Nabal fornærmer David
1Kort tid efter døde Samuel. Ved begravelsen samledes hele Israel i Rama, og man begravede ham i familiens jord.
I mellemtiden var David taget tilbage til Maons25,1 Septuaginta har Maon. Den masoretiske tekst har Paran, som formodentlig er en fejlkopiering. ørken. 2En velstående mand fra Maon havde masser af småkvæg på græs i nærheden af landsbyen Karmel. Han ejede 3000 får og 1000 geder, og det var midt i fåreklipningstiden. 3Fåreavlerens navn var Nabal, og han var en efterkommer af Kaleb. I modsætning til sin kone Abigajil, der var både smuk og klog, var Nabal en ond og ubarmhjertig mand.
4Da David hørte, at Nabal var i færd med at klippe sine får og derfor havde gjort klar til en stor fest, 5sendte han ti af sine unge mænd til Karmel med følgende besked til Nabal: 6„David, Isajs søn, siger: Må Herrens fred og velsignelse være over dig og din familie og alt, hvad du ejer. 7Jeg har hørt, at du holder fåreklipningsfest. Dengang dine hyrder holdt til i nærheden af os i Karmel, gjorde vi dem aldrig fortræd, og der blev aldrig stjålet noget fra dem. 8Spørg selv dine folk, for de kan fortælle dig, at det er sandt. Gør nu gengæld ved at tage vel imod mine unge mænd. Da I holder fest, kunne I måske dele med os?”
9De unge mænd tog så hen til Nabal og overbragte Davids hilsen.
10„Hvem er David?” snerrede Nabal. „Og hvem er Isaj? Nu om stunder er der mange slaver, der stikker af fra deres herre. 11Skulle jeg tage mit brød og mit vand og mit kvæg, som jeg har slagtet, for at mine fåreklippere kan feste, og forære det hele til en flok omstrejfere? Ikke på vilkår!”
12Så vendte de unge mænd tilbage til David og fortalte ham, hvad Nabal havde sagt.
13„Tag jeres sværd!” svarede David, mens han spændte bæltet. Så tog han 400 bevæbnede mænd med sig og efterlod de øvrige 200 i lejren.
14I mellemtiden skyndte en af fårehyrderne sig hen til Nabals kone, Abigajil, og sagde: „David sendte nogle mænd fra ørkenen med gode ønsker for vores herre. Men han fornærmede dem og skældte dem hæder og ære fra 15-16på trods af, at Davids mænd aldrig har gjort os noget ondt. Tværtimod har de gjort alt, hvad de kunne, for at hjælpe os. Dag og nat var de som en mur omkring os og fårene og beskyttede os mod angreb udefra. Så længe de var i nærheden, blev der ikke stjålet noget fra os. 17Du må gøre noget for at afværge den ulykke, som nu truer vores herre og hans familie. Nabal er jo så ondsindet, at det ikke nytter at sige noget til ham.”
18Abigajil tog straks 200 brød, to skindsække med vin, fem slagtede og tilberedte får, en stor sæk25,18 På hebraisk: fem sea. Den nøjagtige størrelse kendes ikke, men fem sea er nok mellem 30 og 65 liter. En sea regnes normalt for godt 7 liter. ristet korn, 100 rosinkager og 200 figenkager og læssede det hele på nogle æsler. 19„Skynd jer af sted,” sagde hun til sine folk, „jeg følger selv bagefter.” Hun sagde ikke noget til sin mand, 20men red af sted på sit æsel ad vejen gennem bjergkløften. Der kom David og hans mænd ridende imod hende.
21David havde netop sagt: „Det er al den tak, man får for at hjælpe sådan en mand. Vi beskyttede hans får i ørkenen, så intet blev stjålet. Alligevel gengælder han mig godt med ondt. 22Må Gud ramme mig med både det ene og det andet, hvis ikke Nabal og alle de mænd og drenge, der er hos ham, er døde inden i morgen tidlig.”
Abigajil går i forbøn for Nabal
23Da Abigajil fik øje på David, steg hun af æslet, bøjede sig til jorden for ham og sagde:
24„Herre, jeg tager hele skylden på mig. Vær så venlig at høre efter, hvad jeg har at sige. 25Nabal er ond og hidsig, men tag dig ikke af ham. Han lever helt op til sit navn—han er et stort fjols. Det ærgrer mig, at jeg ikke så de mænd, du sendte til os. 26Herre, siden Gud har bevaret dig fra at tage sagen i din egen hånd og myrde Nabal, beder jeg af hjertet til, at det må gå dine fjender lige så elendigt, som det skulle have gået Nabal. 27Tag nu imod denne gave til dig og dine mænd, 28og tilgiv mig min dristighed. Herren skal lønne dig ved at sikre dit kongedømme, for det er ham, du kæmper for, og der skal ikke ske dig noget ondt, så længe du lever. 29Selv når du jages af dine fjender, skal du være tryg i Herren, din Guds, hånd. Men dine fjender vil han slynge bort som sten fra en slynge.
30-31Når Herren har opfyldt alle sine løfter til dig og har gjort dig til konge over Israel, skal du ikke plages af samvittighedskvaler over at have taget loven i din egen hånd og udgydt uskyldigt blod. Når Herren har opfyldt sine løfter til dig, vil jeg bede dig om at tænke på mig med velvilje.”
32David svarede Abigajil: „Lovet være Herren, Israels Gud, som i dag har sendt dig til mig. 33Jeg er dig dybt taknemmelig for din visdom, som har forhindret mig i at tage loven i min egen hånd og myrde et andet menneske. 34Jeg sværger ved Herren, Israels Gud, at hvis du ikke var kommet mig i møde, ville alle af mandkøn hos Nabal have været døde inden i morgen tidlig. Nu har Herren afværget denne tragedie.”
35Derefter tog David imod Abigajils gaver og sagde: „Vend du blot hjem. Du har intet at frygte. Jeg har valgt at følge dit råd.”
36-37Da hun kom hjem, var Nabal ved at holde gilde. Han var fuld og i højt humør. Derfor fortalte hun ham ikke om sit møde med David før næste morgen, da han var ædru. Da han hørte historien, fik han et slagtilfælde og blev fuldstændig lammet. 38Ti dage efter tog Herren hans liv.
39Da David hørte om Nabals død, udbrød han: „Lovet være Herren! Gud har taget hævn over Nabal, fordi jeg undlod at gøre det selv. Nu har Nabal fået den straf, han fortjener.”
Straks sendte David bud til Abigajil og spurgte, om hun ville blive hans kone. 40Da sendebudene nåede frem til Karmel og overbragte hende Davids anmodning, 41bøjede hun sig til jorden og sagde: „Jeg er parat til at være den ringeste tjener i Davids hus.” 42Så sadlede hun sit æsel og tog fem tjenestepiger med sig. Mændene førte hende straks til David, og hun blev Davids kone.
43David havde også giftet sig med Ahinoam fra Jizre’el, så nu havde han to koner. 44Hans første kone, Sauls datter Mikal, var i mellemtiden blevet givet til Lajish’ søn, Palti, fra Gallim.
David, Nabal and Abigail
1Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David moved down into the Desert of Paran.25:1 Hebrew and some Septuagint manuscripts; other Septuagint manuscripts Maon
2A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. 3His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings – he was a Calebite.
4While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. 5So he sent ten young men and said to them, ‘Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. 6Say to him: “Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!
7‘ “Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not ill-treat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. 8Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favourable towards my men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.” ’
9When David’s men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David’s name. Then they waited.
10Nabal answered David’s servants, ‘Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. 11Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?’
12David’s men turned round and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. 13David said to his men, ‘Each of you strap on your sword!’ So they did, and David strapped his on as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.
14One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, ‘David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. 15Yet these men were very good to us. They did not ill-treat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. 16Night and day they were a wall around us the whole time we were herding our sheep near them. 17Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no-one can talk to him.’
18Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs25:18 That is, probably about 27 kilograms of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. 19Then she told her servants, ‘Go on ahead; I’ll follow you.’ But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending towards her, and she met them. 21David had just said, ‘It’s been useless – all my watching over this fellow’s property in the wilderness so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. 22May God deal with David,25:22 Some Septuagint manuscripts; Hebrew with David’s enemies be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!’
23When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. 24She fell at his feet and said: ‘Pardon your servant, my lord, and let me speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. 25Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name – his name means Fool, and folly goes with him. And as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my lord sent. 26And now, my lord, as surely as the Lord your God lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal. 27And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my lord, be given to the men who follow you.
28‘Please forgive your servant’s presumption. The Lord your God will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my lord, because you fight the Lord’s battles, and no wrongdoing will be found in you as long as you live. 29Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my lord will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by the Lord your God, but the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. 30When the Lord has fulfilled for my lord every good thing he promised concerning him and has appointed him ruler over Israel, 31my lord will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when the Lord your God has brought my lord success, remember your servant.’
32David said to Abigail, ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. 33May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. 34Otherwise, as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.’
35Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought to him and said, ‘Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request.’
36When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until daybreak. 37Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone. 38About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died.
39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, ‘Praise be to the Lord, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. He has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.’
Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife. 40His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, ‘David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife.’
41She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, ‘I am your servant and am ready to serve you and wash the feet of my lord’s servants.’ 42Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five female servants, went with David’s messengers and became his wife. 43David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives. 44But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Paltiel25:44 Hebrew Palti, a variant of Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.
