1Algum tempo depois, morreu Samuel e todo o Israel se juntou para o funeral, sepultando-o no local próprio da sua família em Ramá. Entretanto, David desceu para o deserto de Parã.2Havia um homem rico de Maom que tinha uma grande propriedade, para criação de gado, perto da aldeia do Carmelo. Possuía 3000 ovelhas e 1000 cabras. Naquela altura, encontrava-se na sua quinta tosquiando as ovelhas.3O seu nome era Nabal e a sua mulher, que era bela e inteligente, chamava-se Abigail. No entanto, aquele indivíduo, descendente de Calebe, tinha um mau carácter e uma natureza ruim.4Ao ouvir que Nabal estava a tosquiar as ovelhas,5David mandou dez dos seus companheiros ao Carmelo com uma mensagem, dizendo-lhes que cumprimentassem a Nabal, em seu nome,6e que lhe dissessem ainda: “Que seja aumentada a tua prosperidade, bem como a da tua família, e que tenhas muita paz, tu e todos os teus!7Disseram-me que estás a tosquiar os animais. Hás de saber certamente que aos teus pastores, enquanto estiveram no nosso meio, nunca lhes aconteceu qualquer mal, e nada lhes faltou enquanto estiveram no Carmelo.8Pergunta-lhes e verás se é ou não assim. Envio-te alguns dos meus homens para te pedir um donativo, pois sabemos que é uma altura de fartura para ti. Por favor, dá-nos alguma coisa do que tiveres à mão.”9Os moços de David deram o recado e ficaram à espera.10“Quem é esse David?”, perguntou. “Quem pensa, esse filho de Jessé, que ele é? Há muitos servos nestes tempos que correm, fugidos aos seus senhores.11Porque é que haveria de pegar no meu pão, na minha água, na carne das reses que abati para os meus criados e dá-la a um bando de gente que aparece não se sabe donde?”12Os mensageiros de David voltaram e contaram-lhe a resposta de Nabal.13“Peguem nas espadas!”, foi a resposta de David, enquanto embainhava a sua. Quatrocentos partiram com ele e duzentos ficaram a guardar as bagagens.14Entretanto, um dos criados de Nabal foi contar tudo a Abigail: “David mandou cá uns homens seus, desde o deserto, que falaram com muito boas maneiras ao nosso amo, mas este insultou-os e pô-los na rua.15E é verdade que a gente de David nos tratou sempre bem e nada sofremos enquanto estivemos com eles; a bem dizer,16de dia e de noite, eles eram como um muro de proteção para nós e para o gado; nada nos foi roubado durante todo o tempo que estivemos com eles.17Vê bem o que há a fazer, porque as coisas vão correr mal para o nosso amo e família; ele tem tão mau feitio que ninguém pode falar com ele!”18Abigail preparou à pressa duzentos bolos de farinha, dois odres de vinho, cinco ovelhas guisadas, cinco medidas de grão torrado, cem bolos de passas, duzentos bolos de figo e carregou tudo em jumentos,19dizendo ao criados: “Vão já andando com isso que eu vou a seguir.” Mas não disse nada ao marido.20Quando ela vinha a caminho montada no seu jumento, encontrou-se com David.21David tinha vindo a pensar durante a marcha: “Fartámo-nos de fazer bem a este indivíduo, sem recompensa alguma. Protegemos-lhe os rebanhos no deserto, de tal forma que nada lhe foi roubado nem lhe faltou, e agora paga-nos desta maneira o bem que lhe fizemos. Tudo o que acabámos por receber foi insultos.22Que Deus me castigue se até amanhã de manhã ficar vivo algum homem naquela casa!”23Abigail, ao ver David, desmontou rapidamente e inclinou-se.24“Recaia sobre mim a culpa disto tudo, meu senhor”, disse. “Peço-te que ouças aquilo que pretendo dizer-te.25Nabal é um homem mau; por favor não ligues ao que diz. É um louco, tal como o seu nome indica. Eu não soube da vinda dos teus mensageiros.26E agora, sendo que o SENHOR te impediu de matares e de te vingares por tuas próprias mãos, a minha oração a Deus, a favor da tua vida, é que todos os teus inimigos sejam tão castigados como Nabal for.27Aqui está um presente que vos trouxe, para ti e para os teus homens.28Perdoa-me a ousadia em ter vindo até aqui. O SENHOR certamente te recompensará com um reinado firme, assim como aos teus descendentes, pois combates as guerras do SENHOR e nunca se viu que agisses erradamente em toda a tua vida.29Mesmo quando és perseguido por aqueles que procuram tirar-te a vida, o SENHOR, teu Deus, te protege como se estivesses na palma da sua mão! Mas as vidas dos teus inimigos desaparecerão como pedras atiradas numa funda.30Quando o SENHOR tiver cumprido todas as coisas que te prometeu e te tiver feito rei de Israel,31certamente não quererás ter a consciência dum assassino que procurou fazer justiça por suas próprias mãos! Quando o SENHOR tiver realizado todas essas grandes coisas a teu favor, peço-te que te lembres de mim, a tua serva!”32David respondeu a Abigail desta forma: “Seja bendito o SENHOR, Deus de Israel, que te mandou ao meu encontro neste dia!33Graças a Deus pelo teu bom senso! Abençoada sejas tu por me teres impedido de matar um homem e de me ter vingado por minhas próprias mãos.34Tão certo como vive o SENHOR, o Deus de Israel, que me guardou de te fazer mal, que se não tivesses vindo ao meu encontro, nenhum dos homens de Nabal estaria com vida amanhã de manhã.”35David aceitou os presentes e disse-lhe que regressasse a casa em paz, porque ele lhe daria o que ela pediu.36Quando ela chegou a casa verificou que Nabal tinha dado uma grande festa, como se fosse um rei, e que estava a cair de bêbedo. Por isso, nada lhe disse do seu encontro com David até chegar a manhã seguinte.37Nessa altura, estando Nabal já recuperado da embriaguês, quando lhe contou tudo o que acontecera, ele teve um ataque e caiu paralisado.38Ficou assim durante dez dias, até que morreu. Foi o SENHOR quem lhe tirou a vida.39Ao ouvir da sua morte, David disse: “Louvado seja o SENHOR! Ele deu a Nabal a recompensa que merecia e preservou-me de ser eu a fazê-lo. Recebeu assim a paga do seu pecado.” David enviou então mensageiros a Abigail, pedindo-lhe que se tornasse sua mulher.40Quando chegaram ao Carmelo e lhe apresentaram o pedido,41Abigail inclinou-se até ao chão e disse: “Eu sou apenas uma serva, disposta a lavar os pés dos seus criados.”42Então aprontou-se para partir. Levou consigo cinco das suas moças, montou no jumento e foi com os homens de David. Assim se tornou mulher de David.43David casou também com Ainoã de Jezreel.44O rei Saul tinha entretanto obrigado a primeira mulher de David, a sua filha Mical, a casar com um indivíduo de Galim chamado Palti, filho de Laís.
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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