I Samuel - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 305
The History of the People of Israel
property 1a.y in Karmel; and the man was very great, for he possessed three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was at this time shearing his sheep in Karmel. This man's name was Nabal, and his wife was called Abigail; she was a very clever woman, and beautiful in ap- but her husband gearance, was rutish and excessively bad ;—-like one of his dogs. David heard in the desert that Nabal was shearinhi g s sheep, so David sent some 0 his lads, and David said to the lads, March to Karmel and go to Nabal,
and wish him well in my name. You must also say this, ‘Good health to you! How are you? and how are your family? and how is all that you have? I have heard that you are shearing. Although your shep- herds are near us, I have not hurt them, nor has anything been missing from them all the time they have been in Karmel. Ask your lads, and they will tell you so. So let these youths {ind favour in your sight, for they come at a good time. There- fore give what comes ~to your hand to your servants, and to your son ' £a1ml?¤ Siupihiiu, mth his Ritz': 10 Skill sub Qzauiy. David’s lads accordingly went, and
reported to Nabal all this speech in the name of David; and sat down. But Nabalanswered David’s servants, ‘Who is David? And what is the son of jessai? Now·a·days plenty of slaves run away from their masters! And why should I take my bread, and my drink, and my roast meat, that I have roasted for my shearers, and give to fellows who come from I don't know where? ' Qnirifs fury at $¤lxal’¤§¤m·i¤buzsx. David’s lads consequently went
their way, and returned to, and came and reported to him all these things. Consequently David said to his men, And they all girt their swords. David also girt on his sword, and there went up after David about four hundred men, while two hundred guarded the baggage. One of the lads &0m among N abal’s
servants, however, informed Abigail David has sent messengers from the desert to-com gratuiate our master, and he has abusedthem. Now these men have been very good to us, and have not hurt us,. nor stolen anything all the time we wandered about near them in the open field. They were a guard to us by night and by day, all the time we were near them, shepherding the sheep. And now I know, and see what troubles me, for there will be plenty of evil for our master and for all his household, because he is such a brute,——one cannot speak to him. At this Abigail hastened, and took
two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and Eve cooked sheep, and Eve quarters of corn and a hundred packets of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them upon asses, and said to the lad, ‘ Go on before me, I will follow after But she did not inform her husband Nabal. Now she rode on her ass, and went down to the foot of the hills and saw David and his men advancing on her. So she approached I never broke the bargain ;—·I protected all that belonged to this fellow in the desert, and nothing was missing belonging to him, but he has re- turned me bad for good. May Gon do this to the enemies of David, and add to this,1if I leave anything be- longing to him at morning light, even an urchin behind the wal l’ Then Abigail was afraid of David;
therefore she hastened and dis— mounted from her ass, and fell down on her face, because of the anger of David, and bowed to him to the earth. Then she knelt at I2 16 18 21 22
The Hebrew
evidently used some gesture when uttering this oath.-—F. F. 3‘?5
