I Samuel - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 306

25-25 THE PERIOD OF SAMUEL.--1. SAM. 26--3 26 28 33 34 Let the fault lct your handmaid speak in your hearing, and listen to the words of your hand- maid. Let not my Lord lay to his heart about that blackguard, Nabal, for he is like his name,-——a f0o1,——a¤d folly is with him. But I, your hand- maid, saw not the lads of my Lord, whom you sent. So now, my Lord, by the life of the Evxx-Lrvmo, by the life of your sou1—0hl that the Evma—r.1vmo would restrain you from,goiug to bloodshed, and save you from your own hand. But may your enemies be like Nabal, and whoever seeks to injure my Lord l And this present here, which your servant has brought to my Lord, give it to the lads who march after the footsteps of my Lord. Overlook therefore the fault of your hand~ maid, for the Evmz-uvmo will make for my Lord a safe home, for you fight the battles of the Evmz-Lrvmc, my Prince, and harm will not meet you all your time. When a man rises topursue you to seek your life, then the life of my Lord will be treasured in the treasury of your Evzrenxvmo Goo, while the life of your enemies will be slung from the hand of the slinger. It will be so, for the EVER-LIVING will effect for my Prince all the good He has promised to you, and will appoint you to be a Leader to Israel. So let not this be an agitation and disturb- ance to the heart of my Prince, to cause him to shed needless blood. Let my Prince save himself from himself, and the EVER—L1vxNG will reward my Prince,—~when you will remember your handmaid. Then David replied to Abigail,

‘ Thank, the LORD of Israel Who has sent you to-day to meet mel And bless your skill.! And bless you who have prevented me to·day from blood- shed, and saving my hand from my- self l For certainly by the life of the Evan-mvmo, the Gon of Israel, Who restrained me frominjuring you, if you had not been quick and come

to meet me. there would not have been left to Nabal an urchin behind his wall this morning! David then accepted what she had

brought to him, and said to her, ‘ Go in peace to your home. You see I have listened to your voice, and gladdened your face} (”·°· I°55·) £¤l1uI’¤ Qeuily eflcr at Qruukzn §¤ui. Abigail therefore went to Nabal ; but

he was drinhng in his house as at a royal feast, andthe heart of Nabal was pleased with himself, and he was very drunk, so she told him nothing, great or small, until morning light. But in the morning when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife in- formed him of these events, when his heart died in his breast, and he became like a stone; and ten days after, the EvER—L1v1NG struck Nabal, and he died. Qabih marries £alml’s Minnie Qllrigail. When David heard that N abal was

Thank the EVER-LIVING Who has avenged my insult on the head of Nabal, and re- strained his servant from wrong, for the EVER-LIVING has returned the insults of Nabal upon his own head. David also sent, and spoke to Abigail to take her as a wife, so David’s oflicers went to Abigail at Karmel, David has sent us to you to take you to himself as a Then she arose and bowed her face

I am your servant to attend to wash the feet of Then Abigail prepared in haste and mounted her ass, and five of her maids went with her on foot, and 37 39 marched after the messengers of David. Thus she became his wife. David also took Akhinoam of jezraal, 43 and they were both his wives. Saul, however, gave Mikal his 44 daughter, the wife of David, to Falti· ben-Laish, who was from Galim. (s.c. 1_o54.) §ru1l again rbnxzs @ahih. The Zifites then went to Saul at 26 Do you know that David is in hiding in the hills of Saul consequently arose and went down to the desert of»Zif with three thousand men, the choicest of Israel, to hunt after David in the desert of Zif, and Saul encamped in the hills of Khikalah opposite jeshimon, by the road side. But David occupied the desert, and saw when Saul came after him towards 306