1 ¶ And Samuel died, and all Israel gathered together and lamented him and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

Now Samuel died. All Israel gathered together and was filled with sorrow for him. They buried him at his house in Ramah. Then David got ready and went down to the desert of Paran.

2 ¶ And there was a man in Maon whose possessions were in Carmel, and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

There was a man in Maon who worked in Carmel. The man was very rich. He had 3, 000 sheep and 1, 000 goats. He was cutting the wool from his sheep in Carmel.

3 N ow 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 hard and evil in his doings, and he was of the lineage of Caleb.

The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. The woman was of good understanding and beautiful. But the man was bad and sinful in his ways. He was a Calebite.

4 A nd David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

David heard in the desert that Nabal was cutting the wool from his sheep.

5 A nd David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Climb up to Carmel and go to Nabal and greet him in my name.

So David sent ten young men, saying to them, “Go up to Carmel. Visit Nabal and greet him for me.

6 A nd thus shall ye say to him, May thou live and peace be unto thee and peace be unto thy house and peace be unto all that thou hast.

Say to him, ‘Have a long life. Peace be to you. Peace be to your family. And peace be to all that you have.

7 I have recently heard that thou hast shearers. Now thy shepherds who were with us, we did not hurt them, neither was there anything missing unto them all the while they were in Carmel.

I have heard that you have men who cut the wool from your sheep. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we have not done them any wrong. And they have not missed anything all the time they were in Carmel.

8 A sk thy slaves, and they will tell thee. Therefore, let the young men find grace in thine eyes, for we come in a good day; give, I pray thee, whatever is in thy hand unto thy slaves and to thy son David.

Ask your young men and they will tell you. So let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a special day. I ask you to give whatever you have ready to your servants and to your son David.’”

9 A nd when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David and ceased.

When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in David’s name. Then they waited.

10 A nd Nabal answered David’s slaves and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many slaves nowadays that break from their masters.

But Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are leaving their owners.

11 S hall I then take my bread and my water and my slaughtered meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it unto men that I do not know where they are from?

Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my wool cutters, and give it to men when I do not know where they came from?”

12 ¶ So David’s young men left and returned and came and told him all those words.

So David’s young men turned away and returned to David and told him all this.

13 T hen David said unto his men, Gird ye on each man his sword. And each one girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword; and about four hundred men went up after David, and they left two hundred with the stuff.

David said to his men, “Every man put on his sword!” So every man put on his sword, and David put on his sword also. About 400 men went up behind David, while 200 stayed with their things.

14 A nd one of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to bless our master, and he railed on them.

But one of the young men told Nabal’s wife Abigail, “See, David sent men from the desert to greet our owner, and he spoke against them.

15 B ut the men were very good unto us and never hurt us, neither did we miss anything all the time that we have been conversant with them when we were in the fields.

But David’s men were very good to us. They did not do anything wrong to us. And we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them.

16 T hey were a wall unto us both by night and day all the time that we were feeding the sheep with them.

They were a wall to us night and day, all the time we were with them taking care of the sheep.

17 N ow, therefore, know and consider what thou must do, for evil is determined against our master and against all his household, for he is such a son of Belial that no one can speak to him.

So know this and think about what you should do. For bad plans have been made against our owner and all his family. He is such a sinful man that no one can speak to him.”

18 ¶ Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two bottles of wine and five sheep ready dressed and five measures of parched flour and one hundred bunches of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs and laid them on asses.

In a hurry Abigail took 200 loaves of bread, two bottles of wine, five sheep ready to eat, five baskets of dry grain, 100 vines of dried grapes and 200 loaves of figs, and loaded them on donkeys.

19 A nd she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told nothing to her husband Nabal.

She said to her young men, “Go on before me. See, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

20 A nd it was so as she rode on the ass that she came down a secret part of the mountain, and, behold, David and his men came down against her, and she met them.

As she went on her donkey and came down hidden by the mountain, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them.

21 N ow David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow has in the wilderness so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him, and he has returned unto me evil for good.

Now David had said, “It was for nothing that I have watched over all this man has in the desert, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him. He has paid me bad for good.

22 L et God do so and more also unto the enemies of David if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that piss against the wall.

May God do the same to David and more, if I leave until morning as much as one male alive of all who belong to him.”

23 A nd when Abigail saw David, she hastened and lighted off the ass and fell before David on her face and bowed herself to the ground

When Abigail saw David, she got off her donkey in a hurry. Then she put her face to the ground in front of David.

24 a nd fell at his feet and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be, and let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thy audience; and hear the words of thy handmaid.

She fell at his feet and said, “Let the sin be on me alone, my lord. I beg you, let your woman servant speak to you. Listen to the words of your woman servant.

25 L et not my lord, I pray thee, take to heart this man of Belial, even Nabal, for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I, thy handmaid, did not see the servants of my lord whom thou didst send.

I beg you, do not let my lord think about this sinful man, Nabal. For he is like his name. Nabal is his name and he is foolish. But I your woman servant did not see my lord’s young men whom you sent.

26 N ow, therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as thy soul lives, seeing the LORD has withheld thee from coming to shed blood and from avenging thyself with thy own hand, now let thy enemies and those that seek evil to my lord be as Nabal.

So now, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, let the Lord keep you from being guilty of blood. Let Him keep you from punishing with your own hand. And let those who hate you and those who want to hurt my lord be like Nabal.

27 A nd now this blessing which thy handmaid has brought unto my lord, let it be given unto the servants that follow my lord.

Now let this gift which your woman servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord.

28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thy handmaid, for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil has not been found in thee all thy days.

I beg you, forgive the sin of your woman servant. For the Lord will be sure to make my lord a family that will last. Because my lord is fighting the Lord’s battles. Sin will not be found in you as long as you live.

29 Y et a man is risen to pursue thee and to seek thy soul, but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God, and he shall hurl forth the souls of thine enemies as out of the middle of a sling.

If men rise up to come after you and try to kill you, then the life of my lord will be taken care of by the Lord your God. But He will throw away the lives of those who hate you, as a rock is thrown from a sling.

30 A nd it shall come to pass when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning thee and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel,

The Lord will do to my lord all the good that He has promised you. He will make you ruler over Israel.

31 t hat this shall be no stumblingblock unto thee nor grief of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless or that my lord has avenged himself; but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid.

Then my lord will have no reason to feel sorry or guilty because of killing without cause or punishing by my lord’s own hand. When the Lord does good things for my lord, remember your woman servant.”

32 ¶ Then David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel who sent thee this day to meet me;

Then David said to Abigail, “Thanks be to the Lord God of Israel, Who sent you this day to meet me.

33 a nd blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou who hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood and from avenging myself with my own hand.

May thanks be given for your wisdom, and thanks be to you. You have kept me this day from being guilty of blood, and from punishing with my own hand.

34 F or in very deed as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hastened and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that piss against the wall.

The Lord God of Israel has kept me from hurting you. And as the Lord lives, if you had not been quick to come to meet me, for sure not one male would have been left to Nabal until the morning.”

35 S o David received of her hand that which she had brought him and said unto her, Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice and have accepted thy person.

So David received what she had brought him. He said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and have done what you asked.”

36 ¶ And Abigail came to Nabal, and, behold, he held a banquet in his house like the banquet of a king; and Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken; therefore, she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.

Abigail came to Nabal and saw that he was having a special supper in his house, like the special supper of a king. Nabal’s heart was full of joy, because he was very drunk. So she did not tell him anything until the morning.

37 B ut it came to pass in the morning when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

But in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things. And his heart died within him so that he became like a stone.

38 A nd it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, and he died.

The Lord made Nabal die about ten days later.

39 A nd when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD that judged the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has kept his slave from evil, for the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent word unto Abigail to take her to him to wife.

When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Thanks be to the Lord, Who has punished Nabal for putting me to shame. He has kept His servant from sin. And the Lord has turned the sin of Nabal upon himself.” Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to be his wife.

40 A nd when the slaves of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke with her, saying, David sent us unto thee to take thee to him to wife.

When David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you, to take you as his wife.”

41 A nd she arose and bowed herself on her face to the earth and said, Behold, let thy handmaid be a slave to wash the feet of the slaves of my lord.

She stood up and then put her face to the ground, and said, “See, your woman servant will serve you by washing the feet of my lord’s servants.”

42 A nd Abigail hastened and arose and rode upon an ass with five damsels of hers that went after her, and she went after the messengers of David and became his wife.

Then she got ready in a hurry and traveled on a donkey, with her five young women who followed her. She followed the men David had sent, and became his wife.

43 D avid also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they were also both of them his wives.

David had taken Ahinoam of Jezreel also. They both became his wives.

44 F or Saul had given Michal, his daughter, David’s wife, to Phalti, the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

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