ κυρίῳ μου κακά.

²⁷καὶ νῦν λαβὲ τὴν εὐλογίαν ταύτην, ἣν ἐνήνοχεν ἡ δούλη σου τῷ κυρίῳ μου, καὶ δώσεις τοῖς παιδαρίοις τοῖς παρεστηκόσι τῷ κυρίῳ μου.

²⁸ἆρον δὴ τὸ ἀνόμημα τῆς δούλης σου, ὅτι ποιῶν ποιήσει Κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου οἶκον πιστόν, ὅτι πόλεμον κυρίου μου ὁ Κύριος πολεμεῖ, καὶ κακία οὐχ εὑρεθήσεται ἐν σοὶ πώποτε.

²⁹καὶ ἀναστήσεται ἄνθρωπος καταδιώκων σε καὶ ζητῶν τὴν ψυχήν σου, καὶ ἔσται ψυχὴ κυρίου μου ἐνδεδεμένη ἐν δεσμῷ τῆς ζωῆς παρὰ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ψυχὴν ἐχθρῶν σου σφενδονήσεις ἐν μέσῳ τῆς σφενδόνης.

³⁰καὶ ἔσται ὅτι ποιήσῃ Κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου πάντα, ὅσα ἐλάλησεν ἀγαθὰ ἐπὶ σέ, καὶ ἐντελεῖταί σοι εἰς ἡγούμενον ἐπὶ ᾿Ισραήλ,

³¹καὶ οὐκ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο βδελυγμὸς καὶ σκάνδαλον τῷ κυρίῳ μου, ἐκχέαι αἷμα ἀθῷον δωρεὰν καὶ σῶσαι χεῖρα κυρίῳ μου αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀγαθώσει Κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου, καὶ μνησθήσῃ τῆς δούλης σου ἀγαθῶσαι αὐτῇ.

³²καὶ εἶπε Δαυὶδ τῇ ᾿Αβιγαίᾳ· εὐλογητὸς Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ᾿Ισραήλ, ὃς ἀπέστειλέ σε σήμερον ἐν ταύτῃ εἰς ἀπάντησίν μοι.

³³καὶ εὐλογητὸς ὁ τρόπος σου, καὶ εὐλογημένη σὺ ἡ ἀποκωλύσασά με σήμερον ἐν ταύτῃ μὴ ἐλθεῖν εἰς αἵματα καὶ σῶσαι χεῖρά μου ἐμοί.

³⁴πλὴν ὅτι ζῇ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ᾿Ισραήλ, ὃς ἀπεκώλυσέ με σήμερον τοῦ κακοποιῆσαί σε, ὅτι εἰ μὴ ἔσπευσας καὶ παρεγένου εἰς ἀπάντησίν μοι, τότε εἶπα· εἰ ὑπολειφθήσεται τῷ Νάβαλ ἕως φωτὸς τοῦ πρωΐ οὐρῶν πρὸς τοῖχον.

³⁵καὶ ἔλαβε Δαυὶδ ἐκ χειρὸς αὐτῆς πάντα, ἃ ἔφερεν αὐτῷ, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ· ἀνάβηθι εἰς εἰρήνην εἰς οἶκόν σου· βλέπε, ἤκουσα τῆς φωνῆς σου καὶ ἠρέτισα τὸ πρόσωπόν σου.

³⁶καὶ παρεγενήθη ᾿Αβιγαία πρὸς Νάβαλ, καὶ ἰδοὺ αὐτῷ πότος ἐν οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ ὡς πότος βασιλέως, καὶ ἡ καρδία Νάβαλ ἀγαθὴ ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν, καὶ αὐτὸς μεθύων ἕως σφόδρα· καὶ οὐκ ἀπήγγειλεν αὐτῷ ρῆμα μικρὸν ἢ μέγα ἕως φωτὸς τοῦ πρωΐ.

³⁷καὶ ἐγένετο πρωΐ, ὡς ἐξένηψεν ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴνου Νάβαλ, ἀπήγγειλεν ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ τὰ ρήματα ταῦτα, καὶ ἐναπέθανεν ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ αὐτὸς γίνεται ὡς λίθος.

³⁸καὶ ἐγένετο ὡσεὶ δέκα ἡμέραι καὶ ἐπάταξε Κύριος τὸν Νάβαλ, καὶ ἀπέθανε.

³⁹καὶ ἤκουσε Δαυὶδ καὶ εἶπεν· εὐλογητὸς Κύριος, ὃς ἔκρινε τὴν κρίσιν τοῦ ὀνειδισμοῦ μου ἐκ χειρὸς Νάβαλ, καὶ τὸν δοῦλον αὐτοῦ περιεποιήσατο ἐκ χειρὸς κακῶν, καὶ τὴν κακίαν Νάβαλ ἀπέστρεψε Κύριος εἰς κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἀπέστειλε Δαυὶδ καὶ ἐλάλησε περὶ ᾿Αβιγαίας, λαβεῖν αὐτὴν ἑαυτῷ εἰς γυναῖκα.

⁴⁰καὶ ἦλθον οἱ παῖδες Δαυὶδ πρὸς ᾿Αβιγαίαν εἰς Κάρμηλον καὶ ἐλάλησαν αὐτῇ λέγοντες· Δαυὶδ ἀπέστειλεν ἡμᾶς πρός σε λαβεῖν σε αὐτῷ εἰς γυναῖκα.

⁴¹καὶ ἀνέστη καὶ προσεκύνησεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον καὶ εἶπεν· ἰδοὺ ἡ δούλη σου εἰς παιδίσκην νίψαι πόδας τῶν παίδων σου.

⁴²καὶ ἀνέστη ᾿Αβιγαία καὶ ἐπέβη ἐπί τὴν ὄνον καὶ πέντε κοράσια ἠκολούθουν αὐτῇ, καὶ ἐπορεύθη ὀπίσω τῶν παίδων Δαυίδ, καὶ γίνεται αὐτῷ εἰς γυναῖκα.

⁴³καὶ τὴν ᾿Αχινόομ ἔλαβε Δαυὶδ ἐξ ᾿Ιεζραέλ, καὶ ἀμφότεραι ἦσαν αὐτῷ γυναῖκες.

⁴⁴καὶ Σαοὺλ ἔδωκε Μελχὸλ τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ τὴν γυναῖκα Δαυὶδ τῷ Φαλτὶ υἱῷ ᾿Αμὶς τῷ ἐκ Ῥομμά.

¹And Samuel died, and all Israel assembled, and bewailed him, and they bury him in his house in Armathaim: and David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Maon.

²And there was a man in Maon, and his flocks were in Carmel, and [he was] a very great man; and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand she-goats: and he happened to be shearing his flock in Carmel.

³And the man’s name [was] Nabal, and his wife’s name [was] Abigaia: and his wife [was] of good understanding and very beautiful in person: but the man [was] harsh, and evil in his doings, and the man [was] churlish.

⁴And David heard in the wilderness, that Nabal the Carmelite was shearing his sheep.

⁵And David sent ten young men, and he said to the young men, Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and ask him in my name how he is.

⁶And thus shall ye say, May thou and thy house seasonably prosper, and all thine be in prosperity.

⁷And now, behold, I have heard that thy shepherds who were with us in the wilderness are shearing thy sheep, and we hindered them not, neither did we demand any thing from them all the time they were in Carmel.

⁸Ask thy servants, and they will tell thee. Let then thy servants find grace in thine eyes, for we are come on a good day; give we pray thee, whatsoever thy hand may find, to thy son David.

⁹So the servants come and speak these words to Nabal, according to all these words in the name of David.

¹⁰And Nabal sprang up, and answered the servants of David, and said, Who [is] David? and who [is] the son of Jessae? Now-a-days there is abundance of servants who depart every one from his master.

¹¹And shall I take my bread, and my wine, and my beasts that I have slain for my shearers, and shall I give them to men of whom I know not whence they are?

¹²So the servants of David turned back, and returned, and came and reported to David according to these words.

¹³And David said to his men, Gird on every man his sword. And they went up after David, about four hundred men: and two hundred abode with the stuff.

¹⁴And one of the servants reported to Abigaia the wife of Nabal, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our lord; but he turned away from them.

¹⁵And the men were very good to us; they did not hinder us, neither did they demand from us any thing all the days that we were with them.

¹⁶And when we were in the field, they were as a wall round about us, both by night and by day, all the days that we were with them feeding the flock.

¹⁷And now do thou consider, and see what thou wilt do; for mischief is determined against our lord and against his house; and he [is] a vile character, and one cannot speak to him.

¹⁸And Abigaia hasted, and took two hundred loaves, and two vessels of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five ephahs of fine flour, and one homer of dried grapes, and two hundred cakes of figs, and put them upon asses.

¹⁹And she said to her servants, Go on before me, and behold I come after you: but she told not her husband.

²⁰And it came to pass when she had mounted her ass and was going down by the covert of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down to meet her, and she met them.

²¹And David said, Perhaps I have kept all his possessions in the wilderness that he should wrong me, and we did not order the taking anything of all his goods; yet he has rewarded me evil for good.

²²So God do to David and more also, if I leave one male of all that belong to Nabal until the morning.

²³And Abigaia saw David, and she hasted and alighted from her ass; and she fell before David on her face, and did obeisance to him, [bowing] to the ground

²⁴[even] to his feet, and said, On me, my lord, be my wrong: let, I pray thee, thy servant speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy servant.

²⁵Let not my lord, I pray thee, take to heart this pestilent man, for according to his name, so is he; Nabal [is] his name, and folly [is] with him: but I thy handmaid saw not the servants of my lord whom thou didst send.

²⁶And now, my lord, [as] the Lord lives, and thy soul lives, as the Lord has kept thee from coming against innocent blood, and from executing vengeance for thyself, now therefore let thine enemies, and those that seek evil against my lord, become as Nabal.

²⁷And now accept this token of goodwill, which thy servant has brought to my lord, and thou shalt give it to the servants that wait on my lord.

²⁸Remove, I pray thee, the trespass of thy servant; for the Lord will surely make for my lord a sure house, for the Lord fights the battles of my lord, and there shall no evil be ever found in thee.

²⁹And [if] a man shall rise up persecuting thee and seeking thy life, yet shall the life of my lord be bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord God, and thou shalt whirl the life of thine enemies [as] in the midst of a sling.

³⁰And it shall be when the Lord shall have wrought for my lord all the good things he has spoken concerning thee, and shall appoint thee to be ruler over Israel;

³¹then this shall not be an abomination and offence to my lord, to have shed innocent blood without cause, and for my lord to have avenged himself: and so may the Lord do good to my lord, and thou shalt remember thine handmaid to do her good.

³²And David said to Abigaia, Blessed [be] the Lord God of Israel, who sent thee this very day to meet me:

³³and blessed [be] thy conduct, and blessed [be] thou, who hast hindered me this very day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself.

³⁴But surely as the Lord God of Israel lives, who hindered me this day from doing thee harm, if thou hadst not hasted and come to meet me, then I said, There shall [surely] not be left to Nabal till the morning one male.

³⁵And David took of her hand all that she brought to him, and said to her, Go in peace to thy house: see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and accepted thy petition.

³⁶And Abigaia came to Nabal: and, behold, he had a banquet in this house, as the banquet of a king, and the heart of Nabal [was] merry within him, and he [was] very drunken: and she told him nothing great or small till the morning light.

³⁷And it came to pass in the morning, when Nabal recovered from his wine, his wife told him these words; and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

³⁸And it came to pass after about ten days, that the Lord smote Nabal, and he died.

³⁹And David heard it and said, Blessed [be] the Lord, who has judged the cause of my reproach at the hand of Nabal, and has delivered his servant from the power of evil; and the Lord has returned the mischief of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and spoke concerning Abigaia, to take her to himself for a wife.

⁴⁰So the servants of David came to Abigaia to Carmel, and spoke to her, saying, David has sent us to thee, to take thee to himself for a wife.

⁴¹And she arose, and did reverence with her face to the earth, and said, Behold, thy servant [is] for an handmaid to wash the feet of thy servants.

⁴²And Abigaia arose, and mounted her ass, and five damsels followed her: and she went after the servants of David, and became his wife.

⁴³And David took Achinaam out of Jezrael, and they were both his wives.

⁴⁴And Saul gave Melchol his daughter, David’s wife, to Phalti the son of Amis who was of Romma.