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 Maons* 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 fra15på 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 sæk* 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.30Når 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.”36Da 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.
English Standard Version
The Death of SamuelDavid and Abigail
1Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah. Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.2And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel.3Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.4David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.5So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name.6And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.7I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel.8Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”9When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited.10And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters.11Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?”12So David’s young men turned away and came back and told him all this.13And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.14But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them.15Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them.16They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.17Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”18Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs* of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.19And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.20And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them.21Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good.22God do so to the enemies of David* and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”23When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground.24She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant.25Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal* is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.26Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal.27And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord.28Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live.29If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord your God. And the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling.30And when the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince* over Israel,31my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.”32And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!33Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand!34For as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.”35Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.”36And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light.37In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.38And about ten days later the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The Lord has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife.40When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.”41And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”42And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.43David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives.44Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.
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