1 N ow 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.

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

2 T here 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.

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 T he 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.

Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was 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.

4 D avid heard in the desert that Nabal was cutting the wool from his sheep.

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

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

And David sent ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:

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

and thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be unto thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.

7 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.

And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: thy shepherds have now been with us, and we did them no hurt, neither was there aught missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel.

8 A sk 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.’”

Ask thy young men, and they will tell thee: wherefore let the young men find favor in thine eyes; for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thy hand, unto thy servants, and to thy son David.

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

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

10 B ut 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.

And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there are many servants now-a-days that break away every man from his master.

11 S hould 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?”

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?

12 S o David’s young men turned away and returned to David and told him all this.

So David's young men turned on their way, and went back, and came and told him according to all these words.

13 D avid 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.

And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the baggage.

14 B ut 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.

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 at them.

15 B ut 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.

But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields:

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

they were a wall unto us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

17 S o 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.”

Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house: for he is such a worthless fellow, that one cannot speak to him.

18 I n 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.

Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched grain, and a hundred clusters 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. See, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

And she said unto her young men, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.

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

And it was so, as she rode on her ass, and came down by the covert of the mountain, that, behold, David and his men came down toward her; and she met them.

21 N ow 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.

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

22 M ay 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.”

God do so unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one man-child.

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

And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and alighted from her ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground.

24 S he 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.

And she fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity; and let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy handmaid.

25 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.

Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this worthless fellow, even Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thy handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

26 S o 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.

Now therefore, my lord, as Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing Jehovah hath withholden thee from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now therefore let thine enemies, and them that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.

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

And now this present which thy servant hath brought unto my lord, let it be given unto the young men that follow my lord.

28 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.

Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy handmaid: for Jehovah will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fighteth the battles of Jehovah; and evil shall not be found in thee all thy days.

29 I f 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.

And though men be risen up to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul, yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with Jehovah thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as from the hollow of a sling.

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

And it shall come to pass, when Jehovah shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee prince over Israel,

31 T hen 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.”

that this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood without cause, or that my lord hath avenged himself. And when Jehovah shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid.

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

And David said to Abigail, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me:

33 M ay 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.

and blessed be thy discretion, and blessed be thou, that hast kept me this day from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.

34 T he 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.”

For in very deed, as Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, who hath withholden me from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light so much as one man-child.

35 S o 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.”

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

36 A bigail 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.

And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore 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 like a stone.

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

38 T he Lord made Nabal die about ten days later.

And it came to pass about ten days after, that Jehovah smote Nabal, so that he died.

39 W hen 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.

And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be Jehovah, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept back his servant from evil: and the evil-doing of Nabal hath Jehovah returned upon his own head. And David sent and spake concerning Abigail, to take her to him to wife.

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

And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David hath sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife.

41 S he 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.”

And she arose, and bowed herself with her face to the earth, and said, Behold, thy handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

42 T hen 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.

And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that followed her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

43 D avid had taken Ahinoam of Jezreel also. They both became his wives.

David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they became both of them his wives.

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

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