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10 these very words. Upon which Nabal started up, and in reply said to David's young men, Who is David? and who is the son of Jessai? There are now a days many slaves who run 11 away every one from his master; and shall I take my bread, and my wine, and the flesh I have killed for my sheep shearers, and give them to men whom I know not whence they 12 be? At this David's young men turned about, and came away, and having returned, they came and told David these words, whereupon David said to his men, Gird on every man 13 his sword. So there went up with David about four hundred 14 men, and two hundred staid with the baggage. Now one of the servants had told Abigaia, the wife of Nabal, saying, Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to salute 15 our master; but he turned away from them. Now those men were very kind to us. They never molested us, nor exacted 16 any thing from us, all the time we were with them. And when we were in the fields, they were like a wall around us night and day, all the time we were near them, tending the flock. 17 Now therefore consider, and see what thou canst do: for there is mischief determined on against our master, and his household; but he is so perverse that there is no speaking to him. 18 Upon this Abigaia hasted, and took two hundred loaves, and two vessels of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five ephahs of barley meal, and a gomer of dried raisins, and two 19 hundred fig cakes, and laid them on asses, and said to her servants, Go on before me, and behold I will come after you: but 20 she did not tell her husband. And it happened, that as she, mounted on her ass, was going down under the covert of the mountain, behold David and his men were coming down over

21 against her; so she met them. Now David had said, Surely for an unrighteous fellow have I guarded all that he had in the wilderness, and we have not ordered the taking of any thing 22 belonging to him: but he hath rewarded me evil for good. God do so to David, and more also, if by to-morrow morning 23 I leave of all that belong to Nabal one man-And when Abigaia saw David, she hasted, and alighted from her ass, and fell on her face before David, and made obeisance to him on the ground, at his feet, and said, On me, my lord, be my ini24 quity. Let thy servant, I beseech thee, speak in thine audience,

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25 and hear the words of thy servant. Let not my lord, I pray thee, set his heart against this perverse man. For as is his name so is he. His name is Nabal, and with him is folly. But I thy servant did not see my lord's servants whom thou didst send.

26 Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth, as the Lord hath withheld thee from coming to shed innocent blood, it was to save thy hand for thyself. Now therefore let all thine enemies and those who seek to hurt my lord be like 27 Nabal. And now accept this present, which thy servant hath brought for my lord, and give it to the young men who attend 28 my lord. Forgive, I beseech thee, what is amiss in thy servant. Because the Lord will assuredly make for my lord a faithful house-because the Lord will fight the battle of my lord, there. 29 fore there must never be iniquity found in thee. Though a man may rise up to pursue thee, and seek thy life, yet will the life of my lord be bound up in the bundle of life by the Lord God; but the life of thy enemies thou shalt sling out with a 30 sling. And when the Lord shall do for my lord all the good things which he hath spoken concerning thee, and hath made 31 thee ruler over Israel, thou my lord must not have the stain or guilt of having causelessly shed innocent blood. May the Lord therefore save the hand of my lord for himself, and kindly dispose my lord, that thou mayst remember thy servant, to deal 32 kindly by her. Thereupon David said to Abigaia, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who hath sent thee this day to meet 33 me. And blessed be thy conduct, and blessed thou who hast kept

me back from coming to blood, that I might save my hand for 34 myself. For as the Lord God of Israel liveth, who hath this day withheld me from doing thee an injury, if thou hadst not hastened, and come to meet me, I had determined that by the morning light there should not be left to Nabal one man.

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Then David received at her hand all that she brought him, and said to her, Go up in peace to thy house. See, I have 36 hearkened to thy voice from a personal regard to thee. Then Abigaia went to Nabal, and behold he had an entertainment at his house like that of a king, and Nabal's heart was elated for he was very drunk, so she told him nothing less or more 37 till the next morning. But in the morning when Nabal had recovered from his wine, his wife told him all these things,

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and his heart was confounded, and he became like a stone. 38 And in about ten days the Lord smote Nabal, and he died. 39 And when David heard it, he said, Blessed be the Lord who hath judged the cause of my reproach, out of the hand of Nabal, and hath preserved his servant from the hand of wicked men. The Lord hath turned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head. Then David sent and spoke of Abigaia 40 to take her for a wife; and when David's servants came

to Abigaia to Carmel, and spoke to her, saying, David hath 41 sent us to thee to take thee to himself for a wife, she arose, and bowed down to the ground on her face, and said, Behold thy servant is ready to be a house maid to wash the feet of thy 42 servants. Then Abigaia arose, and mounted her ass, and five maids accompanied her, and she went with David's servants, 43 and became his wife. Now David had taken Achinaam of Jezrael, and they were both his wives. And Saul gave his daughter Melchol, David's wife, to Phalti, son of Amis, of Romma.

XXVI. Again the Ziphites came from the wilderness to Saul, on the mount, and said, Behold, David is lurking with us on 2 mount Echela, in front of Jessemon. Thereupon Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having with him three thousand chosen men of Israel, to seek David in the 3 wilderness of Ziph. And Saul encamped on that eminence of 4 Echela, which is in front of Jessemon, by the way side. Now David made his abode in that wilderness. So when David saw that Saul was coming after him, into the wilderness, he sent out spies. And when he knew that Saul was come in force 5 out of Keila, David arose privily, and went to the place where Saul was sleeping. And Abenner, son of Ner, his captain general was there, and Saul was asleep in a palanquin, and the 6 people were encamped around him. Now David addressing Abimelech the Chettite, and Abessa, son of Saruia, the brother of Joab, had said, Who will go with me into the camp to Saul? 7 and Abessa said, I will go with thee. So David went with Abessa, in among the people by night, and behold Saul lay fast asleep in a palanquin, and his lance was stuck in the ground at his head, and Abenner and his people lay around him. 8 Whereupon Abessa said to David, The Lord hath this day delivered thine enemy into thy hands, now therefore let me smite him with my spear, to the ground, at one stroke, and I will 9 not repeat the blow. But David said to Abessa, Thou must not humble him: for who can lift up his hand against the 10 Lord's anointed, and be guiltless? Then David said, As the Lord liveth, either the Lord will smite him, or his time shall 11 come, and he will go down to battle and fall. The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against the anointed of the Lord. Now therefore take, I pray thee, the spear from his 12 pillow, and the cup of water, and let us go. So David took the lance, and the cup of water from his pillow, and went away; and there was none who saw, nor was there one who perceived, nor one who awaked. They were all fast asleep. For a deep 13 sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them. And when David had passed over to the other side, he stood on the top of the moun14 tain, at a distance, and there was a great way between them,

and David called to the people, and spoke to Abenner, saying, 15 Wilt thou not answer, Abenner,! And Abenner answered and said, Who art thou, who callest? Then David said to Abenner, Art thou not a chief man? And who is like thee in Israel? Why then dost thou not guard thy lord the king? For one of the 16 people went in to slay thy lord the king. This thing which thou hast done is not good. As the Lord liveth, you who guard your lord the king--the anointed of the Lord, are guilty of death; for see now, I pray thee, the king's lance, and the 17 cup of water, where are they which were at his head? And when Saul knew David's voice, he said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, I am thy servant, my lord the 18 king. Moreover he said, Why doth my lord pursue after his servant? For wherein have I offended, or what iniquity is there 19 found in me? Now therefore let my lord the king hear the word of his servant. If God stirreth thee up against me, let thy sacrifice be fragrant: but if the sons of men; cursed be they before the Lord; for they have now driven me out from abiding securely in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go, 20 serve other gods. Now therefore, let not my blood fall on the land before the face of the Lord, because the king of Israel is come out to seek my life, as the night hawk pursueth on the 21 mountains. Then Saul said, I have sinned, Return, my son

David; for I will no more do thee harm; because my life hath been precious in thy sight, at the very time when I was led 22 astray by folly, and egregiously mistaken. And David answered and said, Behold here is the king's lance; let one of the 23 young men come over and take it. The Lord will render to every one according to his righteousness, and his fidelity. As the Lord delivered thee this day into my hands, and I would not 24 lay my hand on the Lord's anointed; and behold as thy life was this day highly regarded in my eyes, so may my life be highly regarded in the sight of the Lord, and may he protect 25 me! He indeed will deliver me out of all affliction. Then Saul said to David, Blessed art thou, my son. Thou shalt surely perform exploits, and prevail. Then David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

XXVII. But David spoke in his heart, saying, I may one day fall into the hands of Saul. Is it not best for me to make my escape to the land of the Philistines, so that Saul may cease from seeking me in the borders of Israel? So shall I escape 2 out of his hand. So David arose, and the six hundred men with him, and went to Angchus, son of Ammach, king of 3 Geth. And David abode with Angchus, both he and his men, every one with his household, and David with his two wives, Achinaam the Jezraelitess, and Abigaia late the wife of Nabal 4 the Carmelite. And when Saul was informed that David had fled to Geth, he did not proceed any more to seek him. Now David 5 had said to Angchus, If thy servant hath found favour in thy sight, let a place, I pray thee, be given me in one of thy cities, in the country, and I will settle there. For why should thy 6 servant dwell in the royal city with thee? So he gave him on that day Sekelak; for this cause Sekelak belongeth to the 7 king of Juda to this day. Now the time that David had dwelt in 8 the country of the Philistines was four months, when David went up with his men, and they fell upon all the Geserites, and upon the Amelekites. (Now this country was inhabited by wandering hordes, excepting those who had fixed abodes from 9 Gelampsur to the land of Egypt.) And when he smote the land he saved neither man nor woman alive; but he took their flocks, and herds, and asses, and camels, and raiment, and re10 turned, and came to Angchus. And when Angchus said to

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