The Daily Audio Bible

24 And when Saul turned again, after that he pursued [the] Philistines, they told to him, and said, Lo! David is in the desert of Engedi (Lo! David is in the wilderness of Engedi).

² Therefore Saul took three thousand chosen men of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men, yea upon the most broken rocks, the which be thorough-ways to wild goats alone (which be thoroughfares only for wild goats).

³ And he came to the folds of sheep, that offered themselves to the way-goer. And there was a cave, into which Saul entered, that he would purge his womb; forsooth David and his men were hid in the inner part of the den. (And he came to the sheepfolds, or the pens, that offered themselves to the way-goer. And there was a cave, into which Saul entered, where he could empty his bowels; and David and his men were hid in the inner part of that cave.)

⁴ And the servants of David said to him, Lo! the day of which the Lord spake to thee, (and said,) I shall betake to thee thine enemy, that thou do to him as it pleaseth in thine eyes. Therefore David rose up, and cutted the hem off the mantle of Saul privily. (And David’s servants said to him, Lo! this is the day of which the Lord spoke to thee, and said, I shall deliver thy enemy to thee, so that thou can do to him as it pleaseth thee. And David rose up, and secretly cut off the hem of Saul’s mantle.)

⁵ After these things, David smote his heart, that is, his conscience reproved him, for he had cut away the hem of the mantle of Saul. (But after doing this, David’s heart struck him, that is, his conscience reproved him, for he had cut away the hem of Saul’s mantle.)

⁶ And David said to his men, The Lord be merciful to me, lest I do this thing to my lord, the anointed of the Lord, or that I send mine hand on him, for he is the christ of the Lord. (And David said to his men, The Lord forbid that I do this to my lord, who is the Lord’s anointed, or that I put my hand against him, for he is the Lord’s anointed.)

⁷ The Lord liveth, for but the Lord smite him, either his day come, that he die, either he go down into battle, and perish, the Lord be merciful to me, that I send not mine hand into the christ of the Lord; and David brake his men by such words, and suffered not them, that they rised against Saul. And Saul rose out of the den, and went in the way begun. (As the Lord liveth, but the Lord strike him down, or his day come that he die, or that he go down to the battle, and perish, the Lord forbid that I put my hand against the Lord’s anointed; and David convicted his men with such words, and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And so Saul left the cave without any harm, and went on the way begun.)

⁸ And David rose up after him, and he went out of the den, and cried after the back of Saul, and said, My lord, the king! And Saul beheld behind himself; and David bowed himself low to the earth, and worshipped him (and David bowed low to the ground, and honoured him).

⁹ And David said to Saul, Why hearest thou the words of men speaking, David seeketh evil against thee? (And David said to Saul, Why hearest thou the words of men who say that David seeketh to harm thee.)

¹⁰ Lo! today thine eyes saw, that the Lord betook thee in mine hand in the den, and I thought that I would slay thee, but mine eye spared thee; for I said, I shall not hold forth mine hand into my lord, for he is the anointed of the Lord. (Lo! today thine eyes can see that the Lord delivered thee into my hands in the cave, and I thought that I would kill thee, but instead, I spared thee; for I said, I shall not put my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.)

¹¹ But rather, my father, see thou, and know the hem of thy mantle in mine hand; for when I cutted away the hem off thy mantle, I would not hold forth mine hand against thee (for when I cut off the hem of thy mantle, I would not put forth my hand against thee); perceive thou, and see, for neither evil neither wickedness is in mine hand, neither I have sinned against thee; but thou ambushest my life, that thou do it away.

¹² The Lord deem betwixt me and thee, and the Lord venge me of thee (and the Lord avenge me upon thee); but mine (own) hand be not against thee,

¹³ as it is said in [the] eld proverb, Wickedness shall go out of wicked men; therefore mine hand be not against thee (and so my hand shall not be against thee).

¹⁴ Whom pursuest thou, king of Israel, whom pursuest thou? Thou pursuest a dead hound, and a quick flea.

¹⁵ The Lord be judge, and the Lord deem betwixt me and thee, and see, and deem my cause, and deliver me from thine hand.

¹⁶ And when David had filled, or ended, speaking such manner words to Saul, Saul said, Whether this is thy voice, my son David? And Saul raised up his voice, and wept.

¹⁷ And he said to David, Thou art more just than I; for thou gavest good things to me; but I have yielded evils to thee. (And he said to David, Thou art more in the right than I; for thou gavest good to me; but I yielded only evil to thee.)

¹⁸ And thou hast showed to me today, what goods thou hast done to me, how the Lord betook me in thine hand, and thou killedest not me. (And thou hast shown me today the good that thou hast done for me, yea, how the Lord delivered me into thy hands, but thou didest not kill me.)

¹⁹ For who, when he findeth his enemy, shall deliver him into (a) good way? But the Lord yield to thee this while, for that, (that) thou hast wrought today in me (for what thou hast done for me today).

²⁰ And now, for I know, that thou shalt reign most certainly, and shalt have in thine hand the realm of Israel, (And now, for I know, that most certainly thou shalt reign, and shalt have in thy hands the kingdom of Israel,)

²¹ swear thou to me in the Lord, that thou do not away my seed after me, neither take away my name from the house of my father. (swear thou to me by the Lord, that thou shalt not do away my descendants after me, nor take away my name from my father’s house.)

²² And David swore to Saul. Therefore Saul went into his house (And then Saul went back to his house), and David and his men went up to (the) secure places.

25 Forsooth Samuel was dead; and all Israel was gathered together, and they bewailed him greatly, and buried him in his house in Ramah. And David rose up, and went down into the desert of Paran. (And then Samuel died; and all Israel was gathered together, and they greatly bewailed him, and buried him at his house in Ramah. And David rose up, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.)

² And in Maon there was a man, and his possession was in Carmel; and that man was full great, and there were to him three thousand sheep, and a thousand of goats; and it befelled that his flock was shorn in Carmel. (And in Maon there was a man, and his possession was in Carmel; and that man was very rich, and there were to him three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats; and it befell that his flock was clipped in Carmel.)

³ And the name of that man was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail; and that woman was most prudent and fair, (and that woman was very intelligent, and beautiful); but her husband was hard and full wicked and malicious; and he was of the kin of Caleb.

⁴ Therefore when David had heard in desert, that Nabal clipped his flock, (And when David had heard in the wilderness, that Nabal clipped his flock,)

⁵ he sent ten young men, and said to them, Go ye up into Carmel, and ye shall come to Nabal, and ye shall greet him of my name peaceably (and ye shall give him a friendly greeting in my name);

⁶ and ye shall say thus (and so ye shall say), Peace be to my brethren and to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be to all things, whatever thou hast.

⁷ I have heard that thy shepherds, that were with us in desert, have shorn thy flocks; we were never dis-easeful to them, neither any time anything of the flock failed to them, in all the time in which they were with us in Carmel; (I have heard that thy shepherds, who were with us in the wilderness, have clipped thy flocks; we never threatened them, nor at any time did anything of theirs go missing, in all the time when they were with us in Carmel;)

⁸ ask thy young men, and they shall show to thee. Now therefore thy young men find grace in thine eyes; for in a good day we come to thee; whatever thing thine hand findeth, or (it) pleaseth to thee, give it to thy servants, and to thy son David. (ask thy young men, and they shall tell thee. And so now let my young men find favour in thine eyes, for we come to thee on a good day; and whatever thing that thy hand findeth, or it pleaseth thee, give it to thy servants, and to thy son David.)

⁹ And when the young men of David had come, they spake to Nabal all these words in the name of David, and held [their] peace (and then they were silent).

¹⁰ Forsooth Nabal answered to the young men of David, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? Today servants [have] increased that flee their lords (Today too many servants have fled from their lords).

¹¹ Therefore shall I take my loaves, and my waters, and the flesh of (my) beasts, which I have slain to my shearers (which I have killed for my shearers), and shall I give (it) to men, that I know not of whence they be?

¹² Therefore the young men of David went again by their way; and they turned again, and came, and told to him all (the) words which Nabal had said.

¹³ Then David said to his young men, (Let) Each man be gird with his sword. And all (his) men were girded with their swords, and David also was girded with his sword; and as four hundred men followed David, for two hundred (were) left at the fardels (and about four hundred men followed David, for two hundred were left behind with the bundles, or the supplies).

¹⁴ And one of the young men told to Abigail, the wife of Nabal, and said, Lo! David sent messengers from desert, that they should bless our lord, and he turned them away (Lo! David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our lord, but he turned them away);

¹⁵ these men were good enough, and not dis-easeful to us, and nothing of ours perished in all the time in which we were with them in desert, (or in the wilderness);

¹⁶ they were to us for a wall, both in night and day, in all the days in which we pastured flocks with them. (they were like a wall for us, both night and day, all the days in which we pastured the flocks with them.)

¹⁷ Wherefore behold thou, and think, what thou shalt do; for malice is full-filled against thine husband, and against thine house (for malice is now filled full against thy husband, and against all thy family); and he is the son of Belial, so that no man may speak (sense) to him.

¹⁸ Therefore Abigail hasted, and took two hundred loaves, and two vessels of wine, and five wethers sodden, and seven bushels and an half of flour (and five roasted sheep, and seven and a half bushels of flour), and an hundred bundles of dried grapes, or raisins, and two hundred pieces of dried figs; and she put all this upon asses,

¹⁹ and said to her servants, Go ye before me; lo! I shall follow you behind your back. And she showed not this to her husband Nabal (But she did not say anything about this to her husband Nabal).

²⁰ Therefore when she had gone upon an ass, and came down to the foot of the hill, David and his men came down into her coming; the which she met (and she met them).

²¹ And (earlier) David (had) said, Verily in vain I have kept all these things that were of this Nabal in the desert, and nothing perished of all things that pertained to him, and (yet) he hath yielded to me evil for good. (And earlier David had said, Truly in vain have I kept watch over all those things that were Nabal’s in the wilderness, and though nothing perished of all the things that pertained to him, yet he hath yielded to me evil for good.)

²² The Lord do these things, and add he these things to the enemies of David, if I shall leave (anything) undestroyed of all things that pertain to him till tomorrow (yea, even) a pisser to a wall. (May the Lord do these things, and add he other things, to David’s enemies, if I leave anything unwasted until tomorrow out of all the things that pertain to him, yea, even a pisser on the wall.)

²³ And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and went down off the ass; and she fell down before David on her face, and worshipped him on the earth (bowing low to the ground before him).

²⁴ And she felled down to his feet, and said, My lord the king, this wickedness be in me; I beseech thee, speak thine handmaid in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy servantess; (And she fell down at his feet, and said, My lord the king, let this wickedness be upon me; I beseech thee, let thy servantess speak to thee, and listen thou to the words of thy servantess;)

²⁵ I pray (thee), my lord the king, set not his heart on this wicked man Nabal, for by his name he is a fool, and folly is with him; but, my lord, I thine handmaid saw not thy young men, which thou sentest (but my lord, I thy servantess, did not see thy young men, whom thou sentest).

²⁶ Now therefore, my lord, the Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth, the which Lord hath forbidden thee, that thou shouldest come into blood, and the Lord saved thy life to thee; and now thine enemies, and they that seek evil to thee my lord, be they made as Nabal. (And so now, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, the which Lord hath forbidden thee, that thou shouldest come to shed blood, and so to avenge thyself with thy own hand; yea, now let thy enemies, and they who seek evil for thee my lord, be they made like Nabal.)

²⁷ Wherefore receive thou this blessing, (or this gift,) which thine handmaid [hath] brought to thee, my lord, and give it to the young men that follow thee, my lord.

²⁸ (And) Do thou away the wickedness of thy servantess; for the Lord making shall make a faithful house to thee, my lord (for the Lord shall make a faithful family for thee, my lord), for thou, my lord, fightest the battles of the Lord; therefore malice be not found in thee in all the days of thy life.

²⁹ For if a man riseth any time, and pursueth thee, and seeketh thy life, the life of my lord shall be kept (safe) as in a bundle of living trees, at thy Lord God (with the Lord thy God); but the soul of thine enemies shall be hurled round about as in [the] fierceness, and [the] circle of a sling.

³⁰ Therefore when the Lord hath done to thee, my lord, all these good things, which he hath spoken of thee, and hath ordained thee duke upon Israel (and hath ordained thee ruler upon Israel),

³¹ this shall not be into sighing, that is, into mourning of soul, and into remorse of conscience, and into doubt of heart to thee, my lord, that thou hast shed out guiltless blood, either that thou hast (a)venged thyself. And when the Lord hath done well to thee, my lord, thou shalt have mind on thine handmaid (thou shalt remember thy servantess), and thou shalt do well to her.

³² And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that sent thee today into my coming (who sent thee today to meet me),

³³ and blessed be thy speech; and blessed be thou, that hast forbade me, lest I went today to (shed) blood, and had venged me with mine hand (and had avenged myself with my own hands);

³⁴ else the Lord God of Israel liveth, which forbade me, lest I did evil to thee, if thou haddest not soon come into meeting to me, (yea, even) a pisser to the wall should not have (been) left to Nabal till to the morrow light. (else as the Lord God of Israel liveth, who forbade me, lest I did evil to thee, if thou haddest not swiftly come to meet me, yea, even a pisser on the wall would not have been left to Nabal by the morning light.)

³⁵ Therefore David received (out) of her hand all (the) things which she had brought to him; and he said to her, Go thou in peace into thine house; lo! I have heard thy voice, and I honoured thy face (and I grant thy request).

³⁶ Forsooth Abigail came to Nabal; and lo! a feast was to him in his house, as the feast of a king; and the heart of Nabal was merry, certainly he was full drunken; and she showed not to him a word, little or great, till the morrow. (And Abigail came back to Nabal; and lo! he was giving a feast in his house, a feast fit for a king; and Nabal’s heart was merry, for he was very drunk; and so she did not tell him anything, little or great, until the morning.)

³⁷ But in the morrowtide, when Nabal had voided the wine, his wife showed to him all these words; and his heart was almost dead within, and he was made as a stone. (But in the morning, when Nabal had voided the wine, his wife told him everything; and his heart was almost dead within, and he was made like a stone.)

³⁸ And when ten days had passed, the Lord smote Nabal, and he was dead (and he died).

³⁹ The which thing when David had heard, Nabal to be dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord God, that hath venged the cause of my shame of the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil, and the Lord hath yielded the malice of Nabal into the head of him. Therefore David sent, and spake to Abigail, that he would take her (as a) wife to him. (Which thing when David had heard, that is, that Nabal had died, he said, Blessed be the Lord God, who hath avenged the cause of my shame at the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil; yea, the Lord hath yielded the malice of Nabal onto his own head. Then David sent word to Abigail that he would take her for his wife.)

⁴⁰ And the servants of David came to Abigail into Carmel, and spake to her, and said, David sent us to thee, that he take thee into wife to him. (And so David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, and spoke to her, and said, David sent us to tell thee, that he would take thee as his wife.)

⁴¹ And she rose up, and worshipped low to the earth (and bowed low to the ground), and said, Lo! (let) thy servantess be into an handmaid, that she wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

⁴² And Abigail hasted, and rose (up), and ascended on an ass (and mounted her donkey); and five damsels, (the) followers of her feet, went with her, and she followed the messengers of David, and (so) was made [a] wife to him.

⁴³ But also David took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and ever either was wife to him (and they both became his wives);

⁴⁴ and Saul gave Michal his daughter, [the] wife of David, to Phalti, the son of Laish, that was of Gallim.

²² But the feasts of hallowing of the temple were made in Jerusalem, and it was winter.

²³ And Jesus walked in the temple, in the porch of Solomon.

²⁴ Therefore the Jews came about him, and said to him, How long takest thou away our soul? if thou art Christ, say thou to us openly [and said to him, How long dost thou away our soul? if thou art Christ, say to us plainly, or openly].

²⁵ Jesus answered to them, I speak to you, and ye believe not; the works that I do in the name of my Father, bear witnessing of me [the works that I do in the name of my Father, these bear witness of me].

²⁶ But ye believe not, for ye be not of my sheep.

²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

²⁸ And I give to them everlasting life, and they shall not perish without end, and none shall snatch them out of mine hand. [And I shall give to them everlasting life, and they shall not perish into without end, and any man shall not snatch them out of mine hand.]

²⁹ That thing that my Father gave to me, is more than all things [That thing that my Father gave to me, is more than all]; and no man may snatch from my Father's hand.

³⁰ I and the Father be one.

³¹ The Jews took up stones, to stone him.

³² Jesus answered to them, I have showed to you many good works of my Father, for which work of them stone ye me?

³³ The Jews answered to him, We stone thee not of good work, but of blasphemy, and for thou, since thou art a man, makest thyself God.

³⁴ Jesus answered to them, Whether it is not written in your law, That I said, Ye be gods?

³⁵ If he said that they were gods, to whom the word of God was made, and the scripture may not be undone,

³⁶ that that the Father hath hallowed, and hath sent into the world [which the Father hallowed, and sent into the world], ye say, That thou blasphemest, for I said, I am God's Son?

³⁷ If I do not the works of my Father, do not ye believe to me;

³⁸ but if I do, though ye will not believe to me, believe ye to the works; that ye know and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.

³⁹ Therefore they sought to take him, and he went out of their hands.

⁴⁰ And he went again over Jordan, into that place where John was first baptizing, and he dwelt there.

⁴¹ And many came to him, and said, For John did no miracle [Forsooth John did no sign, or miracle]; and all things whatever John said of this, were sooth.

⁴² And many believed in him.

116 Alleluia. I loved the Lord; for the Lord shall hear the voice of my prayer. (Alleluia. I love the Lord; for the Lord hath heard the words of my prayer.)

² For he bowed down his ear to me; and I shall inwardly call him in my days (and I shall call to him in all my days).

³ The sorrows of death (en)compassed me; and the perils of hell found me. I found tribulation and sorrow; (The sorrows of death surrounded me; and the perils of Sheol, or the land of the dead, took hold of me. And I found myself in trouble and in sorrow;)

⁴ and I called inwardly the name of the Lord. Thou, Lord, deliver my soul; (and I called on the name of the Lord, saying, O Lord, save my soul!/O Lord, save me!)

⁵ the Lord is merciful, and just (the Lord is merciful, and he is good); and our God doeth mercy.

⁶ And the Lord keepeth little children; I was meeked, and he delivered me. (And the Lord keepeth safe the simple-hearted; yea, I was brought down low, but he saved me.)

⁷ My soul, turn thou (again) into thy rest; for the Lord hath done well to thee. (My soul, return to thy rest; for the Lord hath been good to thee.)

⁸ For he hath delivered my soul from death; mine eyes from weepings, and my feet from falling down. (For he hath saved me from death; yea, he stopped my eyes from weeping, and my feet from slipping, or stumbling.)

⁹ I shall please the Lord; in the country of them that live. (I shall walk before the Lord; in the land of the living.)

¹⁰ I believed, for which thing I spake; forsooth I was made low full much. (And I continued to believe; even when I was brought down so very low.)

¹¹ I said in my passing; Each man is a liar. (And I said in my panic/And I said when I was afraid, Every person is a liar.)

¹² What shall I yield to the Lord; for all things which he hath yielded to me? (But what can I give back to the Lord; for all that he hath given to me?)

¹³ I shall take the cup of health; and I shall inwardly call the name of the Lord. (I shall take the cup of salvation, or of deliverance; and I shall call on the name of the Lord.)

¹⁴ I shall yield my vows to the Lord before all his people; (I shall pay my vows to the Lord; in the sight of all his people.)

¹⁵ the death of saints of the Lord is precious in his sight. (The Lord is deeply moved by the death of any of his saints.)

¹⁶ O! Lord, for I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid (I am thy servant, and the son of thy servantess). Thou hast broken my bonds,

¹⁷ to thee I shall offer a sacrifice of praising; and I shall inwardly call the name of the Lord. (and so I shall offer a sacrifice of praise to thee; and I shall call on the name of the Lord.)

¹⁸ I shall yield my vows to the Lord, in the sight of all his people; (I shall pay my vows to the Lord, before all his people;)

¹⁹ in the foreyards of the house of the Lord, in the midst of thee, Jerusalem. (in the courtyards of the House of the Lord, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem.)

²⁰ A wise son maketh glad his father; but a fond man despiseth his mother. (A wise son maketh his father happy; but a fool despiseth his mother.)

²¹ Folly is joy to a fool; but a prudent man shall (ad)dress his steps. (Foolishness bringeth joy to a fool; but a prudent person shall direct his steps.)