I Samuel 25

שמואל א׳ פרק כ״ה

Section: נביאים · נביאים ראשונים | Book: I Samuel | Chapter: 25 of 31 | Day: 70 of 742

Date: April 22, 2026

קלאוד על הנ״ך

Chapter 25 stands as one of the great moral turning points in David’s rise to kingship, a narrative that tests whether the future king will govern by impulse or by wisdom. The chapter opens with a terse, almost parenthetical notice of Samuel’s death (וימת שמואל) — a single verse that carries enormous weight. With Samuel gone, the prophetic voice that anointed David and guided Israel’s transition of power is silenced. David is now truly on his own in the wilderness, stripped of his prophetic patron, and it is precisely in this moment of vulnerability that his character will be most severely tested. Radak observes that the placement of Samuel’s death here is deliberate: it marks the closing of one era and frames the events that follow as belonging to a new phase in which David must navigate without prophetic counsel.

The central drama unfolds around three characters whose names encode their natures. Nabal (נבל), whose very name means “boor” or “fool,” is wealthy, harsh, and devoid of social grace — a man whose possessions far exceed his character. Abigail (אביגיל), by contrast, is described as both intelligent (טובת שכל) and beautiful (יפת תואר), a pairing the text emphasizes precisely because her husband embodies the opposite. David’s request for provisions during sheep-shearing season is entirely reasonable by the customs of the ancient Near East: his men had served as unpaid protectors of Nabal’s flocks in the wilderness, functioning as “a wall about us both by night and by day” (חומה היו עלינו גם לילה גם יומם), as Nabal’s own servant testifies. Nabal’s refusal is not merely stingy but deliberately insulting, questioning David’s very identity — “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse?” (מי דוד ומי בן ישי) — language that echoes Saul’s dismissiveness and aligns Nabal with the forces opposing David’s divinely ordained destiny.

David’s response — arming four hundred men to annihilate Nabal’s household — reveals the raw, violent impulse that kingship must learn to temper. This is the same David who twice spared Saul’s life, yet here, stung by personal insult rather than threatened by mortal danger, he swears an oath of total destruction. The narrative tension is acute: will the man destined to establish God’s eternal dynasty begin his reign with a massacre of civilians over a slight? It is Abigail who intervenes, and her speech (verses 24-31) ranks among the most theologically sophisticated addresses in all of Samuel. She does not merely plead for mercy; she constructs a prophetic argument. She speaks of God granting David “an enduring house” (בית נאמן), language that anticipates Nathan’s oracle in II Samuel 7. She invokes the stunning image of the “bundle of life” (צרור החיים) — David’s soul bound up in God’s safekeeping while his enemies’ lives are flung away “from the hollow of a sling” (בתוך כף הקלע), an image that may deliberately recall David’s own weapon against Goliath. Most critically, she warns David that shedding blood needlessly would become “a cause of stumbling” (פוקה) when he comes to power. Rashi notes that Abigail spoke with a kind of prophetic spirit, seeing David’s future kingship as certain and urging him to enter it with clean hands.

David’s acceptance of Abigail’s counsel is itself an act of greatness. He blesses God for sending her, blesses her wisdom, and blesses her personally — a threefold acknowledgment that recognizes the encounter as providential rather than coincidental. Nabal’s death, coming ten days later after he is struck by what the text describes as a divine blow (ויגף ה׳ את נבל וימת), confirms the chapter’s moral architecture: vengeance belongs to God, not to the king. David’s marriage to Abigail following Nabal’s death is not merely political opportunism but the narrative’s way of showing that wisdom and restraint are rewarded. The closing verses, noting David’s marriage to Ahinoam and Saul’s giving of Michal to Palti son of Laish, gesture toward the complex marital politics that will characterize David’s reign, but the chapter’s heart remains the encounter on the hillside where a wise woman turned a future king away from catastrophe.

The broader literary function of chapter 25 within the David narrative cannot be overstated. Sandwiched between two episodes in which David spares Saul (chapters 24 and 26), this chapter asks a different question: can David restrain himself not against a king but against a fool? The answer, achieved only through Abigail’s intervention, suggests that wisdom in leadership requires not only personal courage but the humility to receive correction. Metzudat David emphasizes that David’s willingness to heed Abigail’s words demonstrated the quality of character essential for kingship — the capacity to distinguish between righteous action and self-serving rage. In this reading, Abigail functions not merely as a clever diplomat but as a stand-in for the prophetic voice that Samuel’s death had silenced, ensuring that David enters his kingdom unstained by needless bloodshed.

פרק כ״ה · Chapter 25

פסוק א׳ · Verse 1

Hebrew:

וַיָּ֣מׇת שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל וַיִּקָּבְצ֤וּ כׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וַיִּסְפְּדוּ־ל֔וֹ וַיִּקְבְּרֻ֥הוּ בְּבֵית֖וֹ בָּרָמָ֑ה וַיָּ֣קׇם דָּוִ֔ד וַיֵּ֖רֶד אֶל־מִדְבַּ֥ר פָּארָֽן׃ {פ}

English:

Samuel died, and all Israel gathered and made lament for him; and they buried him in Ramah, his home.David went down to the wilderness of Paran.aParan Septuagint reads “Maon,” cf. v. 2 and 23.24, 25.

פסוק ב׳ · Verse 2

Hebrew:

וְאִ֨ישׁ בְּמָע֜וֹן וּמַעֲשֵׂ֣הוּ בַכַּרְמֶ֗ל וְהָאִישׁ֙ גָּד֣וֹל מְאֹ֔ד וְל֛וֹ צֹ֥אן שְׁלֹשֶׁת־אֲלָפִ֖ים וְאֶ֣לֶף עִזִּ֑ים וַיְהִ֛י בִּגְזֹ֥ז אֶת־צֹאנ֖וֹ בַּכַּרְמֶֽל׃

English:

There was a man in Maon whose possessions were in Carmel. The man was very wealthy; he owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. At the time, he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

פסוק ג׳ · Verse 3

Hebrew:

וְשֵׁ֤ם הָאִישׁ֙ נָבָ֔ל וְשֵׁ֥ם אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ אֲבִגָ֑יִל וְהָאִשָּׁ֤ה טֽוֹבַת־שֶׂ֙כֶל֙ וִ֣יפַת תֹּ֔אַר וְהָאִ֥ישׁ קָשֶׁ֛ה וְרַ֥ע מַעֲלָלִ֖ים וְה֥וּא (כלבו) [כָֽלִבִּֽי]׃

English:

The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite, was harsh and an evildoer.

פסוק ד׳ · Verse 4

Hebrew:

וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע דָּוִ֖ד בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר כִּי־גֹזֵ֥ז נָבָ֖ל אֶת־צֹאנֽוֹ׃

English:

David was in the wilderness when he heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

פסוק ה׳ · Verse 5

Hebrew:

וַיִּשְׁלַ֥ח דָּוִ֖ד עֲשָׂרָ֣ה נְעָרִ֑ים וַיֹּ֨אמֶר דָּוִ֜ד לַנְּעָרִ֗ים עֲל֤וּ כַרְמֶ֙לָה֙ וּבָאתֶ֣ם אֶל־נָבָ֔ל וּשְׁאֶלְתֶּם־ל֥וֹ בִשְׁמִ֖י לְשָׁלֽוֹם׃

English:

David dispatched ten young men, and David instructed the young men, “Go up to Carmel. When you come to Nabal, greet him in my name.

פסוק ו׳ · Verse 6

Hebrew:

וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֥ם כֹּ֖ה לֶחָ֑י וְאַתָּ֤ה שָׁלוֹם֙ וּבֵיתְךָ֣ שָׁל֔וֹם וְכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־לְךָ֖ שָׁלֽוֹם׃

English:

Say as follows: ‘To life!bTo life! Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Greetings to you and to your household and to all that is yours!

פסוק ז׳ · Verse 7

Hebrew:

��ְעַתָּ֣ה שָׁמַ֔עְתִּי כִּ֥י גֹזְזִ֖ים לָ֑ךְ עַתָּ֗ה הָרֹעִ֤ים אֲשֶׁר־לְךָ֙ הָי֣וּ עִמָּ֔נוּ לֹ֣א הֶכְלַמְנ֗וּם וְלֹֽא־נִפְקַ֤ד לָהֶם֙ מְא֔וּמָה כׇּל־יְמֵ֖י הֱיוֹתָ֥ם בַּכַּרְמֶֽל׃

English:

I hear that you are now doing your shearing. As you know, your shepherds have been with us; we did not harm them, and nothing of theirs was missing all the time they were in Carmel.

פסוק ח׳ · Verse 8

Hebrew:

שְׁאַ֨ל אֶת־נְעָרֶ֜יךָ וְיַגִּ֣ידוּ לָ֗ךְ וְיִמְצְא֨וּ הַנְּעָרִ֥ים חֵן֙ בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ כִּֽי־עַל־י֥וֹם ט֖וֹב בָּ֑נוּ תְּנָה־נָּ֗א אֵת֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּמְצָ֤א יָֽדְךָ֙ לַעֲבָדֶ֔יךָ וּלְבִנְךָ֖ לְדָוִֽד׃

English:

Ask your young men and they will tell you. So receive these young men graciously, for we have come on a festive occasion. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can.’”

פסוק ט׳ · Verse 9

Hebrew:

וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ נַעֲרֵ֣י דָוִ֔ד וַיְדַבְּר֧וּ אֶל־נָבָ֛ל כְּכׇל־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה בְּשֵׁ֣ם דָּוִ֑ד וַיָּנֽוּחוּ׃

English:

David’s young men went and delivered this message to Nabal in the name of David. When they stopped speaking,

פסוק י״ · Verse 10

Hebrew:

וַיַּ֨עַן נָבָ֜ל אֶת־עַבְדֵ֤י דָוִד֙ וַיֹּ֔אמֶר מִ֥י דָוִ֖ד וּמִ֣י בֶן־יִשָׁ֑י הַיּוֹם֙ רַבּ֣וּ עֲבָדִ֔ים הַמִּתְפָּ֣רְצִ֔ים אִ֖ישׁ מִפְּנֵ֥י אֲדֹנָֽיו׃

English:

Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many slaves nowadays who run away from their masters.

פסוק י״א · Verse 11

Hebrew:

וְלָקַחְתִּ֤י אֶת־לַחְמִי֙ וְאֶת־מֵימַ֔י וְאֵת֙ טִבְחָתִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר ט��בַ֖חְתִּי לְגֹֽזְזָ֑י וְנָֽתַתִּי֙ לַאֲנָשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א יָדַ֔עְתִּי אֵ֥י מִזֶּ֖ה הֵֽמָּה׃

English:

Should I then take my bread and my water,cwater Septuagint reads “wine,” and cf. v. 18. and the meat that I slaughtered for my own shearers, and give them to men who come from I don’t know where?”

פסוק י״ב · Verse 12

Hebrew:

וַיַּהַפְכ֥וּ נַעֲרֵֽי־דָוִ֖ד לְדַרְכָּ֑ם וַיָּשֻׁ֙בוּ֙ וַיָּבֹ֔אוּ וַיַּגִּ֣דוּ ל֔וֹ כְּכֹ֖ל הַדְּבָרִ֥ים הָאֵֽלֶּה׃

English:

Thereupon David’s young men retraced their steps; and when they got back, they told him all this.

פסוק י״ג · Verse 13

Hebrew:

וַיֹּ֩אמֶר֩ דָּוִ֨ד לַאֲנָשָׁ֜יו חִגְר֣וּ ׀ אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־חַרְבּ֗וֹ וַֽיַּחְגְּרוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־חַרְבּ֔וֹ וַיַּחְגֹּ֥ר גַּם־דָּוִ֖ד אֶת־חַרְבּ֑וֹ וַֽיַּעֲל֣וּ ׀ אַחֲרֵ֣י דָוִ֗ד כְּאַרְבַּ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ אִ֔ישׁ וּמָאתַ֖יִם יָשְׁב֥וּ עַל־הַכֵּלִֽים׃

English:

And David said to his men, “Gird on your swords.” Each girded on his sword; David too girded on his sword. About four hundred of them went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.

פסוק י״ד · Verse 14

Hebrew:

וְלַאֲבִיגַ֙יִל֙ אֵ֣שֶׁת נָבָ֔ל הִגִּ֧יד נַֽעַר־אֶחָ֛ד מֵהַנְּעָרִ֖ים לֵאמֹ֑ר הִנֵּ֣ה שָׁלַח֩ דָּוִ֨ד מַלְאָכִ֧ים ׀ מֵהַמִּדְבָּ֛ר לְבָרֵ֥ךְ אֶת־אֲדֹנֵ֖ינוּ וַיָּ֥עַט בָּהֶֽם׃

English:

One of [Nabal’s] young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, that David had sent messengers from the wilderness to greet their master, and that he had spurneddspurned Meaning of Heb. uncertain. them.

פסוק ט״ו · Verse 15

Hebrew:

וְהָ֣אֲנָשִׁ֔ים טֹבִ֥ים לָ֖נוּ מְאֹ֑ד וְלֹ֤א הׇכְלַ֙מְנוּ֙ וְלֹֽא־פָקַ֣דְנֽוּ מְא֔וּמָה כׇּל־יְמֵי֙ הִתְהַלַּ֣כְנוּ אִתָּ֔ם בִּֽהְיוֹתֵ֖נוּ בַּשָּׂדֶֽה׃

English:

“But those involved had been very friendly to us; we were not harmed, nor did we miss anything all the time that we went about with them while we were in the open.

פסוק ט״ז · Verse 16

Hebrew:

חוֹמָה֙ הָי֣וּ עָלֵ֔ינוּ גַּם־לַ֖יְלָה גַּם־יוֹמָ֑ם כׇּל־יְמֵ֛י הֱיוֹתֵ֥נוּ עִמָּ֖ם רֹעִ֥ים הַצֹּֽאן׃

English:

They were a wall about us both by night and by day all the time that we were with them tending the flocks.

פסוק י״ז · Verse 17

Hebrew:

וְעַתָּ֗ה דְּעִ֤י וּרְאִי֙ מַֽה־תַּעֲשִׂ֔י כִּֽי־כָלְתָ֧ה הָרָעָ֛ה אֶל־אֲדֹנֵ֖ינוּ וְעַ֣ל כׇּל־בֵּית֑וֹ וְהוּא֙ בֶּן־בְּלִיַּ֔עַל מִדַּבֵּ֖ר אֵלָֽיו׃

English:

So consider carefully what you should do, for harm threatens our master and all his household; he is such a nasty fellow that no one can speak to him.”

פסוק י״ח · Verse 18

Hebrew:

וַתְּמַהֵ֣ר (אבוגיל) [אֲבִיגַ֡יִל] וַתִּקַּח֩ מָאתַ֨יִם לֶ֜חֶם וּשְׁנַ֣יִם נִבְלֵי־יַ֗יִן וְחָמֵ֨שׁ צֹ֤אן (עשוות) [עֲשׂוּיוֹת֙] וְחָמֵ֤שׁ סְאִים֙ קָלִ֔י וּמֵאָ֥ה צִמֻּקִ֖ים וּמָאתַ֣יִם דְּבֵלִ֑ים וַתָּ֖שֶׂם עַל־הַחֲמֹרִֽים׃

English:

Abigail quickly got together two hundred loaves of bread, two jars of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of parched corn, one hundred cakes of raisin, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs. She loaded them on donkeys,

פסוק י״ט · Verse 19

Hebrew:

וַתֹּ֤אמֶר לִנְעָרֶ֙יהָ֙ עִבְר֣וּ לְפָנַ֔י הִנְנִ֖י אַחֲרֵיכֶ֣ם בָּאָ֑ה וּלְאִישָׁ֥הּ נָבָ֖ל לֹ֥א הִגִּֽידָה׃

English:

and she told her young men, “Go on ahead of me, and I’ll follow you”; but she did not tell her husband Nabal.

פסוק כ׳ · Verse 20

Hebrew:

וְהָיָ֞ה הִ֣יא ׀ רֹכֶ֣בֶת עַֽל־הַחֲמ֗וֹר וְיֹרֶ֙דֶת֙ בְּסֵ֣תֶר הָהָ֔ר וְהִנֵּ֤ה דָוִד֙ וַאֲנָשָׁ֔יו יֹרְדִ֖ים לִקְרָאתָ֑הּ וַתִּפְגֹ֖שׁ אֹתָֽם׃

English:

She was riding on the donkey and going down a trailetrail Meaning of Heb. uncertain. on the hill, when David and his men appeared, coming down toward her; and she met them.—

פסוק כ״א · Verse 21

Hebrew:

וְדָוִ֣ד אָמַ֗ר אַךְ֩ לַשֶּׁ֨קֶר שָׁמַ֜רְתִּי אֶֽת־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֤ר לָזֶה֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר וְלֹא־נִפְקַ֥ד מִכׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֖וֹ מְא֑וּמָה וַיָּשֶׁב־לִ֥י רָעָ֖ה תַּ֥חַת טוֹבָֽה׃

English:

Now David had been saying, “It was all for nothing that I protected that fellow’s possessions in the wilderness, and that nothing he owned is missing. He has paid me back evil for good.

פסוק כ״ב · Verse 22

Hebrew:

כֹּה־יַעֲשֶׂ֧ה אֱלֹהִ֛ים לְאֹיְבֵ֥י דָוִ֖ד וְכֹ֣ה יֹסִ֑יף אִם־אַשְׁאִ֧יר מִכׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֛וֹ עַד־הַבֹּ֖קֶר מַשְׁתִּ֥ין בְּקִֽיר׃

English:

May God do thus and more to the enemies offthe enemies of The phrase is intended to avoid the imprecation of David against himself; it is lacking in the Septuagint. David if, by the light of morning, I leave a single malega single male Lit. “one who pees against a wall.” of his.”—

פסוק כ״ג · Verse 23

Hebrew:

וַתֵּ֤רֶא אֲבִיגַ֙יִל֙ אֶת־דָּוִ֔ד וַתְּמַהֵ֕ר וַתֵּ֖רֶד מֵעַ֣ל הַחֲמ֑וֹר וַתִּפֹּ֞ל לְאַפֵּ֤י דָוִד֙ עַל־פָּנֶ֔יהָ וַתִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ אָֽרֶץ׃

English:

When Abigail saw David, she quickly dismounted from the donkey and threw herself face down beforehbefore Meaning of Heb. uncertain. David, bowing to the ground.

פסוק כ״ד · Verse 24

Hebrew:

וַתִּפֹּל֙ עַל־רַגְלָ֔יו וַתֹּ֕אמֶר בִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י אֲדֹנִ֖י הֶעָוֺ֑ן וּֽתְדַבֶּר־נָ֤א אֲמָֽתְךָ֙ בְּאׇזְנֶ֔יךָ וּשְׁמַ֕ע אֵ֖ת דִּבְרֵ֥י אֲמָתֶֽךָ׃

English:

Prostrate at his feet, she pleaded, “Let the blame be mine, my lord, but let your handmaid speak to you; hear your maid’s plea.

פסוק כ״ה · Verse 25

Hebrew:

אַל־נָ֣א יָשִׂ֣ים אֲדֹנִ֣י ׀ אֶת־לִבּ֡וֹ אֶל־אִישׁ֩ הַבְּלִיַּ֨עַל הַזֶּ֜ה עַל־נָבָ֗ל כִּ֤י כִשְׁמוֹ֙ כֶּן־ה֔וּא נָבָ֣ל שְׁמ֔וֹ וּנְבָלָ֖ה עִמּ֑וֹ וַֽאֲנִי֙ אֲמָ֣תְךָ֔ לֹ֥א רָאִ֛יתִי אֶת־נַעֲרֵ֥י אֲדֹנִ֖י אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׁלָֽחְתָּ׃

English:

Please, my lord, pay no attention to that wretched man—to Nabal. For he is just what his name says: His name means ‘boor’ and he is a boor.“Your handmaid did not see the young men whom my lord sent.

פסוק כ״ו · Verse 26

Hebrew:

וְעַתָּ֣ה אֲדֹנִ֗י חַי־יְהֹוָ֤ה וְחֵֽי־נַפְשְׁךָ֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר מְנָעֲךָ֤ יְהֹוָה֙ מִבּ֣וֹא בְדָמִ֔ים וְהוֹשֵׁ֥עַ יָדְךָ֖ לָ֑ךְ וְעַתָּ֗ה יִֽהְי֤וּ כְנָבָל֙ אֹֽיְבֶ֔יךָ וְהַֽמְבַקְשִׁ֥ים אֶל־אֲדֹנִ֖י רָעָֽה׃

English:

I swear, my lord, as GOD lives and as you live—GOD who has kept you from seeking redress by blood with your own hands—let your enemies and all who would harm my lord fare like Nabal!

פסוק כ״ז · Verse 27

Hebrew:

וְעַתָּה֙ הַבְּרָכָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁר־הֵבִ֥יא שִׁפְחָתְךָ֖ לַֽאדֹנִ֑י וְנִתְּנָה֙ לַנְּעָרִ֔ים הַמִּֽתְהַלְּכִ֖ים בְּרַגְלֵ֥י אֲדֹנִֽי׃

English:

Here is the present that your maidservant has brought to my lord; let it be given to the young men who are the followers of my lord.

פסוק כ״ח · Verse 28

Hebrew:

שָׂ֥א נָ֖א לְפֶ֣שַׁע אֲמָתֶ֑ךָ כִּ֣י עָשֹֽׂה־יַעֲשֶׂה֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה לַאדֹנִ֜י בַּ֣יִת נֶאֱמָ֗ן כִּֽי־מִלְחֲמ֤וֹת יְהֹוָה֙ אֲדֹנִ֣י נִלְחָ֔ם וְרָעָ֛ה לֹא־תִמָּצֵ֥א בְךָ֖ מִיָּמֶֽיךָ׃

English:

Please pardon your maid’s boldness. For GOD will grant my lord an enduring house, because my lord is fighting GOD’s battles and no wrong is ever to be found in you.

פסוק כ״ט · Verse 29

Hebrew:

וַיָּ֤קׇם אָדָם֙ לִרְדׇפְךָ֔ וּלְבַקֵּ֖שׁ אֶת־נַפְשֶׁ֑ךָ וְֽהָיְתָה֩ נֶ֨פֶשׁ אֲדֹנִ֜י צְרוּרָ֣ה ׀ בִּצְר֣וֹר הַחַיִּ֗ים אֵ֚ת יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ וְאֵ֨ת נֶ֤פֶשׁ אֹיְבֶ֙יךָ֙ יְקַלְּעֶ֔נָּה בְּת֖וֹךְ כַּ֥ף הַקָּֽלַע׃

English:

And if anyone sets out to pursue you and seek your life, the life of my lord will be bound up in the bundle of life in the care of GOD—who will fling away the lives of your enemies as from the hollow of a sling.

פסוק ל׳ · Verse 30

Hebrew:

וְהָיָ֗ה כִּֽי־יַעֲשֶׂ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ לַֽאדֹנִ֔י כְּכֹ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר אֶת־הַטּוֹבָ֖ה עָלֶ֑יךָ וְצִוְּךָ֥ לְנָגִ֖יד עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

English:

And when GOD has accomplished for my lord all the good promised to you, and has appointed you ruler of Israel,

פסוק ל״א · Verse 31

Hebrew:

וְלֹ֣א תִהְיֶ֣ה זֹ֣את ׀ לְךָ֡ לְפוּקָה֩ וּלְמִכְשׁ֨וֹל לֵ֜ב לַאדֹנִ֗י וְלִשְׁפׇּךְ־דָּם֙ חִנָּ֔ם וּלְהוֹשִׁ֥יעַ אֲדֹנִ֖י ל֑וֹ וְהֵיטִ֤ב יְהֹוָה֙ לַֽאדֹנִ֔י וְזָכַרְתָּ֖ אֶת־אֲמָתֶֽךָ׃ {ס}        

English:

do not let this be a cause of stumbling and of faltering courage to my lord that you have shed blood needlessly and that my lord sought redress with his own hands. And when GOD has made my lord prosper, remember your maid.”

פסוק ל״ב · Verse 32

Hebrew:

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר דָּוִ֖ד לַאֲבִיגַ֑ל בָּר֤וּךְ יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֧ר שְׁלָחֵ֛ךְ הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּ֖ה לִקְרָאתִֽי׃

English:

David said to Abigail, “Praised be GOD, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!

פסוק ל״ג · Verse 33

Hebrew:

וּבָר֥וּךְ טַעְמֵ֖ךְ וּבְרוּכָ֣ה אָ֑תְּ אֲשֶׁ֨ר כְּלִתִ֜נִי הַיּ֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ מִבּ֣וֹא בְדָמִ֔ים וְהֹשֵׁ֥עַ יָדִ֖י לִֽי׃

English:

And blessed be your prudence, and blessed be you yourself for restraining me from seeking redress in blood by my own hands.

פסוק ל״ד · Verse 34

Hebrew:

וְאוּלָ֗ם חַי־יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר מְנָעַ֔נִי מֵהָרַ֖ע אֹתָ֑ךְ כִּ֣י ׀ לוּלֵ֣י מִהַ֗רְתְּ (ותבאתי) [וַתָּבֹאת֙] לִקְרָאתִ֔י כִּ֣י אִם־נוֹתַ֧ר לְנָבָ֛ל עַד־א֥וֹר הַבֹּ֖קֶר מַשְׁתִּ֥ין בְּקִֽיר׃

English:

For as sure as GOD, the God of Israel, lives—who has kept me from harming you—had you not come quickly to meet me, not a single maleia single male Lit. “one who pees against a wall.” of Nabal’s line would have been left by daybreak.”

פסוק ל״ה · Verse 35

Hebrew:

וַיִּקַּ֤ח דָּוִד֙ מִיָּדָ֔הּ אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־הֵבִ֖יאָה ל֑וֹ וְלָ֣הּ אָמַ֗ר עֲלִ֤י לְשָׁלוֹם֙ לְבֵיתֵ֔ךְ רְאִי֙ שָׁמַ֣עְתִּי בְקוֹלֵ֔ךְ וָאֶשָּׂ֖א פָּנָֽיִךְ׃

English:

David then accepted from her what she had brought him, and he said to her, “Go up to your home safely. See, I have heeded your plea and respected your wish.”

פסוק ל״ו · Verse 36

Hebrew:

וַתָּבֹ֣א אֲבִיגַ֣יִל ׀ אֶל־נָבָ֡ל וְהִנֵּה־לוֹ֩ מִשְׁתֶּ֨ה בְּבֵית֜וֹ כְּמִשְׁתֵּ֣ה הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ וְלֵ֤ב נָבָל֙ ט֣וֹב עָלָ֔יו וְה֥וּא שִׁכֹּ֖ר עַד־מְאֹ֑ד וְלֹא־הִגִּ֣ידָה לּ֗וֹ דָּבָ֥ר קָטֹ֛ן וְגָד֖וֹל עַד־א֥וֹר הַבֹּֽקֶר׃

English:

When Abigail came home to Nabal, he was having a feast in his house, a feast fit for a king; Nabal was in a merry mood and very drunk, so she did not tell him anything at all until daybreak.

פסוק ל״ז · Verse 37

Hebrew:

וַיְהִ֣י בַבֹּ֗קֶר בְּצֵ֤את הַיַּ֙יִן֙ מִנָּבָ֔ל וַתַּגֶּד־ל֣וֹ אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ אֶת־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵ֑לֶּה וַיָּ֤מׇת לִבּוֹ֙ בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹ וְה֖וּא הָיָ֥ה לְאָֽבֶן׃

English:

The next morning, when Nabal had slept off the wine, his wife told him everything that had happened; and his courage died within him, and he became like a stone.

פסוק ל״ח · Verse 38

Hebrew:

וַיְהִ֖י כַּעֲשֶׂ֣רֶת הַיָּמִ֑ים וַיִּגֹּ֧ף יְהֹוָ֛ה אֶת־נָבָ֖ל וַיָּמֹֽת׃

English:

About ten days later GOD struck Nabal and he died.

פסוק ל״ט · Verse 39

Hebrew:

וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע דָּוִד֮ כִּ֣י מֵ֣ת נָבָל֒ וַיֹּ֡אמֶר בָּר֣וּךְ יְהֹוָ֡ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר רָב֩ אֶת־רִ֨יב חֶרְפָּתִ֜י מִיַּ֣ד נָבָ֗ל וְאֶת־עַבְדּוֹ֙ חָשַׂ֣ךְ מֵרָעָ֔ה וְאֵת֙ רָעַ֣ת נָבָ֔ל הֵשִׁ֥יב יְהֹוָ֖ה בְּרֹאשׁ֑וֹ וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח דָּוִד֙ וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר בַּאֲבִיגַ֔יִל לְקַחְתָּ֥הּ ל֖וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃

English:

When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Praised be GOD who championed my cause against the insults of Nabal and held mejme Lit. “His servant.” back from wrongdoing; GOD has brought Nabal’s wrongdoing down on his own head.”David sent messengers to propose marriage tokto propose marriage to Lit. “and spoke for”; cf. Song 8.8. Abigail, to take her as his wife.

פסוק מ׳ · Verse 40

Hebrew:

וַיָּבֹ֜אוּ עַבְדֵ֥י דָוִ֛ד אֶל־אֲבִיגַ֖יִל הַכַּרְמֶ֑לָה וַיְדַבְּר֤וּ אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר דָּוִד֙ שְׁלָחָ֣נוּ אֵלַ֔יִךְ לְקַחְתֵּ֥ךְ ל֖וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃

English:

When David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel and told her that David had sent them to her to make her his wife,

פסוק מ״א · Verse 41

Hebrew:

וַתָּ֕קׇם וַתִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּ אַפַּ֖יִם אָ֑רְצָה וַתֹּ֗אמֶר הִנֵּ֤ה אֲמָֽתְךָ֙ לְשִׁפ��חָ֔ה לִרְחֹ֕ץ רַגְלֵ֖י עַבְדֵ֥י אֲדֹנִֽי׃

English:

she immediately bowed low with her face to the ground and said, “Your handmaid is ready to be your maidservant, to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”

פסוק מ״ב · Verse 42

Hebrew:

וַתְּמַהֵ֞ר וַתָּ֣קׇם אֲבִיגַ֗יִל וַתִּרְכַּב֙ עַֽל־הַחֲמ֔וֹר וְחָמֵשׁ֙ נַעֲרֹתֶ֔יהָ הַהֹלְכ֖וֹת לְרַגְלָ֑הּ וַתֵּ֗לֶךְ אַֽחֲרֵי֙ מַלְאֲכֵ֣י דָוִ֔ד וַתְּהִי־ל֖וֹ לְאִשָּֽׁה׃

English:

Then Abigail rose quickly and mounted a donkey, and with five of her maids in attendance she followed David’s messengers; and she became his wife.

פסוק מ״ג · Verse 43

Hebrew:

וְאֶת־אֲחִינֹ֛עַם לָקַ֥ח דָּוִ֖ד מִֽיִּזְרְעֶ֑אל וַתִּהְיֶ֛יןָ גַּֽם־שְׁתֵּיהֶ֥ן ל֖וֹ לְנָשִֽׁים׃ {ס}        

English:

Now David had taken Ahinoam of Jezreel; so both of them became his wives.

פסוק מ״ד · Verse 44

Hebrew:

וְשָׁא֗וּל נָתַ֛ן אֶת־מִיכַ֥ל בִּתּ֖וֹ אֵ֣שֶׁת דָּוִ֑ד לְפַלְטִ֥י בֶן־לַ֖יִשׁ אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִגַּלִּֽים׃

English:

Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti son of Laish from Gallim.

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