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And Dauid sware vnto Saul. Then wente Saul home, but Dauid gat him vp with his men vnto the castell.

And Samuel dyed, and all Israel gathered them selues together, mourned for him, & buried him in his house at Ramath. As for Dauid, he rose, and wente downe into the wyldernesse of Paran.

And there was a man at Maon, and his possession at Carmel, and the man was of greate power, and had thre thousande shepe, and a thousande goates. And it fortuned that he clypped his shepe at Carmel,

and his name was Nabal, but his wyues name was Abigail, and she was a woman of good vnderstondinge, & bewtyfull of face. But the man was harde, and wicked in his doynges, and was one of Caleb.

Now whan Dauid herde in the wyldernes yt Nabal clypped his shepe,

The sayde Dauid vnto his men: Euery man gyrde his swerde aboute him. And euery one gyrde his swerde aboute him. And Dauid gyrde his swerde aboute him also, and there wete vp after him vpon a foure hundreth men, but two hundreth remayned wt the stuffe.

Take hede now therfore, and loke well what thou doest, for there is surely a mysfortune at hande agaynst oure lorde, & agaynst all his house. And he is a man of Belial, to whom no man darre saye eny thinge.

And as she rode vpo the asse, and wente downe in the shadowe of ye hill, beholde, Dauid & his me met hir downe, so that she came vpon them.

and fell at his fete, and sayde: Oh my lorde, let this trespace be myne, and let thy handmayde speake before thine eares, and heare the wordes of thy handmayden:

Let not my lorde set his hert agaynst this Nabal the man of Belial, for he is a foole, acordinge as his name is called: his name is foole, and foolishnes is with him. As for me thy handmayde, I sawe not my lordes yonge men, whom thou dyddest sende.

Whan the LORDE therfore doth all this good for my lorde (which he hath promysed the) and commaundeth ye to be his Duke ouer Israel,

But whan Abigail came to Nabal, beholde, he had prepared a feast in his house like a kynges feast, and his hert was mery, for he was very dronken. And she tolde him nothinge, nether small ner greate vntyll ye cleare mornynge.

But whan it was daye, & the wyne was come from Nabal, his wife tolde him these thinges. Then was his hert deed in his body, so that he became euen as a stone:

Whan Dauid herde that Nabal was deed, he sayde: Blessed be ye LORDE which hath auenged my rebuke on Nabal, and preserued his seruaunt from euell. And the LORDE hath rewarded Nabal that euell vpon his heade. And Dauid sent, and caused to talke with Abigail, yt he mighte take her to wife.

and to waßshe their fete. And Abigail made haist, and gat her vp, and rode vpo an asse, and fyue maydens that were vnder her, and wente after Dauids messaungers, and became his wife.

Dauid toke Ahinoam of Iesrael also, and they both became his wyues.

But Saul gaue Michol his doughter the wife of Dauid vnto Phalti ye sonne of Lais of Gallim.

And Dauid gat him vp, and came to the place where Saul had pitched his tet, and sawe the place where Saul laye with his chefe captayne Abner ye sonne of Ner: for Saul laye in the tent, and the hoost aboute him.

So Dauid and Abisai came to the people in the night season, & beholde, Saul laye and slepte in the tent, and his speare stacke in ye grounde at his heade. But Abner and the people laye rounde aboute him.

Dauid sayde morouer: As truly as the LORDE lyueth, yf ye LORDE him selfe smyte him not, or excepte his tyme come that he dye, or that he go in to the battayll and perishe,