Study Desk

Then David rose up, afterwards, and went forth out of the cave, and cried out after Saul, saying - My lord, O king! And, when Saul looked about behind him, David inclined his face to the earth, and bowed himself down.

And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Thy voice, is this, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.

Yet, when a man findeth his enemy, will he let him get easily away? Yahweh, then, give thee, good, reward for what, this day, thou hast done unto me.

So David sware unto Saul, - and Saul departed unto his own house, but, David and his men, went up on the stronghold.

And Samuel died, and all Israel were gathered together, and made lamentation for him, and buried him within his own house, in Ramah, - and David arose and went down into the wilderness of Maon.

Now there was, a man, in Maon, whose cattle were in Carmel, and, the man, was exceeding great, and, he, had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats, - and so it was, that he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

Now, the name of the man, was Nabal, and, the name of his wife, Abigail, - and, the woman, was of good understanding, and of beautiful figure, - but, the man, was unfeeling and of evil practices, and he was a Calebite.

So then David heard in the wilderness, - that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

David, therefore, sent ten young men, - and David said unto the young men, - Go up to Carmel, and enter in unto Nabal, and ye shall ask him, in my name, of his welfare;

Then Nabal answered the servants of David, and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? Nowadays, many are the servants that have broken away, every one from the presence of his lord:

Then said David unto his men - Gird on you every man his sword. And they girded on them, every man his sword, and, David also, girded on his sword, - and there went up after David - about four hundred men, and, two hundred, abode by the stores.

Now, therefore, know thou, and see, what thou canst do, for mischief is determined against our lord, and against all his household, - but, he, is such an abandoned man, that one cannot speak unto him.

And so it was, as she was riding on her ass, and descending within the covert of the hill, lo! David and his men, descending over against her, - so she met them.

yea she fell at his feet, and said - On me, even me, my lord, be the transgression, - But, I pray thee, let thy handmaid speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy handmaid.

Let it not be, I pray thee, that my lord regard this abandoned man - Nabal; For, as his name is, so, is he. Nabal, is his name, and, baseness, is with him, - But, I, thy handmaid, saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

And, when Abigail came unto Nabal, lo! he, had a banquet in his house, like the banquet of a king, and, the heart of Nabal, was glad accordingly, he having drunk deeply, - so she told him nothing - less or more, until the light of the morning.

And it came to pass, in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, and his wife told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone.

And, when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said - Blessed, be Yahweh, who hath maintained the plea of my reproach, at the hand of Nabal, and hath restrained, his servant, from wrong, yea, the wrong of Nabal, hath Yahweh turned back on his own head. Then sent David, and spake with Abigail, to take her to himself wife.

And Abigail hastened, and mounted, and rode upon her ass, with her five damsels that used to journey at her feet, - and she went her way after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

David took, Ahinoam also, out of Jezreel, - and, they two, became his wives.