1 T hen Samuel died; and all Israel gathered together and mourned for him, and buried him at his house in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. Nabal and Abigail

¶ 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.

2 N ow there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel; and the man was very rich, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And it came about while he was shearing his sheep in Carmel

¶ 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.

3 ( now the man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. And the woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings, and he was a Calebite),

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

4 t hat David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.

5 S o David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, visit Nabal and greet him in my name;

And 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.

6 a nd thus you shall say, ‘ Have a long life, peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.

And 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.

7 N ow I have heard that you have shearers; now your shepherds have been with us and we have not insulted them, nor have they missed anything all the days they were in Carmel.

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.

8 A sk your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a festive day. Please give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”

Ask 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.

9 W hen David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in David’s name; then they waited.

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

10 B ut Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “ Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master.

And 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.

11 S hall 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?”

Shall 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?

12 S o David’s young men retraced their way and went back; and they came and told him according to all these words.

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

13 D avid said to his men, “Each of you gird on his sword.” So each man girded on his sword. And David also girded on his sword, and about four hundred men went up behind David while two hundred stayed with the baggage.

Then 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.

14 B ut one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he scorned them.

And 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.

15 Y et the men were very good to us, and we were not insulted, nor did we miss anything as long as we went about with them, while we were in the fields.

But 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.

16 T hey were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep.

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

17 N ow therefore, know and consider what you should do, for evil is plotted against our master and against all his household; and he is such a worthless man that no one can speak to him.” Abigail Intercedes

Now, 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.

18 T hen Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread and two jugs of wine and five sheep already prepared and five measures of roasted grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys.

¶ 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.

19 S he said to her young men, “ Go on before me; behold, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

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

20 I t came about as she was riding on her donkey and coming down by the hidden part of the mountain, that behold, David and his men were coming down toward her; so she met them.

And 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.

21 N ow David had said, “Surely in vain I have guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him; and he has returned me evil for good.

Now 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.

22 M ay God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave as much as one male of any who belong to him.”

Let 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.

23 W hen Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted from her donkey, and fell on her face before David and bowed herself to the ground.

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

24 S he fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the blame. And please let your maidservant speak to you, and listen to the words of your maidservant.

and 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.

25 P lease do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him; but I your maidservant did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.

Let 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.

26 “ Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, since the Lord has restrained you from shedding blood, and from avenging yourself by your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek evil against my lord, be as Nabal.

Now, 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.

27 N ow let this gift which your maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who accompany my lord.

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

28 P lease forgive the transgression of your maidservant; for the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil will not be found in you all your days.

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.

29 S hould anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; but the lives of your enemies He will sling out as from the hollow of a sling.

Yet 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.

30 A nd when the Lord does for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and appoints you ruler over Israel,

And 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,

31 t his will not cause grief or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the Lord deals well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.”

that 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.

32 T hen David said to Abigail, “ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me,

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

33 a nd blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand.

and 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.

34 N evertheless, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from harming you, unless you had come quickly to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal until the morning light as much as one male.”

For 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.

35 S o David received from her hand what she had brought him and said to her, “ Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and granted your request.”

So 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.

36 T hen Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; so she did not tell him anything at all until the morning light.

¶ 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.

37 B ut 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 as a stone.

But 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.

38 A bout ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal and he died. David Marries Abigail

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

39 W hen David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be 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 also returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent a proposal to Abigail, to take her as his wife.

And 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.

40 W hen the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you to take you as his wife.”

And 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.

41 S he arose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your maidservant is a maid to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”

And 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.

42 T hen Abigail quickly arose, and rode on a donkey, with her five maidens who attended her; and she followed the messengers of David and became his wife.

And 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.

43 D avid had also taken Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both became his wives.

David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they were also both of them his wives.

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

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