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 mistreat 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 favorable toward 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 around 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 mistreat 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 60 pounds or 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 toward 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 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.
大衛與亞比該
1撒母耳死了，以色列人都聚在一起哀悼他，把他安葬在拉瑪他自己的墳地裡。之後，大衛到了巴蘭的曠野。 2瑪雲有個富翁擁有三千隻綿羊和一千隻山羊，他的產業在迦密。當時他正在迦密剪羊毛。 3他名叫拿八，是迦勒族人，妻子名叫亞比該，既聰慧又漂亮。拿八粗暴兇惡。 4大衛在曠野得知拿八正在剪羊毛， 5就派十個部下到迦密去見拿八，吩咐他們以他的名義向拿八問安， 6對拿八說：「願你和你全家平安，願你一切順利！ 7我聽說你正在剪羊毛。你的牧人與我們在迦密的時候，我們沒有欺負過他們，他們沒有丟過任何東西。 8你問問你的僕人就知道了。請你恩待我的部下，因為今天是好日子，求你隨手賞一點東西給僕人們和晚輩我。」
9大衛的部下就去把大衛的話告訴拿八，等候他的答覆。 10拿八說：「大衛是誰？耶西的兒子是誰？這些日子有很多僕人逃離主人， 11我怎能把餅、水和為剪羊毛者預備的肉分給一群來歷不明的人呢？」 12大衛的部下回去把拿八的話稟告大衛。 13大衛聽了，就吩咐眾人備刀，他自己也帶了刀去拿八那裡。大衛帶了四百人去，留下二百人看守輜重。
14拿八的一個僕人告訴拿八的妻子亞比該說：「大衛從曠野派人來向我們主人問安，主人卻辱罵他們。 15那些人對我們很好，從來不欺負我們。我們跟他們一起在田野的時候，從來沒有丟過任何東西。 16我們在他們附近牧羊的時候，他們晝夜不斷地保護我們。 17所以，請你趕快想個法子，不然主人和他全家恐怕都會大難臨頭。主人是個兇暴的人，沒有人敢跟他說話。」
18亞比該連忙用驢馱上二百塊餅、兩皮袋酒、五隻宰好了的羊、三十七升烤麥、一百塊葡萄餅和二百塊無花果餅， 19又吩咐僕人說：「你們先去吧！我隨後就來。」她沒有把這事告訴丈夫拿八。 20她騎著驢下山的時候，就看見大衛和他的部下迎面而來。 21大衛曾說：「我在曠野保護這人的羊群，使牠們不致丟失，真是枉費功夫。他竟以怨報德。 22如果我讓他家裡一個男子活到明早，願上帝重重地懲罰我！」
23亞比該看見大衛，連忙下驢俯伏下拜。 24她俯伏在大衛腳前說：「我主啊，我願意承擔一切罪過，請聽婢女說。 25請不要理會拿八那個惡徒，他人如其名25·25 「拿八」意思是「愚蠢」。，是個名符其實的蠢人。當時婢女沒有見到你派來的使者。 26我主啊，既然耶和華阻止你親手殺人報仇，我就憑永活的耶和華和你的性命起誓，願你的仇敵和傷害你的人都像拿八一樣沒有好下場。 27現在，請把婢女帶來的禮物分給你的部下吧。 28請饒恕婢女的罪過，耶和華必使你的子孫世代做王，因為你是在為耶和華而戰，願你一生沒有過錯。 29你就是被人追殺，也會在你的上帝耶和華的保護下安然無恙。你敵人的性命卻要像石頭一樣被耶和華用投石器拋出去。 30-31如果你現在沒有殺人報仇，傷害無辜，到了耶和華照應許賜福給你、立你做以色列王的時候，你就不會心裡不安了。我主啊，耶和華賜福給你的時候，求你不要忘了婢女。」
32大衛對亞比該說：「以色列的上帝耶和華當受稱頌！祂今天派你來見我。 33你很有見識，你今天攔阻我親手殺人復仇，值得稱讚。 34我憑阻止我殺你的以色列的上帝——永活的耶和華起誓，若不是你趕來迎接我，拿八家中不會有一個男子活到明天早上。」 35大衛接受了亞比該的禮物，對她說：「安心回家吧，我答應你的請求。」
36她回到家時，拿八正在大擺宴席，排場如御宴。她見拿八心情愉快，喝得酩酊大醉，就什麼也沒告訴他，等第二天早上再說。 37次日清晨，拿八酒醒以後，他妻子把發生的一切告訴他，他嚇得昏死過去，身體僵硬如石。 38過了十天，耶和華擊打拿八，他就死了。
39大衛聽見拿八的死訊，就說：「讚美耶和華！拿八羞辱我，祂為我伸了冤，又阻止僕人行惡。祂使拿八得到了報應。」後來，大衛差遣使者去向亞比該求婚。 40他的使者就啟程到迦密去向亞比該傳達大衛的心意。 41亞比該聽了，立刻俯伏在地上說：「婢女願意效勞，為我主的僕人洗腳。」 42她連忙騎上驢，帶了五個侍女，跟隨大衛的使者前去，做了大衛的妻子。 43大衛已經娶了耶斯列人亞希暖，她們二人就同做大衛的妻子。 44掃羅已經把自己的女兒、大衛的妻子米甲嫁給了迦琳人拉億的兒子帕提。
