1 Samuel 25:1-22 ▼

1 And Samuel died, and all the Israelites gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his owne house at Rama. And Dauid arose, & went downe to the wildernesse of Pharan.

2 And ther was a man in Maon, whose possession was in Carmel, and the man was exceeding mightie, and had three thousande sheepe & a thousand goates: And he was shearing his sheepe in Carmel.

3 The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wyfe was Abigail, and she was a woman of a singuler wysedome, and beautifull: But the man was churlishe, and of shrewde conditions, & was of the kinred of Caleb.

4 And Dauid hearde in the wildernesse, that Nabal did sheare his sheepe.

5 And Dauid sent out ten young men, and sayd vnto them: Get you vp to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greete him in my name.

6 And ye shal say: So mayest thou lyue, peace be to thee, peace be to thyne house, and peace be vnto all that thou hast.

7 Beholde I haue hearde say that thou hast shearers: Nowe, thy shepheardes were with vs, & we did them no spite, neither was there ought missing vnto them al the while they were in Carmel:

8 Aske thy laddes, & they will shew thee: Wherfore let these young men finde fauour in thyne eyes (for we come in a good season) & geue I pray thee whatsoeuer commeth to thyne hande vnto thy seruauntes, and to thy sonne Dauid.

9 And when Dauids young men came, they told Nabal all those wordes in the name of Dauid: and helde their peace.

10 And Nabal aunswered Dauids seruauntes, and said: Who is Dauid? and who is ye sonne of Isai? There is plentie of seruauntes now a dayes that breake away euery man from his maister.

11 Shal I then take my bread, my water, and my fleshe that I haue killed for my shearers, and geue it vnto men whom I wot not whence they be?

12 And so Dauids seruauntes turned their way, and went againe, and came and tolde him all those sayinges.

13 And Dauid sayd vnto his men: Girde euery man his sword about him. And they girded euery man his sword about him, and Dauid was girded with his sword: And there folowed Dauid vpon a foure hundred men, and two hundred abode by the stuffe.

14 But one of the laddes tolde Abigail Nabals wyfe, saying: Beholde, Dauid sent messengers vnto our maister out of the wildernesse to salute him: and he rayled on them.

15 And yet the men were very good vnto vs, and dyd vs no displeasure, neither missed we any thyng as long as we were conuersaunt with them when we were in the fieldes.

16 They were a wall vnto vs both by night and day, all the while we were with them keping sheepe.

17 Now therefore take heede, & see what thou shalt do: for surelie euyll will come vpon our maister and al his housholde, for he is so wicked, that a man can not speake to him.

18 Then Abigail made haste, and tooke two hundred loaues, and two bottels of wine, and fiue sheepe redie dressed, and fiue measures of parched corne, and an hundred frailes of reasynges, and two hundred cakes of fygges, & laded them on asses,

19 And sayde vnto her young men: Go before me, beholde I come after you. But she tolde her husband Nabal nothing thereof.

20 And as she rode on her asse, she came priuylie downe the syde of the hill, and behold Dauid and his men came downe against her, and she met them.

21 And Dauid saide: Surelie in vayne haue I kept all that this felow hath in the wildernes, so that nothing was missed of all that pertayned vnto him: and he hath quite me euill for good.

22 So and more also do God vnto the enemies of Dauid, if I leaue of all that pertayne to him by the dawnyng of the day, any that pysseth against the wall.