25
1 Samuel
died; and all
Israel gathered
themselves together
and mourned for
him, and buried
him at his
house at Ramah.
Then David arose
and went down
to the wilderness
of Paran.
2 There
was a man
in Maon whose
possessions were
in Carmel; and
the man was
very great. He
had three thousand
sheep and
a thousand goats;
and he was
shearing his sheep
in Carmel.
3 Now the
name of the
man was Nabal;
and the name
of his wife Abigail.
This woman was
intelligent and
had a
beautiful face; but
the man was surly
and evil in
his doings. He
was of the house
of Caleb.
4 David
heard in the
wilderness that
Nabal was shearing
his sheep.
5 David
sent ten young
men; and David said
to the young
men, “Go up
to Carmel, and
go to Nabal,
and greet him
in my name.
6 Tell
him, ‘Long life
to you! Peace
be to you!
Peace be to
your house! Peace
be to all
that you have!
7 Now
I have heard
that you have
shearers. Your
shepherds have now
been with us,
and we didn’t harm
them. Nothing was
missing from them
all the time
they were in
Carmel.
8 Ask
your young men,
and they will
tell you.
Therefore let the
young men find
favor in your
eyes, for we
come on a
good day. Please
give whatever
comes to your
hand to your
servants and to
your son David.’ ”
9 When
David’s young men
came, they spoke
to Nabal all
those words in
the name of
David, and waited.
10 Nabal
answered David’s
servants and said,
“Who is David?
Who is the
son of Jesse?
There are many
servants who break
away from
their masters these
days.
11 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?”
12 So
David’s young men
turned on their
way and went
back, and came
and told him
all these words.
13 David said
to his men, “Every
man put on his
sword!”
Every man put on
his sword. David
also put on
his sword.
About four hundred men
followed David,
and two hundred
stayed by the
baggage.
14 But one
of the young
men told Abigail,
Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold,
David sent
messengers out of
the wilderness to
greet our master;
and he insulted
them.
15 But
the men were
very good to
us, and we
were not harmed,
and we didn’t miss
anything as long
as we went
with them, when
we were in
the fields.
16 They
were a wall
to us both
by night and
by day, all
the while we
were with them
keeping the sheep.
17 Now
therefore know and
consider what you
will do; for
evil is determined
against our master
and against all
his house, for
he is such
a worthless fellow
that one can’t
speak to him.”
18 Then Abigail
hurried and took
two hundred loaves
of bread, two
containers of wine,
five sheep ready
dressed, five seahs
of parched grain,
one hundred
clusters of
raisins, and two
hundred cakes of
figs, and laid
them on donkeys.
19 She said
to her young
men, “Go on
before me. Behold,
I am coming after
you.” But
she didn’t tell
her husband, Nabal.
20 As
she rode on
her donkey, and
came down hidden
by the mountain,
behold, David and
his men came down
toward her, and
she met them.
21 Now
David had said, “Surely
in vain I
have kept all
that this fellow
has in the
wilderness, so
that nothing was
missed of all
that pertained to
him. He has
returned me evil
for good.
22 God do
so to the enemies
of David, and
more also, if I
leave of all
that belongs to
him by the
morning light so
much as one
who urinates on a
wall.”
23 When Abigail
saw David, she
hurried and got
off her donkey,
and fell before
David on her
face and bowed
herself to the
ground.
24 She
fell at his
feet and said, “On
me, my lord, on
me be the
blame! Please let
your servant speak
in your ears. Hear
the words of
your servant.
25 Please don’t
let my lord pay
attention to this
worthless fellow, Nabal,
for as his
name is, so
is he. Nabal
is his name,
and folly is
with him; but
I, your servant,
didn’t see my lord’s
young men whom
you sent.
26 Now
therefore, my lord,
as the LORD
lives and as
your soul lives,
since the LORD
has withheld you
from blood guiltiness
and from avenging
yourself with your
own hand, now
therefore let your
enemies and those
who seek evil
to my lord
be as Nabal.
27 Now
this present which
your servant has
brought to my lord,
let it be
given to the
young men who
follow my lord.
28 Please
forgive the
trespass of
your servant. For
the LORD will
certainly make my
lord a sure house,
because my lord
fights the LORD’s
battles. Evil will
not be found
in you all
your days.
29 Though men
may rise up
to pursue you
and to seek
your soul, yet
the soul of
my lord will
be bound in
the bundle of
life with the
LORD your God.
He will sling
out the souls
of your enemies
as from a
sling’s pocket.
30 It
will come to
pass, when the
LORD has done
to my lord
according to all
the good that
he has spoken
concerning you,
and has appointed
you prince over
Israel,
31 that
this shall be
no grief to
you, nor offense
of heart to
my lord, either
that you have
shed blood without
cause, or that
my lord has
avenged himself.
When the LORD
has dealt well
with my lord,
then remember
your servant.”
32 David said
to Abigail, “Blessed
is the LORD,
the God of
Israel, who sent
you today to
meet me!
33 Blessed
is your discretion,
and blessed are
you, who have
kept me today
from blood guiltiness,
and from
avenging myself with
my own hand.
34 For
indeed, as the
LORD the God
of Israel lives,
who has withheld
me from harming
you, unless you
had hurried and
come to meet
me, surely
there wouldn’t have
been left to
Nabal by the
morning light so
much as one
who urinates on a
wall.”
35 So
David received
from her hand
that which she
had brought him.
Then he said
to her, “Go
up in peace
to your house.
Behold, I have
listened to your
voice and have
granted your
request.”
36 Abigail
came to Nabal;
and behold, he
held a feast
in his house
like the feast
of a king.
Nabal’s heart was
merry within him,
for he was
very drunk.
Therefore she told
him nothing until
the morning light.
37 In
the morning, when
the wine had
gone out of
Nabal, his wife
told him these
things; and his
heart died within
him, and he
became as a stone.
38 About
ten days later,
the LORD struck
Nabal, so that
he died.
39 When
David heard that
Nabal was dead,
he said, “Blessed
is the LORD,
who has pleaded
the cause of
my reproach from
the hand of
Nabal, and has
kept back his
servant from evil.
The LORD has
returned the evildoing
of Nabal on
his own head.”
David sent and
spoke concerning Abigail,
to take her
to himself as
wife.
40 When
David’s servants
had come to Abigail
to Carmel, they
spoke to her,
saying, “David has
sent us to
you, to take
you to him
as wife.”
41 She
arose and bowed
herself with
her face to
the earth, and said, “Behold, your servant is
a servant to
wash the feet
of the servants
of my lord.”
42 Abigail
hurriedly arose
and rode on
a donkey with
her five maids
who followed her;
and she went
after the
messengers of
David, and became
his wife.
43 David
also took Ahinoam
of Jezreel; and
they both became
his wives.
44 Now
Saul had given
Michal his
daughter, David’s wife,
to Palti the
son of Laish,
who was of
Gallim.