1 Samuel 25:11
New International Version
Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?”

New Living Translation
Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I’ve slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?”

English Standard Version
Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?”

Berean Standard Bible
Why should I take my bread and water and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give them to these men whose origin I do not know?”

King James Bible
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?

New King James Version
Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”

New American Standard Bible
Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?”

NASB 1995
“Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?”

NASB 1977
“Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?”

Legacy Standard Bible
Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?”

Amplified Bible
So should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”

Christian Standard Bible
Am I supposed to take my bread, my water, and my meat that I butchered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don’t know where they are from.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Am I supposed to take my bread, my water, and my meat that I butchered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don’t know where they are from.”

American Standard Version
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they are?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
My bread and water and the meat are for my Shearers, and shall I give to men of whom I do not know from where they are?”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And shall I take my bread, and my wine, and my beasts that I have slain for my shearers, and shall I give them to men of whom I know not whence they are?

Contemporary English Version
What makes you think I would take my bread, my water, and the meat that I've had cooked for my own servants and give it to you? Besides, I'm not sure that David sent you!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and the flesh of my cattle, which I have killed for my shearers, and give to men whom I know not whence they are?

English Revised Version
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they be?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Should I take my bread, my water, and my meat that I butchered for my shearers and give them to men coming from who knows where?"

Good News Translation
I'm not going to take my bread and water, and the animals I have butchered for my sheepshearers, and give them to people who come from I don't know where!"

International Standard Version
Should I take my food, my water, and my meat that I've slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men who came from who knows where?"

JPS Tanakh 1917
shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they are?'

Literal Standard Version
And have I taken my bread, and my water, and my flesh, which I slaughtered for my shearers, and have given [it] to men whom I have not known where they [are] from?”

Majority Standard Bible
Why should I take my bread and water and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give them to these men whose origin I do not know?”

New American Bible
Must I take my bread, my wine, my meat that I have slaughtered for my own shearers, and give them to men who come from who knows where?”

NET Bible
Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don't even know where they came from!"

New Revised Standard Version
Shall I take my bread and my water and the meat that I have butchered for my shearers, and give it to men who come from I do not know where?”

New Heart English Bible
Shall I then take my bread, and my wine, and my meat that I have slaughtered for the shearers of my sheep, and give it to men who I do not know where they come from?"

Webster's Bible Translation
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men, whom I know not whence they are?

World English Bible
Shall I then take my bread, my water, and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men who I don’t know where they come from?”

Young's Literal Translation
and I have taken my bread, and my water, and my flesh, which I slaughtered for my shearers, and have given it to men whom I have not known whence they are!'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David, Nabal, and Abigail
10But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are breaking away from their masters. 11Why should I take my bread and water and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give them to these men whose origin I do not know?” 12So David’s men turned around and went back, and they relayed to him all these words.…

Cross References
Judges 8:6
But the leaders of Succoth asked, "Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your army?"

Judges 8:15
And Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, 'Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your weary men?'"

1 Samuel 25:7
Now I hear that it is time for shearing. When your shepherds were with us, we did not harass them, and nothing of theirs was missing the whole time they were in Carmel.

1 Samuel 25:12
So David's men turned around and went back, and they relayed to him all these words.


Treasury of Scripture

Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men, whom I know not from where they be?

Shall I then

1 Samuel 25:3
Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

1 Samuel 24:13
As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

Deuteronomy 8:17
And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

flesh [heb] slaughter

Ecclesiastes 11:1,2
Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days…

Galatians 6:10
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

whom

1 Samuel 25:14,15
But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them…

John 9:29,30
We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is…

2 Corinthians 6:9
As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

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Bread Idea Killed Meat Origin Ready Shearers Slaughtered Water Whence Wool-Cutters
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Bread Idea Killed Meat Origin Ready Shearers Slaughtered Water Whence Wool-Cutters
1 Samuel 25
1. Samuel dies
2. David in Paran sends to Nabal
10. Provoked by Nabal's rudeness, he minds to destroy him
14. Abigail understanding thereof
18. takes a present
23. and by her wisdom
32. pacifies David
36. Nabal hearing thereof, dies
39. David takes Abigail and Ahinoam to be his wives
44. Michal is given to Phalti














(11) Unto men, whom I know not.--In other words, "Shall I give largesse to the enemies of my king--to a band of rebel freebooters?"

My water.--The LXX., instead of "water," read "wine." This is one of the countless alterations this version arbitrarily makes in the original sacred text. The Greek translators were puzzled at Nabal's enumeration of "water" as one of the demands of David. Its mention, however, is a mark of the accuracy of the record. Water in many parts of the East is exceedingly precious. The words of Joshua 15:19 clearly indicate the especial want of this district of Palestine, when Caleb's daughter Achsah specially prayed her father for springs of water. Its mention, however, can scarcely, as Dean Payne Smith observes, "mark the abstemious habits of the people," considering in the same chapter we find the owner of all these flocks prostrate through intoxication.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Why should I take
וְלָקַחְתִּ֤י (wə·lā·qaḥ·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3947: To take

my bread
לַחְמִי֙ (laḥ·mî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3899: Food, bread, grain

and
וְאֶת־ (wə·’eṯ-)
Conjunctive waw | Direct object marker
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

water
מֵימַ֔י (mê·may)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

and the meat
טִבְחָתִ֔י (ṭiḇ·ḥā·ṯî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2878: Thing slaughtered, slaughtered meat, slaughter

I have slaughtered
טָבַ֖חְתִּי (ṭā·ḇaḥ·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 2873: To slaughter, butcher, slay

for my shearers,
לְגֹֽזְזָ֑י (lə·ḡō·zə·zāy)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1494: To cut off, to shear a, flock, shave the hair, to destroy an enemy

and give
וְנָֽתַתִּי֙ (wə·nā·ṯat·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

them to these men
לַֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים (la·’ă·nā·šîm)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

whose origin
אֵ֥י (’ê)
Interrogative
Strong's 335: Where?, how?

I do not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

know?”
יָדַ֔עְתִּי (yā·ḏa‘·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3045: To know


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OT History: 1 Samuel 25:11 Shall I then take my bread (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 25:10
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